Q: I start off with high morning cortisol. Then, my cortisol at noon and in the afternoon drops below normal. My bedtime cortisol is normal and total cortisol is 25 (reference range 23-42). What stage is this?
A: This is Stage 2 adrenal fatigue. With Stage 2 adrenal fatigue, some people may feel a bit overwhelmed. They may have a hard time falling asleep and might not feel balanced. The drop in cortisol throughout the day, or any kind of fluctuations, can cause some anxiety or mood swings for some people. But, a lot of times people in this stage will not be exhausted. At this point the body is still kind of compensating and producing normal outputs of cortisol.