Cortisol awakening response

Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) Patterns:
– Sharp increase in blood cortisol levels after awakening
– Average salivary cortisol levels upon waking and 30 minutes later
– Peak of cortisol awakening response 30 minutes after waking
– Stability of the response pattern for individuals
– Genetic influence on cortisol increase after awakening
– Impact of early morning waking on cortisol response
– Absence of response after an evening nap
– Influence of waking environment (light vs. darkness)
– Effect of noise and alarm clock on cortisol levels

Individual Factors and Health Associations:
– Differences in cortisol awakening response between morning and evening types
– Relationship between fatigue and cortisol response
– Impact of pain on cortisol levels
– Association between socioeconomic status and cortisol response
– Possible link between material hardship and cortisol levels
– Impact of stress, workload, and worry on cortisol levels
– Variations in cortisol awakening response based on workday vs. weekend
– Influence of chronic stress on cortisol levels
– Cortisol response in individuals experiencing burnout
– Conflicting findings on cortisol response in burnout studies

Neuroendocrinology and Neurological Aspects:
– Role of adrenal glands, ACTH release, and cortisol in the HPA axis
– Inhibition of ACTH release by low-dose dexamethasone
– Regulation of ACTH release by the hypothalamus
– Impact of hippocampus damage on cortisol awakening response
– Possible involvement of the suprachiasmatic nucleus in CAR regulation
– Awakening cortisol responses influenced by health status and time
– Sympathoadrenal system and immune system regulate adrenocortical function
– Circadian regulation of cortisol after hippocampal damage in humans
– Blunted cortisol awakening response and hippocampal atrophy in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Sleep Physiology and Cortisol Response:
– Impact of time of waking and stress on cortisol response to awakening
– Effects of nighttime low-frequency noise on cortisol response to awakening and sleep quality
– Dawn simulation effect on cortisol response to awakening in healthy participants
– No morning cortisol response in patients with severe global amnesia
– Cortisol secretion and fatigue associations in a community-based cohort
– Light affects morning salivary cortisol in humans

Unsolved Problems and Stress Associations:
– Cortisol response associations with memory performance in healthy young men
– Associations of hippocampal volume, cortisol reactivity, and memory performance in young men
– The cortisol awakening response predicts same morning executive function
– Material hardship alters the diurnal rhythm of salivary cortisol
– Weekend versus weekday differences in the awakening cortisol response
– Job strain and anger expression predict early morning elevations in salivary cortisol
– Perceived work overload and chronic worrying predict weekend-weekday differences in cortisol awakening response
– Stress on the dance floor: cortisol stress response to social-evaluative threat in competitive ballroom dancers
– Clinical burnout not reflected in cortisol awakening response or day-curve
– Burnout, perceived stress, and cortisol responses to awakening

Cortisol awakening response (Wikipedia)

The cortisol awakening response (CAR) is an increase between 38% and 75% in cortisol levels peaking 30–45 minutes after awakening in the morning in some people. This rise is superimposed upon the late-night rise in cortisol which occurs before awakening. While its purpose is uncertain, it may be linked to the hippocampus' preparation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) in order to face anticipated stress.