All about Spit
What is it exactly that we are looking for?
Saliva (spit) contains cortisol, a chemical produced by our bodies. Cortisol secretion increases when we are sick, when we are stressed, and at certain times of day. When we ask you to get saliva samples from your child in the morning and at night at home, we are trying to evaluate the normal daily fluctuation (rhythm) of cortisol for your child. We are most likely to see this rhythm with samples obtained shortly after your child wakes up in the morning and when he or she is ready to sleep at night. Samples obtained at other times of day are less likely to show this variation.
When we receive the cotton wad with saliva in it from you, we extract the spit to measure the cortisol. The wetter the cotton, the more saliva we are able to extract, and the better our cortisol measurement. We know that obtaining the sample is not always easy, and would like to hear about what special tricks you use to get your toddler to cooperate in the process.
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