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Question: can stress alter cortisol levels?
| jen77
- Sat May 26, 2007 8:48 am |
Hi please can you tell me if certain things can affect cortisol levels? (ive heard that if you are stressed then it can abnormally raise your cortisol levels when they arent really in the normal range thus creating a false negative) please post back.
thanks
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| Dr. Chan Lowe
- Sat May 26, 2007 9:31 pm |
Stress can raise cortisol levels. When testing cortisol levels the "normal" levels are very dependent on the time of day as well.
Often, when interpreting a cortisol level the stress level will be taken into account such that even if the level is normal but not high there may still be suspicion of a problem.
To better test cortisol levels, a stimulation test can be done to see if the cortisol level appropriately raises.
Best wishes.
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