Cortisone (S3) - +60 Min.

This sample measures cortisone at the +60 minute mark after waking. Like the cortisol reading at this time point, cortisone should be beginning to decline from its morning peak and ideally approximating the waking level.

By the +60 minute mark, the cortisol awakening response should be resolving. The cortisone value here serves the same confirmatory role as at other time points: when it tracks with cortisol, it strengthens your confidence in the cortisol reading. When it diverges, cortisone may provide a better window into your true circulating cortisol.

Interpreting the Pair

If both cortisol and cortisone at +60 minutes are returning toward their waking levels, the morning surge is resolving normally. If cortisone remains elevated while cortisol has dropped, the 11b-HSD2 enzyme in your salivary glands may be converting cortisol to cortisone more actively, and your true circulating cortisol may be higher than the cortisol reading suggests.

The most reliable interpretation comes from reading cortisol and cortisone together across the full daily curve, not from any single pair. The CAR and the remainder of the diurnal pattern should be interpreted separately and then combined to determine the presence and severity of any HPA axis dysfunction.

Questions This Biomarker Can Answer

• Is my cortisone at +60 minutes confirming that the morning cortisol surge has resolved?
• Does a divergence between cortisol and cortisone at this time point change how I should interpret my morning pattern?
• Is enzyme activity in my salivary glands making my cortisol appear lower than what is truly circulating?