Saliva cortisol test results

[liaratsoni]

Hi everyone I just got my saliva cortisol test results back and they are as follows:

Waking: 9.78 (6-21)

12 noon: 5.19 (1.5-7.6)

4pm: 3.63 (0-5.5)

Before bed <1.5 (0-2)

I am relieved as this rules out adrenal insufficiency correct but is my waking level a little lower than it should be? Could this be why I am struggling to tolerate an increase? If it is on the low side is this a level I could fix with only vit c + adrenal cocktails etc?

Thank you hugely!

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

liaratsoni

Unfortunately you haven't chosen the best adrenal test. Medichecks only measures cortisol. We also need DHEA testing alongside cortisol as this helps with determining stages of adrenal fatigue. In the initial stage, both cortisol and DHEA will be high, the more we struggle to produce stress hormones then DHEA will lower, and more advanced adrenal fatigue then cortisol will lower too. [My simple explantation, more info out there to research if you want to.] A better test which includes both cortisol and DHEA is offered by Regenerus or Genova Diagnostics.

Ranges are based on the levels of healthy people. As you can see, two of those ranges have zero as the lower limit. If anyone did have a level of zero, they would be very far from healthy.

Also your bedtime result says <1.5 so there is no actual result given. It could be anywhere between 0 and 1.4. If it was nearer the low end the level would be good, if it was nearer the high end it would be too high.

Optimal levels, according to rt3-adrenals.org/cortisol_t... are:

• Morning at the top of the range - yours is just 25.20% through range

• Noon approximately 75% of the range - yours is 60.49% through range

• Evening close to 50% of the range - if we can actually use that range then yours is 66% through range

• Nighttime at the bottom of the range - unfortunately a completely useless result

So, discounting the evening and nighttime levels, because they're not really helpful due to the ranges having zero as the bottom limit, your morning level is very low and your noon level is a little low.

I have been trying to raise my levels for a couple of years and I'm not doing too bad with noon, afternoon and bedtime, but am finding it a struggle to raise my morning level and haven't yet found the answer to that. However, I would add that my levels were low due to taking a cortisol lowering supplement recommended by a practioner who failed to mention that regular monitoring was necessary, so I took it for two years with devastating effect.

[liaratsoni in reply to SeasideSusie]

Ah I see!

So I do need to work on raising the morning level then. Is it too low for vitamin c and adrenal cocktails or do I need to look into adrenal supplements? How have you been attempting to raise yours?

Thank you!

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to liaratsoni]

liaratsoni

Is it too low for vitamin c and adrenal cocktails or do I need to look into adrenal supplements?

I don't know, the adrenal cocktail didn't seem to do anything for me but I didn't take it long term, and I take about 2,000mg Vit C every day anyway which I have done for a very long time.

How have you been attempting to raise yours?

I had to raise mine across the board, all four samples, so I use an adrenal glandular but, as I say, I'm struggling to raise the morning one even though the others are doing quite well.

[liaratsoni in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you again! I've restarted the 2000mg vit c and will try the adrenal cocktail and if it's not enough I will look into the cortex.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to liaratsoni]

liaratsoni

Just be aware that any adrenal glandular will raise your levels across the board.

[liaratsoni in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you! I would ideally like to avoid taking them if possible