Question about adrenal testing (saliva)

[sunrising]

Hi. I want to test my adrenals through Genova and have asked about a few places but can't find the answers. I contacted Genova too but they have asked me to ask practitioner. So, my sleep pattern is wild as I'm chronically ill and can't sleep properly because of pain and symptoms. I go to bed late, don't sleep properly through the night and get up late and several bursts of sleep. How do I approach my stress test as it is supposed to be done at certain times of the day. Should I set the alarm and wake at 8 am to do the first sample and take it from there or should I test when I wake and take throughout the day at so many hours paced out. Sorry, if I'm not writing fluently - got so much brain fog due to my inability to tolerate my thyroid meds and lyme disease. Thank you to anyone who can shed light.

[BlueHorizonMedicals]

Hi sunrising ,

I'm not sure about Genova's kits but what we recommend on our Blue Horizon 4 x cortisol saliva kits is a half hour after waking, one at 12, one at 4 and the last one at 10pm or just going to sleep at night.

Make sure you are well hydrated and don't clean your teeth in the hour before taking your samples - the presence of blood (from bleeding gums) can give a false reading. Your chronic pain may also elevate your cortisol levels, as can various meds that you are taking for your chronic health issues.

You should contact your practitioner if possible to see what they say.

Best of luck,

Paul.

[sunrising in reply to BlueHorizonMedicals]

Thank you Paul. Does it matter that I get up really late because of my disturbed sleep. What if I took the first test at 11 am then another at lunch-time would be too soon maybe? I didn't know BHorizon did the saliva tests - good to know. I';ll have to have a look on your site. I'm just confused over timing as I'm all over the place and yes, I agree, my cortisol will be not good because of my pain. So, do you feel that I should set alarm and take at the times suggested or kwhen I wake and then another just an hour os so after which would be a bit skewiff???

[radd]

sunrising,

As your aim is presumably to eventually resume a more usual sleep pattern, it would make sense to test at the suggested timings of approx 7-8am, lunchtime, teatime and bed-time.

These results will show the imbalances//discrepancies in your cortisol, DHEA, etc to that of usual circadian behaviours.

[sunrising in reply to radd]

Hi Radd. Yes, that's what I am thinking but my waking times are so weird that I don't know the best way to judge. I haven't been able to sleep properly for a long, long time due to chronic illness so my pattern is wild - would love it to be more normal. I have no energy and sleep so much but pain wakes me up. Not sure which timings would show a more realistic result. Thank you so much for your reply.

[BlueHorizonMedicals]

Hi sunrising ,

Our Doctor's comment is based upon the first sample being an hour after waking, as everybody wakes at different times and circadian rythms differ accordingly (look at shift workers). If however, the practitioner you ordered the test from has given you different instructions then probably best to follow those!

Best wishes,

Paul.

[sunrising in reply to BlueHorizonMedicals]

Thanks Paul. Well, I've been waking up really late so if I took my first one an hour after waking, I would be doing the test at about 11.30 or 12 noon at the earliest. What time should I take the 2nd and third test in that case? I do not have a practitioner as such asking me to do this, I'm doing it on my own and will ask for comments from the forums. I have had private doctors who indicate that adrenals are a problem for me but I'm not directly working with those doctors at the moment. I might report back to one of them though if my results are problematic. Thanks for your reply