Cortisol levels throughout the day

D

DRZion

Theoretical Experimentalist
Valued Senior Member
I have a hypothesis that cortisol levels will become higher in the evening. Does anyone else get this, that you feel stressed out as it starts to get dark?

I've had this idea strike me at least a dozen times when it starts to get dark and I get a kind of nervous, queasy feeling which lasts till around 10 pm. I think it may really just be biology talking. For an ape, the evening is a critical period when a suitable shelter has to be found for the night. A heightened stress level and nervousness would make us find some cave to hole up inside of for the night.

Does anyone else get this?
 
That doesn’t sound normal. :eek:

A quick check of WebMD reveals:

Normally, cortisol levels rise during the early morning hours and are highest about 7 a.m. They drop very low in the evening and during the early phase of sleep. But if you sleep during the day and are up at night, this pattern may be reversed. If you do not have this daily change (diurnal rhythm) in cortisol levels, you may have overactive adrenal glands. This condition is called Cushing's syndrome.
Click to expand...
 
Ever since I hit puberty, I have preferred to sleep in and stay up late. The one morning shift I had I could not handle without coffee-I tried to quit and literally could not do my job well-I had to be there and ready to do hard physical work at 6 AM.

The night time is the right time. Not that I have anxiety issues at any given time, those are random. But I feel most alert and active at night.
 
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I strongly suspect I have an inverted cortisol rhythm. I am naturally alert and active at night, and have a horrible time being alert in the morning.
 
chimpkin said:
Ever since I hit puberty, I have preferred to sleep in and stay up late. The one morning shift I had I could not handle without coffee-I tried to quit and literally could not do my job well-I had to be there and ready to do hard physical work at 6 AM.

The night time is the right time. Not that I have anxiety issues at any given time, those are random. But I feel most alert and active at night.
Click to expand...

ive always wondered if humanity would have acomplished anything without coffee
 
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