Sleep Test by Thorne Research

Sleep Test by Thorne Research

Sleep Test by Thorne Research

Regular price $210.00 USD
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At-home collection. Meaningful insights. Personalized plan.

Discover why you’re having trouble sleeping. This at-home dry urine test tracks hormone fluctuations that regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Results include a personalized health plan.

Sleep Test

Sleep is essential when it comes to optimal health. When we get deep, restorative, quality sleep - we are able to effectively heal, repair, and detox many of the toxins and stressors we accumulated through the day. If we are not experiencing this deep, quality sleep - we are increasing the risks for many illness and diseases, along with feeling exhausted on a day-to-da basis and not living life to its fullest.

You should take this test if you:

 Have trouble falling asleep  Don't feel rested after sleeping
Wake up during the night Feel tired but wired
Wake up too early Experience mid-day energy dip

 

Sleep Test 101

The body's alternating cycle of sleep and waking is directly related to the levels of two key hormones: melatonin and cortisol. Understanding the fluctuations of these biomarkers throughout the day and how they relate to each other is important for determining why you may be experiencing sleeping difficulty. Sixty million Americans are estimated to persistently suffer from sleep deprivation. And 70 percent of adults experience daily stress to the point where it disrupts their nightly sleep.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate the body's internal biological clock. Melatonin is produced in the pineal gland, a pea-sized gland located in your brain. During the day, the pineal gland is inactive. When the sun goes down and darkness occurs, the pineal is activated and begins to produce melatonin. Typically, melatonin levels peak around bedtime, stay elevated throughout the night, and then fall back to daytime levels in the morning.

Melatonin is known as the "Dracula of hormones" because your body naturally produces melatonin in response to darkness, and production is "shut off" by bright light. The feedback between the body and the environment is the primary way your body knows when it should be asleep or awake. In other words, melatonin levels directly impact your sleep cycle by helping to induce and maintain normal sleep.

If melatonin never rises properly at night or if production is disrupted by light or other factors, you may experience symptoms of sleep deprivation.

Low levels of melatonin in the evening/night are related to the following symptoms: difficulty falling asleep at night, waking up during the night, waking up too early, fatigue, not feeling rested, and daytime tiredness or sleepiness.

On the other hand, if your levels of melatonin are higher than the normal range in the morning/daytime, you may experience fatigue, grogginess, or reduced core body temperature.

Many things can disrupt this cycle, including stress, dietary factors, medications, your environment, your work schedule, and the amount or timing of light exposure.

Cortisol

Balancing melatonin is a key hormone from the adrenal gland ‐ cortisol. Cortisol's level should be highest shortly after waking and should fall throughout the day. When this hormone does not follow its normal cycle, sleep and health can be affected.
This stress hormone plays many roles in the body, but it has a special relationship to sleep. Cortisol follows a cycle that is opposite of melatonin's and, in this role, is responsible for signaling the body to be awake and responsive. Cortisol should be lowest late at night (when melatonin levels are high) and should have a peak shortly after waking in the morning.
The morning peak of cortisol is thought to "prepare you for the day" by:
  • Raising your blood sugar, giving you energy, and probably also making you hungry for breakfast soon after
  • Increasing your metabolism and getting you ready to be active
  • Preparing you for the upcoming stressors of the day
The cortisol rhythm can become unbalanced from chronic stress related to emotions, lifestyle, diet, health issues, overtraining, and other causes. We can see more than one kind of abnormal pattern, but the most common abnormal patterns for cortisol are explained below.

When Cortisol is Too High

It is important for health that your adrenal glands secrete cortisol in response to stress. However, it is equally as important that your cortisol levels return to normal following a stressful event. If the stress response is activated too often, then your body doesn't have a chance to return to normal. When cortisol levels are too high, then your body feels "on" all the time. You may have disturbed sleep, excessive hunger, weight gain, and anxious mood. Elevated levels of stress hormones can impair your body's ability to absorb nutrients from your food because cortisol tells your body to stop producing the enzymes needed for digestion.

When Cortisol is Too Low

Cortisol levels that are too low could indicate that your adrenal glands are persistently depleted and unable to meet the demands that your body puts on them. As a result, you can feel fatigued all the time, have low mood, get sick more frequently, have challenges with pain and inflammation, and have a hard time responding to normal stress.
If your cortisol levels are abnormally low persistently, it may be a sign of a medical condition that should be managed by an endocrinologist.

Potential Symptoms

When your melatonin level does not rise properly at night, you might experience any of the following symptoms:

  • Difficulty falling asleep at night
  •  Not feeling rested
  • Waking up during the night
  • Daytime tiredness or sleepiness
  • Waking up too early
  • Insomnia

When your cortisol pattern is abnormal, you might experience any of the following symptoms:

  • Disrupted sleep or poor sleep quality
  •  Pain/inflammation
  • Feeling “tired but wired”
  • Poor digestion
  • Anxiety
  • Food cravings
  • Irritability
  • Weight gain
  • Getting sick more frequently

    Key Biomarkers Measured via Urine:

    Melatonin is known as the “Dracula of hormones” because your body naturally produces melatonin in response to darkness. Melatonin levels directly impact your sleep cycle by helping to induce sleep and increase sleep duration.

    Cortisol the primary hormone from your adrenal gland that is responsible for signaling the body to be awake and responsive. When levels are out of balance, sleep and health can be affected.

    Collection Timing of Melatonin

    To determine melatonin levels, the Thorne Sleep Test actually measures MT6s, a stable metabolite of melatonin that can be found in urine. When looking at the graph of your melatonin results throughout the day, it is important to note that your urine sample reflects your body's melatonin levels earlier in the day. For example, your first urine sample taken as soon as you wake up in the morning indicates the level of melatonin in your body during the nighttime.

    Collection Reflects Melatonin Levels During
    1st Nighttime
    2nd Morning
    3rd Daytime
    4th Evening

    Collection Timing of Cortisol

    When looking at the graph of your results, it is important to note that your urine sample reflects your body's cortisol levels from earlier times during the day. For example, your first urine sample taken when you wake up in the morning indicates the level of cortisol in your body the night before.

    Collection Reflects Cortisol Levels During
    1st Nighttime
    2nd Morning
    3rd Daytime
    4th Evening

     

    Shipping

    *US law prohibits shipment of lab products to New York State, Rhode Island, and Kansas.

    *Attention International Clients: Return shipping is not included with this lab purchase. Please check with your country’s regulations on shipping your sample back to US.

     

     

    What we measure

    Melatonin (4)   •  Urine
    Cortisol (4)   •  Urine

    Your MELATONIN LEVEL directly impacts your sleep cycle because it helps to induce sleep and to increase sleep duration.

    Your CORTISOL LEVEL follows a cycle that is opposite of melatonin's and, in this role, it is responsible for signaling your body to be awake and responsive.

    How it Works:

    1. Order and activate test kit

    After purchasing, all home-test materials are delivered to your door. 

    Use the activation code located on the back of the test kit to activate your test on thorne.com and complete your health profile. 

     



    2. Complete collection and ship

    Referencing the directions booklet included in your test kit, complete your sample collection from the comfort of your home.

    Use the prepaid shipper to mail your samples directly to the laboratory. 

     



    3. Receive results and recommendations

    Your results are reviewed by an independent board-certified physician.

    You'll receive your results & personalized recommendations within 7-9 days.

     

     

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