All about the cortisol blood test.

All about the cortisol blood test: The level of the stress hormone called cortisol plays an essential role in the body. Cortisol is one of the major hormones involved in balancing stress. Cortisol is a steroid hormone made by the adrenal glands. Whenever you experience some stress that your body perceives as a threat, your brain releases an adrenocorticotropic hormone. This triggers your adrenal glands to discharge cortisol and adrenaline. 

Cortisol suppresses any action that is harmful or unnecessary to that response. In such a situation, you may experience below mentioned symptoms in the body. 

• Fast heartbeat 
• Dry mouth 
• Upset stomach 
• Diarrhea 
• Fear 

How to know the level of stress in the body:

A cortisol level test is done to check the level of cortisol in your body. This is your body’s main stress tool and is a way of preparing your body for an emergency. The adrenal glands are tiny, triangle-shaped glands that are on top of your kidneys. Cortisol releases adrenaline and cortisol. Cortisol plays a role in many techniques in the body. These systems include: 

• Stress reactions 
• Defense system 
• Communication Systems 
• Nervous system 
• Breakdown of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates inside blood test 

Cortisol Blood Test 

If you feel stressed and tense most of the time, you may get a cortisol blood test done. It will tell you the way your body works when you are under constant stress. This test can also help find out if you have Cushing’s syndrome (increased cortisol levels) or Addison’s disease.

Also Read: Health benefits of body scan meditation.

How is a cortisol blood test conducted:

The cortisol blood test uses a blood sample to measure cortisol levels. Whereas these few steps are always included in the process.

• To check blood pressure, an elastic band is wrapped around the upper arm and closed. This makes the veins in your arm more visible, making it more comfortable to insert the needle. Then the needle is inserted after cleaning that area of the skin. 
• Blood is collected in a tube by inserting the needle into the vein. 
• The elastic band is removed after enough blood is collected. 
• Then it is sent to the lab for examination purposes. 

What do the results of a cortisol level test mean? 

Higher-than-normal cortisol levels may indicate that: 

Is your pituitary gland releasing too much adrenocorticotropic hormone due to a tumor or overgrowth of the pituitary gland?

Have a tumor in your adrenal gland, resulting in excess production of cortisol 

Lower-than-normal cortisol levels may indicate that: 

Lower-than-normal cortisol levels may be a sign of Addison’s disease, which occurs when your body makes too little cortisol. Along with this, you may have hypopituitarism due to decreased production of cortisol in the body.