I Tried Testing My Cortisol Levels In Real Time

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Cortisol may seem like one of those hyped-up wellness buzzwords, but it’s much more than that. Sure, there are cortisol cocktails, cortisol workouts, cortisol face, and so many other trends associated with the hormone — but cortisol itself is something that affects your health in a real way (although how is a bit misleading on social media).

Cortisol, aka the stress hormone, can play an important role in blood pressure regulation, body temperature, inflammation and so much more, as Akua Ampadu, MD, board-certified internal medicine physician and advisory board member for PS’s Condition Center, told Popsugar in a previous article. After learning about how important cortisol is for a variety of health reasons, I decided to track my cortisol throughout the day. I knew from previous testing with my doc that my cortisol levels were previously off, and I was curious to see where they would fall now. The results? Well, let’s just say that I’ve already started to tweak my habits thanks to the surprising results. More below!

Cortisol 101

As mentioned above, cortisol follows a pattern through the day, so when you measure your cortisol you have to also put it into context around your cortisol curve and the time of day you take it. So for example, one result in the morning can be considered “good,” but getting that same result at night is not. Let me break it down.

Your cortisol levels are meant to follow a natural rhythm or curve. They should be highest in the morning when you wake up which gives you the energy to start your day, explains Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO and Co-Founder, Eli Health. Then, cortisol levels should naturally decline over the day, and be lowest at night. Before, when my doctor tracked my levels, my body was doing the opposite which can lead to symptoms like disrupted sleep, feeling “tired but wired,” poor recovery from workouts, and irritability if you don’t do anything to reset.

Enter the Eli Health hormometer, an at-home cortisol test that can give you your cortisol results in almost real time (within 20 minutes.) I decided to try Eli tests throughout the day to learn more about where my levels fall in real time.

Experts Featured in This Article:

Marina Pavlovic Rivas, is the CEO and Co-Founder of Eli Health.

Akua Ampadu, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician and advisory board member for PS’s Condition Center.

My Experience Using the Eli Health Hormometer

The Eli Health hormometer is a system that consists of a single-use test that looks kinda similar to a pregnancy test that is used to collect saliva, paired with the AI-powered app that reads the test, gives results, and provides insights into your test score and pattern over time. Eli’s app makes it super easy to figure out how to use the test, walking you through the entire process with step-by-step instructions and videos to detail the process. To do a test, you simply place one end of the hormometer with the absorbent tip in your mouth and let your saliva soak the pad, holding it in your mouth for about 60 seconds. You then pull the other end of the test, which reveals a dot that tells you when the test is ready. To read the test, you take a photo of the result via the app. A 20-minute timer appears on screen, and you can close the app while you wait for your test result.

Your results are displayed with an overall score that gives you an idea of where your cortisol stacks up compared to the normal range. The score is from 0-100, with 100 being the goal because it means your cortisol is balanced and where it should be for that point in the day.

I decided to track my cortisol throughout the day to get a better understanding of my curve. I tested one morning right when I woke up, and in the afternoon, around 4:30 after a busy work day. I also tested during a stressful Conrad POV episode on “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” After all those tests, I found that my cortisol PM levels are too high and my AM levels are a bit low.

I sent my results to Rivas via email, who weighed in a bit more on what my tests meant. (Although the tests don’t include personal evaluation from someone, you do get insights and tips in the app.) She said my morning cortisol looked okay, but noted the trend in high evening cortisol. “Your evening levels are elevated, which puts you in what’s known as an ‘evening high’ curve — a sign that your body may be staying in a heightened state of alert when it should be winding down,” she tells me over email. She also noted that my cortisol curve looks flat, meaning the difference between my morning and evening levels was smaller than it should be. “An optimal curve typically shows a strong drop from high morning levels to low evening levels,” Rivas says. “When that drop is blunted, it can signal chronic stress, tension, or inflammation.” I can clearly see that I still have some work to do in the evening relaxation department.

Final Takeaway

I loved seeing the real time impacts of my lifestyle habits, and that inspired me to make some changes to hopefully get my evening cortisol levels more balanced. Two things that Rivas noted that could impact my evening cortisol is afternoon caffeine (check) and PM workouts (check). I usually cut off caffeine by 4pm, and don’t work out after 6pm typically, but I can see that those two habits may need some tweaking. I plan to shift my workouts to earlier in the day when I can (unless it’s a calming yoga class) and switch to matcha in the afternoon since it is lower in caffeine than my usual coffee. I’m also going to try cut off caffeine much earlier in the day. TBH, I could also also probably use more intentional time to get into a relaxed state in the evening — so I might try to make time to wind down. As I make these changes, I look forward to retesting my levels to see more immediately how my lifestyle changes are helping versus waiting for a doctor to order a test and weigh in weeks later.

If you’re looking to track your own cortisol levels at home, Eli Health Cortisol Tests ($32/month for 4 tests) are currently available for purchase in beta and will officially launch in late September. Something to note: the brand offers the tests as part of a subscription currently. If you purchase a month of tests without a longer subscription commitment, the cost is $100 for the four tests. If you commit to a 12 month subscription, you get the $32 a month price for 4 tests. The brand recommends checking cortisol levels every two weeks, checking as soon as you wake up and in the evening between 5-10 PM. You can also test at specific times if you want to understand how your cortisol levels respond to a workout or other specific event. Eli Health will also be adding progesterone tests in September, followed by testosterone at a later date in 2026.

Mercey Livingston is a writer and editor with eight-plus years of experience covering fitness, health, and nutrition for media outlets and brands including Well+Good, Shape, and Women’s Health. She was the fitness editor at Peloton and held editorial roles at Equinox, Shape, and Well+Good. Mercey is a NASM-certified personal trainer and women’s fitness specialist. She’s also a certified holistic health coach through the Institute For Integrative Nutrition, with an additional certification in hormone health.