A Blood Test Will Tell You How Stressed You Are

Measuring stress levels is something we haven’t thought of before. All of us get stressed at some point of time. But if your stress levels are constant and doesn’t seem to go away, you can know the magnitude of your stress with a simple blood test. Well, it is done by measuring the level of stress hormone ‘Cortisol’ in the body. Its value would tell how stressed you are. This hormone is produced by the adrenal glands when your body detects any threat or your mind is stressed. In such a situation, the brain releases ACTH or adrenocorticotropic hormone which triggers the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline and cortisol.

Cortisol and Stress

Cortisol level test is used to check how much cortisol level in your body. It is the main stress system of your body and a way to prepare your body for an emergency. The adrenal glands are small, triangle-shaped glands above your kidneys. Cortisol releases adrenaline and cortisol. Cortisol plays a role in many systems in the body. These systems include:

• Stress responses
• Immune System
• the nervous system
• Communication Systems
• Breakdown of proteins, fats and carbohydrates

Blood Test To Measure Cortisol Levels

If you feel stressed and stressed most of the time, you can have a cortisol blood test. When you are under constant stress, it can tell the way your body works. This test can also help you find out if you have Addison's disease(extremely low cortisol levels) or Cushing's syndrome (increased cortisol levels).

What do the results of cortisol level testing mean?

High-to-normal cortisol levels may indicate:

• Your pituitary gland is releasing too much ACTH due to tumor or overgrowth of the pituitary gland.
• There is a tumor in your adrenal gland, resulting in excess production of cortisol.
• There is no other tumor in your body that is involved in cortisol production.

Low-to-normal cortisol levels may indicate:

• Low-to-normal cortisol levels can be a sign of Addison's disease, which occurs when the production of cartisol in your body is low.
• In addition, the production of cartisol in the body can cause hypopituitarism.