Decode how your body responds to stress — and how to strengthen it. This targeted at-home test measures your Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) — a key marker of stress resilience, energy, and nervous system balance.
Price: $599
20% off with membership
Assess Morning Stress Resilience
Identify Adrenal Function Patterns
Understand Sleep-Wake Dynamics
Optimize Hormone & Energy Balance
The Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) is one of the most powerful windows into your body’s stress response. By measuring how cortisol rises in the first 30 minutes after waking, this test reveals how well your body adapts to daily demands — from energy and focus to mood and inflammation.
Whether you’re struggling with fatigue, burnout, anxiety, or poor stress resilience, CAR testing helps pinpoint the underlying imbalance so you can restore balance and feel your best.
Persistent fatigue or sluggishness
Burnout, brain fog, or low resilience
Mood changes or anxiety tied to stress
Navigating hormonal or lifestyle changes
This advanced panel measures a wide range of biomarkers, including:
Choose from one of our available appointments to schedule your test.
A member of our medical team will come to your home to collect your sample.
Receive results and schedule a consultation for a personalized review.
"After experiencing persistent fatigue and stress, I took the DUTCH CAR test through ConciergeMD. The results revealed a disrupted cortisol pattern, leading to targeted interventions that have significantly improved my energy levels and overall well-being."
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The DUTCH CAR Test measures salivary cortisol and cortisone levels at three critical time points after waking—immediately, 30 minutes later, and 60 minutes later—to evaluate your body’s stress response and adrenal resilience.
The test is done conveniently at home using simple saliva collection devices. You’ll collect three samples—at waking, 30 minutes later, and 60 minutes later—following the easy instructions provided in your ConciergeMD test kit.
It’s recommended for individuals experiencing persistent fatigue, poor sleep, anxiety, mood swings, difficulty recovering from stress, or burnout symptoms, or anyone seeking a deeper understanding of their adrenal function.
No fasting is required. However, you should avoid eating, drinking, brushing your teeth, or using mouthwash before each sample collection to ensure accurate results.
The CAR reflects how your body transitions from sleep to wakefulness. It’s a powerful indicator of HPA-axis function, stress adaptation, and overall energy regulation. Abnormal results can signal chronic stress, adrenal dysregulation, or burnout.
Traditional cortisol tests provide a single measurement, while the DUTCH CAR captures dynamic cortisol changes over the first hour of your day, giving a far more accurate picture of your body’s stress physiology and morning energy potential.
Results are typically available within 2–3 weeks of sample receipt. Once processed, a ConciergeMD provider will personally review your report and discuss a tailored plan for adrenal and stress support.
Your CAR pattern can reveal whether your body is mounting a healthy stress response upon waking. A blunted response may indicate chronic stress or fatigue, while an exaggerated response can suggest high stress reactivity or anxiety.
Yes. While “adrenal fatigue” isn’t an official diagnosis, the CAR helps identify early dysfunctions in adrenal rhythm and stress recovery, providing actionable insights long before clinical adrenal insufficiency occurs.
Absolutely. Sleep quality, caffeine intake, light exposure, and emotional stress can all affect cortisol patterns. Your provider will help interpret your results in context to ensure accuracy and relevance.
Cortisol is the active form of the hormone that drives energy and stress response, while cortisone is its inactive form. Measuring both provides a more complete view of your adrenal output and conversion balance.
Yes. Many patients combine the CAR with the DUTCH Complete or DUTCH Plus to gain a comprehensive picture of hormone balance, adrenal function, and stress physiology for truly personalized care.
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is your body’s central stress response system. The CAR reflects how effectively this system activates upon waking, making it a key marker for overall endocrine and nervous system health.
Your results are reviewed by a ConciergeMD clinician specializing in functional medicine. We connect the findings to your symptoms, lifestyle, and health history to build a customized plan for restoring balance and resilience.
At ConciergeMD, advanced testing meets personalized care. Our clinicians don’t just analyze numbers—they uncover root causes of stress, fatigue, and hormonal imbalance and guide you through a targeted, holistic treatment plan designed to help you thrive.
