When I was a lad cortisol
samples were only tested if the sample was collected at 9am because
of the diurnal variation of the hormone. These days they are tested
on samples collected at any time *but* the time of the sample
is a "must-have" because of the known and calculable
diurnal variation of the hormone.
This made me think. What
about shift workers? Is the hormone level related to activity, sleep
patterns or to daylight?
I found this article
about cortisol leels in astronauts.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7562371
It would seem that
cortisol levels are related to light, not diurnal rhythms. Question
answered.
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