Optimal Result:
0 - 0.94 nmol/L.
What is Cortisol?
Cortisol is a steroid produced and secreted by the adrenal glands. Cortisol affects many different body systems, including: bone growth, blood pressure control, immune system function, metabolism of fats, carbohydrates, and protein, and nervous system function. Additionally, our brain releases a chemical called adrenocorticotropic hormone in response to threatening stimuli. This triggers your adrenal glands to release cortisol and adrenaline, giving you a burst of new energy and strength.
Let’s take a closer look at cortisol levels:
Cortisol levels follow a pattern called “diurnal variation,” peaking in the early morning then declining throughout the day and reaching the lowest level at night.
Why are cortisol tests performed?
Cortisol tests are done to check for increased or decreased cortisol production, which is an indication of how well the pituitary and adrenal glands are working. Tests may also be ordered when women have irregular menstrual periods and increased facial hair or when children have delayed development and short stature.
More details on the fight or flight response - a modern take:
The fight or flight response which triggers a release of cortisol is a natural and necessary tool for our survival. However, in our modern world threatening situations usually take the form of bills and deadlines not bears and tigers. Our bodies have a limiting response when a threat passes that brings cortisol levels back to baseline; however, when stressors are always present cortisol levels remain elevated. This long-term activation and subsequent overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones can disrupt almost all of our body’s processes. This puts us at risk for a number of serious health problems, including:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Digestive problems
- Heart disease
- Weight gain
- Sleep problems
Normally, cortisol levels rise within 10 to 30 minutes of waking to help boost energy levels and then drop throughout the day. This is known as the cortisol awakening response (CAR). In the DUTCH test the 24hr Free Cortisol biomarker is the sum of the Waking, Morning, Afternoon and Night cortisol levels. Cortisol levels are a good indication of baseline HPA axis function since they represent the lowest level during the circadian rhythm. Cortisol is often reflective of glycemic control due to the post-prandial timing of collection. Cortisol measurement reflects peak ACTH-mediated adrenal gland response.
References:
– The cortisol awakening response (CAR): Facts and future directions [L]
– Stress on the dance floor: the cortisol stress response to social-evaluative threat in competitive ballroom dancers. [L]
– Comparison of the cortisol awakening response in women with shoulder and neck pain and women with fibromyalgia. [L]
– Timing the end of nocturnal sleep. [L]
– Enhanced cortisol production rates, free cortisol, and 11β-HSD-1 expression correlate with visceral fat and insulin resistance in men: effect of weight loss [L]
– Awakening cortisol response in lean, obese, and reduced obese individuals: effect of gender and fat distribution. [L]
– Central adiposity and cortisol responses to waking in middle-aged men and women. [L]
– Rise in morning saliva cortisol is associated with abdominal obesity in men: a preliminary report. [L]
– Components of the diurnal cortisol cycle in relation to upper respiratory symptoms and perceived stress. [L]
– A single sleeping midnight cortisol has 100% sensitivity for the diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome. [L]
– Hyperinsulinemia causes activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in humans. [L]
– Cortisol and its relation to insulin resistance before and after weight loss in obese children. [L]
– Hyperthyroidism and cortisol secretion in man. [L]
– Cortisol as a marker for improvement in mindfulness-based stress reduction. [L]
– Daytime napping after a night of sleep loss decreases sleepiness, improves performance, and causes beneficial changes in cortisol and interleukin-6 secretion. [L]
– Cortisol level modulated by integrative meditation in a dose-dependent fashion. [L]
– Effect of Buddhist meditation on serum cortisol and total protein levels, blood pressure, pulse rate, lung volume and reaction time. [L]
– Cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy. [L]
– Effects of soy lecithin phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylserine complex (PAS) on the endocrine and psychological responses to mental stress. [L]
– The influence of phosphatidylserine supplementation on mood and heart rate when faced with an acute stressor. [L]
– A new view on hypocortisolism. [L]
– Seasonal differences in the diurnal pattern of cortisol secretion in healthy participants and those with self-assessed seasonal affective disorder. [L]
– A blunted cortisol awakening response and hippocampal atrophy in type 2 diabetes mellitus [L]
– Preliminary Evidence for Obesity and Elevations in Fasting Insulin Mediating Associations between Cortisol Awakening Response and Hippocampal Volumes and Frontal Atrophy [L]
– Awakening cortisol responses are influenced by health status and awakening time but not by menstrual cycle phase. [L]
– Sleep disturbances are correlated with decreased morning awakening salivary cortisol. [L]
– Altered cortisol awakening response in posttraumatic stress disorder. [L]
– Enhanced cortisol suppression in response to dexamethasone administration in traumatized veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder. [L]
– Hypocortisolism and increased glucocorticoid sensitivity of pro-Inflammatory cytokine production in Bosnian war refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder. [L]
– PTSD symptoms predict waking salivary cortisol levels in police officers. [L]
– Salivary cortisol response to awakening in chronic fatigue syndrome. [L]
– Psychoneuroimmunological correlates of persisting sciatic pain in patients who underwent discectomy. [L]
– Evidence for altered hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning in systemic hypertension: blunted cortisol response to awakening and lower negative feedback sensitivity. [L]
– Basal and stimulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders and healthy controls. [L]
– Comparison of the cortisol awakening response in women with shoulder and neck pain and women with fibromyalgia. [L]
– Addison’s disease. [L]
– Comprehensive study of urinary cortisol metabolites in hyperthyroid and hypothyroid patients. [L]
– Low-Serum Cortisol Associated With Opioid Use: Case Report and Review of the Literature [L]
– Low-dose adrenocorticotropin test reveals impaired adrenal function in patients taking inhaled corticosteroids. [L]
– The effect of different doses of isotretinoin on pituitary hormones. [L]
– Cortisol evaluation during the acute phase of traumatic brain injury-A prospective study. [L]
Late-night cortisol levels may be a good indication of baseline adrenal gland function since they typically represent the lowest level during the day. High late-night cortisol levels suggest a degree of adrenal hyperfunction with regard to baseline circadian activity. Possible causes of elevated late-night cortisol include stress, heavy exercise, pregnancy, hypoglycaemia, smoking, obesity, depression, alcoholism, and the use of glucocorticoids. Significantly elevated late-night cortisol levels are considered a reliable indicator of Cushing's syndrome, especially if coupled with a reduced circadian rhythm.
Possible reasons for a high cortisol awakening response (CAR):
- Overactive HPA axis
- Short-term stress about a future event [L]
- Shoulder and neck pain [L]
- Anticipating having to wake up at a certain time [L]
- Visceral adiposity in men (=Excess weight that develops over time around the center of the body). Likely caused by elevated cortisol, not vice versa. [L, L, L, L]
- Upper respiratory infection / a cold [L]
Possible reasons for high cortisol throughout the day:
- Cushing’s disease (where the pituitary gland releases too much ACTH, stimulating the adrenals to release too much cortisol) [L]
- High levels of stress (including mental stress)
- Hyperthyroidism [L]
- HPA axis dysfunction
- A high blood cortisol level at night may indicate a problem with the adrenal glands; however, individuals who work at night and sleep during the day will have an inverted pattern.
- A tumor in the adrenal gland or somewhere in the body involved in cortisol production can also cause higher-than-normal cortisol levels.
- Pregnancy or birth control pills are also known to cause a high blood cortisol level.
Suggestions for lowering cortisol levels:
- Evaluate lab results correctly to help pinpoint and address the root cause
- Reduce stress levels [L]
- Improve sleep quality (and quantity if needed) [L]
- Massage [L]
Higher evening levels:
- Elevated levels may be due to stress, exercise, alcohol, and specific lifestyle stressors.
- Elevated evening salivary cortisol is linked to insomnia
- High evening cortisol levels are also associated with various diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hormonally driven cancers, and osteoporosis.
Possible treatment:
Treatment of elevated cortisol should be directed at the root cause of the stressor. Lifestyle modification with relaxation methods, dietary changes, pain management, and overall HPA axis support with nutrition and/or adaptogens can be helpful. Glandulars may be added if additional support is necessary.
Import lab results from multiple providers, track changes over time, customize your reference ranges, and get clear explanations for each result. Everything is stored securely, exportable in one organized file, and shareable with your doctor—or anyone you choose.
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A low level of cortisol may indicate Addison’s disease, a disorder in which the adrenal glands do not produce sufficient steroid hormones.
Symptoms include:
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
- Low blood pressure
- Abdominal pain
- Dark patches of skin
You may also have hypopituitarism, which occurs when cortisol production by the adrenal glands is low because the pituitary gland is not sending proper signals.
Possible reasons associated with low cortisol awakening response (CAR):
Normally, cortisol levels rise within 10 to 30 minutes of waking to help boost energy levels and then drop throughout the day. This is known as the cortisol awakening response (CAR)
- Underactive HPA axis
- Chronic stress, including psychological stress (L)
- Seasonal affective disorder (L)
- Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance (L, L)
- Insomnia or other sleep issues, including sleeping in late (L, L) PTSD (L, L, L, L)
- Chronic fatigue syndrome (L)
- Chronic pain (L)
- High blood pressure (L)
- IBS and dyspepsia (L)
- Fibromyalgia (L)
Possible reasons associated with low cortisol throughout the day:
- Addison’s disease (where the adrenal glands are not responding to the ACTH released by the pituitary gland and are not producing enough cortisol) [L]
- Hypothyroidism [L]
- Medications – opioids, corticosteroids, Accutane [L, L, L]
- HPA-axis dysfunction
- Head trauma affecting the HPA axis [L]
Cortisol (3PM-5PM) lower:
- Low levels can reflect underlying HPA axis dysfunction.
- Late afternoon cortisol level is below mean range and suggestive of adrenal insufficiency.
This suggests suboptimal adrenal functioning, and if accompanied by low evening cortisol and low DHEA, suspect adrenal fatigue. Suggest supplementation with DHEA and standard adrenal support.
Laboratories
We accept reports from any lab, so you can easily collect and organize all your health information in one secure spot.
Pricing Table
Choose the plan that fits you — and turn scattered lab reports into clear insights you can finally use.
Pick a plan that fits you — and turn scattered lab reports into clarity.
Personal plans
Professional plan
$15/ month
Access your lab reports, explanations, and tracking tools.
$250/ once
Pay once, access everything—no monthly fees, no limits.
Professional plan
$45/ month
Designed for professionals managing their clients' lab reports
About membership
Import Lab Results from Any Source
Easily upload lab results from any provider, whether it's a hospital, independent lab, or home testing service. We support PDFs, scanned documents, and JPEGs from patient portals. No need to log in to multiple platforms — everything is centralized in one secure space.
Easily upload lab results from any provider — we support PDFs, scans, and images. Keep all your reports organized in one secure place.
See Your Health Timeline
Every lab result is automatically organized on a chronological timeline, giving you a complete picture of your health journey. Whether you're tracking a condition, managing treatments, or staying proactive, the timeline helps you and your doctor understand how things progress over time.
Every lab result is automatically organized on a chronological timeline, giving you a complete picture of your health journey.
Understand What Your Results Mean
Whether it's a blood test, GI panel, urinalysis, or something else, lab reports measure numerous biomarkers that reveal what's happening inside your body. Our extensive database covers over 10,000 biomarkers, providing clear, simple explanations of what each result means and how you can take action—no matter your membership level. Say goodbye to confusion and get the insights you need to better understand your health.
Our database covers over 10,000 biomarkers with clear, simple explanations—so you can finally understand your results and what to do next.
Enter Your Lab Reports Yourself — Always Free
Enter Your Lab Reports — Always Free
If you'd like to handle inputting your health data into your account, you can do so with our easy-to-use data entry forms. Our user-friendly form is designed to guide you through the quick and easy submission process, making it simple to keep track of your health metrics. This is available to both Complete plan and Unlimited plan members.
Our user-friendly form guides you through a quick, simple submission process, making it easy to enter your health metrics.
Add your results anytime with our easy entry form. It's quick, guided, and helps you stay organized — free for all members.
Visualize Your Results
View your lab data through easy-to-read graphs and tables. Quickly spot patterns, track changes, and compare results across different dates — all without digging through multiple reports. You can also select and compare graphs of specific biomarkers side-by-side to better understand how they relate and change over time.
See your lab reports in clear graphs and tables. Spot patterns, track changes, and compare results over time — all in one place.
Export Your Complete Lab History in a Single File
Export Your Complete Lab History
After collecting lab results from different providers, you can download your entire history combined into a single file. Choose from PDF, Excel, or CSV formats to easily review, share, or get a second opinion—no more juggling multiple reports.
After collecting lab results from different providers, you can download your entire history combined into a single file.
Comprehensive Data Entry Service for Your Reports
Data Entry Service for Your Reports
Our inclusive service handles the data entry for your lab reports. Just submit your information and we'll take care of the rest. Complete plan members receive one report entered for free, then $15 per report after that. Unlimited plan members receive ten report entries for free, then $15 per report after that.
Our inclusive service handles the data entry for your lab reports. Just submit your information and we'll take care of the rest.
Securely Share With Anyone You Trust
Whether you're working with a doctor, nutritionist, caregiver, or wellness coach, you can securely share your complete lab history by sending an invite link to anyone you trust. You have full control over who sees your information and for how long, ensuring your privacy and peace of mind at every step.
Share your full lab history with your doctor, nutritionist, or coach using a secure invite link.
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I have been using Healthmatters.io since 2021. I travel all over the world and use different doctors and health facilities. This site has allowed me to consolidate all my various test results over 14 years in one place. And every doctor that I show this to has been impressed. Because with any health professional I talk to, I can pull up historical results in seconds. It is invaluable. Even going back to the same doctor, they usually do not have the historical results from their facility in a graph format. That has been very helpful.
Anthony
Unlimited Plan Member since 2021
What fantastic service and great, easy-to-follow layouts! I love your website; it makes it so helpful to see patterns in my health data. It's truly a pleasure to use. I only wish the NHS was as organized and quick as Healthmatters.io. You've set a new standard for health tracking!
Karin
Advanced Plan Member since 2020
As a PRO member and medical practitioner, Healthmatters.io has been an invaluable tool for tracking my clients' data. The layout is intuitive, making it easy to monitor trends and spot patterns over time. The ability to customize reports and charts helps me present information clearly to my clients, improving communication and outcomes. It's streamlined my workflow, saving me time and providing insights at a glance. Highly recommended for any practitioner looking for a comprehensive and user-friendly solution to track patient labs!
Paul
Healthmatters Pro Member since 2024
Healthmatters is a personal health dashboard that helps you organize and understand your lab results. It collects and displays your medical test data from any lab in one secure, easy-to-use platform.
With a Healthmatters account, you can:
Professionals can also analyze client data more efficiently and save time managing lab reports.
Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 4000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:
You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.
If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.
While we work with many popular labs, we welcome reports from lots of other places too.
It's as simple as this: if you can get a test done, you can upload it to Healthmatters and we can interpret results from any lab out there. If laboratories can analyze it, we can interpret it.
If you're on the hunt for a specific biomarker, contact us and we'll add it to our database. Anything from blood, urine, saliva, or stool can be uploaded, understood, and tracked with your Healthmatters account.
The Complete Plan ($15/month) is perfect for individuals who want ongoing access to their health data. It includes unlimited lab imports, visual tracking, custom ranges, result explanations, full account exports, and secure sharing — all with a simple monthly subscription. You can cancel anytime and restart your plan whenever you're ready — your data will still be there waiting for you. You can also upgrade to the Unlimited Plan at any time, with the cost prorated based on what you've already paid.
The Unlimited Plan ($250 one-time) is also designed for individuals but offers lifetime access with no ongoing subscription. You'll get all the same features as the Complete Plan, plus a larger initial data entry allowance (10 reports), making it a great choice if you prefer a one-time payment and long-term use without monthly fees.
In short:
There are two ways to add your test reports to your Healthmatters account. One option is to input the data using the data entry forms. The other method is to utilize our "Data entry service."
Our data entry forms offer an easy, fast, and free way for you to input the reports yourself. Self-entry allows you to add an unlimited number of reports at no cost. We make the self-entry process user-friendly, providing dozens of templates that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels and offering instant feedback on entered values.
For those who prefer assistance, we offer a "Data entry service" to help you input your data. Simply attach an image or file of your lab test results, and a qualified team member from our data entry team will add the results for you.
We support various file types, including PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is particularly useful if you have many reports to upload or if you're too busy to handle the data entry yourself.
Our Data Entry Service is for when you don't want to manually type in your lab results yourself. You simply upload your report (PDF, image, or screenshot), and our trained team enters the information into your Healthmatters account for you — accurately and neatly organized, ready to view in graphs, tables, and timelines.
The $15 per report covers the time and care it takes for a real person to review your file, make sure each result is entered correctly, and double-check for accuracy. This ensures your health data is precise and easy to work with — without you having to spend the time doing it yourself.
Prefer to do it yourself? You can always use our free self-entry tool to add results manually — it just takes a bit more time and attention.
For users on the Complete monthly plan, the first report is entered free of charge, and each additional report incurs a fee of $15.
Unlimited account holders enjoy the entry of ten reports without charge. Subsequent reports are subject to a $15 fee per report.
Additionally, users on the Complete plan can upgrade to a yearly subscription from the account settings. The annual subscription includes a data entry service for five reports.
All professional accounts allow you to import and onboard an unlimited number of clients and their lab results. The distinction between professional plans lies solely in the data entry service.
The Pro Monthly Plus plan is priced at $75 per month and includes a data entry service for five reports each month. Additional reports can be self-entered at no extra cost or, if preferred, you can use our data entry service for an additional fee of $15 per report.
The Pro Monthly plan is priced at $45 per month and does not include a data entry service. Self-entry is free for an unlimited number of reports, and you can opt for the data entry service at a fee of $15 per report.
You also have the option to upgrade to higher monthly or to annual plans, which come with substantial discounts. All upgrades can be done directly from your account.
Simply log in and navigate to your account settings to cancel your subscription. Scroll down to locate the 'Cancel' button at the bottom of the page. Ensure you cancel at least one day before the renewal date to prevent any charges. Once cancellation is requested, the subscription remains active until the conclusion of the current billing cycle.
Our goal has been to make your Healthmatters account as intuitive as possible.
We've crafted multiple ways for you to navigate your data, whether you're glancing at a single report or delving into your historical test reports.
1. Graph View:Dive into a visual journey with our biomarker graphs, showcasing over 40 data points. Combining years of results unveils trends, empowering you to make informed decisions. Our visualization tools make it a breeze to compare and understand changes over time, even if your results are from different labs. A search function and filters simplify the exploration of extensive data, allowing you to focus on what needs attention.
2. All Tests ViewExplore neatly organized reports on a timeline, highlighting crucial details like dates, critical results, and lab/panel names. Each report opens up to reveal in-depth descriptions and additional recommendations for each biomarker. The history of previous results is just a click away, and you can download a comprehensive report for deeper insights. Color-coded and user-friendly, it's designed for easy reading, understanding, and navigation.
3. Table View:For a holistic view of all biomarkers side by side, our table view is your go-to. Results are neatly displayed in a categorized and dated table, ideal for those with an extensive test history. Utilize sorting, filters, and color-coding to enhance your analysis and gain extra insights.
Yes, you can download your information anytime. We offer two easy ways to export your lab data:
This makes it simple to save, back up, or share your health data whenever you need.
Yes, you can print your report. To do so, navigate to "All tests" and open the report you wish to print. You'll find a print button in the right corner of the report. Click on it, and your browser's print window will open. If you prefer to print in a bigger typeface, adjust the scale using the print window settings.
Yes, you can! We highly recommend activating Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for your account. To do so, please navigate to the "Profile and Security" section of your account, where you will find instructions for activating 2FA.
Yes, you can. When entering values for the biomarker, you will see an "Edit Range" button. Click this button, and you'll have the option to enter a custom range.
A personal account is all about keeping your own lab test results in check. It's just for you and your personal use.
The professional account is designed for health professionals who wish to track and organize their clients' laboratory results.
To learn more about Healthmatters Pro, please refer to the professional page.
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.
