How to test

Four steps. Sixty days. Your baseline.

No lab. No prescription. No appointment. Just your cortisol data, collected at home, read in five minutes.

On waking · 15 min window

Collect your morning sample.

Within 15 minutes of waking — before coffee, food, or bright light — hold a strip under your tongue for two minutes. This captures the foot of your Cortisol Awakening Response, the most diagnostically meaningful window in your daily cycle.

The CAR peaks 30–45 min after waking. Getting your baseline sample early is critical.

+30 minutes · Peak

Take your peak reading.

Thirty minutes after your first sample, collect again. The delta between these two readings reveals how robust your Cortisol Awakening Response is — a key marker of HPA axis health.

Evening · 8–10h after waking

Complete your diurnal curve.

A third sample in the evening closes your daily arc. Healthy cortisol declines steadily through the day. Elevated evening readings signal chronic stress or disrupted HPA function — exactly the pattern most people never see.

21 days · Baseline

Track your baseline.

Repeat across 21 days. Patterns emerge that single readings can't reveal — seasonal shifts, sleep debt, training loads, stress events. Your baseline is your data.

One Kit 01 provides three weeks of structured measurement.

Included in Kit 01

Kit 01 · Cortisol

21 salivary strips · Collection tube · Timing guide · Result decoder

Shop Kit 01 — $45

Questions.

Is salivary cortisol testing accurate?

Yes. Salivary cortisol closely mirrors free plasma cortisol — the biologically active fraction. It's the same method used in peer-reviewed clinical research and by endocrinologists to assess HPA axis function.

Do I need a prescription?

No. TARE strips are sold over the counter. You don't need a doctor's order, a lab referral, or insurance — just the kit.

What can elevated cortisol tell me?

Chronically elevated cortisol is associated with sleep disruption, immune suppression, weight redistribution, mood instability, and early burnout. Tracking gives you data to act on — not a diagnosis.

How is this different from a blood test?

Blood draws measure total cortisol, require a clinic visit, and typically capture one moment. Salivary strips measure free cortisol, can be done anywhere, and allow multiple daily readings — which is what the research actually uses.

What if I miss a sample?

Skip it and resume the next interval. The diurnal curve is a population-level signal; a single missed reading doesn't compromise your baseline over 60 days.