Research paper
Stalder T, Oster H, Abelson JL, Huthsteiner K, Klucken T, Clow A. The Cortisol Awakening Response: Regulation and Functional Significance. Endocrine Reviews. 2025;46(1):43–59.
Why we cite it
Supplies the corpus with a synthesis of the circadian cortisol rhythm and the CAR — a topic the library previously had no coverage of despite multiple companions describing it. Critically, it presents the CAR as a distinct awakening-entrained pulse rather than a name for the whole daily curve (”The CAR is considered a distinct aspect of circadian cortisol secretion”, resting partly on sleep-laboratory work the review says ”requires replication”), which corrects a terminology error that had propagated into companion 321. (Corrected 2026-09-10 from ”establishes”.) Also reports that high-quality research finds chronic stress blunting the CAR, and that chronic adversity and negative health conditions ”appear to reduce the dynamic range of circadian cortisol secretion”, giving citable support for the “flattened curve” claim.