Cortisol (C)

Ordering the Cortisol Test with ZRT

Cortisol is a hormone that is made by the adrenal glands, and the pituitary gland tells your adrenal glands how much cortisol to make in response to:

• Stress (cortisol is sometimes called the "stress hormone")
• Inflammation
• Regulating blood sugar and metabolism (how your body uses food for energy)
• Controlling blood pressure
  

In a healthy individual, cortisol levels increase and decrease at different times of the day. It's usually higher in the morning and lower at night unless a person works during late hours or has changing shifts.

Factors that can affect cortisol levels:

• Exercise
• Hypothyroidism
• Infection
• Injury or disease
• Medications such as hydrocortisone, prednisone or birth control pills, obesity, pregnancy
• Physical or emotional stress
  

Which Patients is the Cortisol Test with ZRT Best Used For?

Symptoms That May Lead A Practitioner to Order the ZRT Cortisol Test include:

High Cortisol Symptoms:

• Insomnia
• Anxiety
• Sugar cravings
• Feeling tired but wired
• Increased belly fat
• Bone loss

Low Cortisol Symptoms:

• Chronic fatigue
• Low energy
• Food and sugar cravings
• Poor exercise tolerance or recovery
• Low immune reserves