Sleep has never come easy for me -- quality sleep, that is. I'm a light sleeper, and I usually find myself wide awake every few hours throughout the night, staring at the ceiling as I wonder why sleep has eluded me once again.
I've tried my fair share of sleep rituals and products, ranging from high-tech devices like the Somnee Smart Sleep Headband and the Eight Sleep Pod Cover to dozens of sleep masks, headphones, sound machines, supplements and more. My spouse (and fellow CNET sleep expert Dillon) and I have a monthly YouTube series dedicated to testing mattresses in an effort to find the perfect one. If there's a new sleep hack trending on TikTok, chances are I've given it a shot.
Because long, peaceful slumbers have escaped me since I was a child, there came a point when I essentially accepted that I'm simply not good at sleeping -- until recently. As a member of CNET's sleep team, I acknowledge how essential it is for my overall health to get consistent, quality rest. In honor of Sleep Awareness Month, I decided to finally investigate the root cause of my sleeplessness rather than relying on gadgets and pills out of desperation. This is what led me to taking a hormonal sleep test for the first time.
In-lab vs. at-home sleep tests
Known as polysomnography, overnight sleep tests and studies have long been conducted in controlled labs, where participants are hooked up to sensors that track brainwaves and other physiological activity. These in-lab studies are the gold standard for identifying and diagnosing conditions such as sleep apnea.
However, facets of these studies have already entered our bedrooms, with various companies offering tests you can take from the comfort of your home. One example is Sleep Doctor's At-Home Sleep Apnea Study, which uses a WatchPAT One device and sensors that connect to your finger, wrist and chest. The device records your breathing patterns throughout the night and automatically shares the results with your provider to review and offer the appropriate sleep solution, such as prescribing a CPAP machine.
Learn more: At-Home Sleep Tests vs. Lab Studies: Is At-Home Just as Good?
If you think you have a sleep disorder, the best first step is to talk to your doctor.
In addition to sleep apnea, you can now take other sleep tests and health panels remotely. Though it's not as thorough (or possibly as accurate) as in-person tests, these at-home tests can be quicker and more cost-effective. To get to the root cause of my sleeping woes, I decided to take Thorne's Sleep Test.
This test uses saliva to track hormone fluctuations in your sleep-wake cycle. It analyzes melatonin and cortisol, the primary drivers of our circadian rhythm.
I ordered and awaited the arrival of my sleep test. I suspected the results would indicate that my cortisol levels were high, which I believed may be one of the reasons I struggle to sleep -- and boy, I was in a for a surprise.
Taking the Thorne Sleep Test
The test arrived in a small package via mail. I followed the instructions, activating my account online and completing the health portfolio by answering questions about my exercise, diet, daily supplements, conditions or ailments, sleep patterns and more.
I highly recommend thoroughly reading the instructions before taking any at-home test. If you have periods, you should take the test on day 19, 20 or 21 of your menstrual cycle. There are also specific guidelines for those who use or take hormones. You're also advised to avoid lip products or drink alcohol on collection day, and advised using anti-aging or anti-wrinkle facial creams within three days of taking the test because these products can contain undisclosed hormones that may alter the results -- alarming, I know.
I know I'm chronically dehydrated, but this test made me realize I needed to work on that. Filling the vials with saliva was more difficult than I expected.
I must admit, I've never been great at tracking my period. When I took this test, I thought I was around the recommended 20ish day of my cycle, but I started my period the next day. I'm mentioning this because it may have contributed to my surprising results.
Collection involves filling the four provided vials with saliva at designated times throughout the day, the first being 30 minutes after waking up. Since you must collect throughout the day, I suggest ensuring you have a regular or open schedule in order to follow the instructions on avoiding food and drink before each one.
After filling all four vials, I packed and shipped them off the next day in the provided packaging and shipping label. Easy peasy.
Reviewing my unexpected results
About a week later, I received a notification that the test results were in, and I logged into my account to check them out. I was pleasantly surprised to see that my cortisol levels were in the normal range, falling on the low end. As an easily stressed individual, I'd anticipated them to be high. "Good news! You have a healthy wake-cycle based on your normal cortisol pattern," the report exclaimed.
Confused by the odd melatonin numbers in my results, I scheduled an online consultation with Nathan Price, PhD, chief scientific officer at Thorne, to discuss the results.
"We're tracking two variables over time: your melatonin and cortisol patterns. Melatonin typically goes up as a sleep signal, and cortisol is the opposite, as a waking signal. When I first glanced at your results, what jumped out was the high melatonin," Price said.
My melatonin levels were essentially flipped, with high amounts detected in the morning and throughout the day and dropping at night and before bed. The vial I filled just after waking up detected 39.5 pg/mL, well outside the clinically normal range between 3 and 19 pg/mL. It was still high for the second daytime test, at 12.2 pg/mL. My melatonin levels dropped into the normal range by early evening and fell just inside the normal range by nighttime, at 7.4 pg/mL -- teetering toward the low range.
My melatonin levels were abnormally high in the morning and during the day.
Price asked if I remembered what had happened the night before I took the sleep test to see if we could deduct why my melatonin was so high in the morning. I looked back at my Whoop Band data and saw that I had slept for 7 hours and 39 minutes, falling asleep at 11:06 p.m. and waking up at 7:34 a.m. Nothing out of the ordinary. I spent 48 minutes awake that night, which was 12% lower than my 30-day average of 55 minutes.
I frequently take a melatonin supplement if I think I'll struggle to sleep that night; however, I hadn't taken one for three or four nights when I took this test, so we didn't think it was from that.
Price shared a graph like the one below showing the typical rise and fall of melatonin levels throughout the day and night. "The other explanation could be that you woke up prematurely that morning. If you wake up early and are in the middle of this down cycle in your melatonin levels, you’ll feel groggy because you still have a high amount of melatonin in your system,” he said.
This seems the most plausible explanation. I often wake up abruptly in the morning while still having vivid dreams in the REM phase of sleep, typically because our dog wants to go outside or our cat loudly announces that her food bowl is empty.
My high melatonin levels in the morning and throughout the day could have also been influenced by my period starting the following day. Menstrual cycles cause our hormone levels to fluctuate. Though general research on this topic is currently lacking, the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation found that melatonin levels can be up to 4.5 times higher during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (leading up to our periods) than in the follicular phase. Being that I was at the tail end of my luteal phase could offer another explanation -- but I still don't think that's the whole picture.
"This is one of the challenges of launching health testing businesses. For some of the tests -- particularly if they have a relationship to hormones -- it is more challenging for women [due to menstrual cycles]. It adds an extra complication," Price explained.
"The main thing that we're looking at in this particular test is to figure out if your sleeping issues are primarily melatonin or cortisol driven, and they lead to different recommendations," Price said. He clarified that if the results showed my melatonin had not been spiking appropriately before bed, that would indicate that perhaps I would want to take a melatonin supplement. "That's why melatonin, at the right dose, can be helpful for jet lag or shifting your sleep and situations like that," Price explained.
My cortisol levels were in the clinically normal range, which I was pleased (and shocked) to see.
If my cortisol levels had been high, Thorne's practitioners would likely suggest taking a product like PharmaGABA, a natural form of GABA, a neurotransmitter that helps you relax. "This is important -- you didn't show a problem there [with my cortisol levels], so we did not recommend a product. Trust is super important for Thorne as a company. If we don't think a supplement will make a difference, we won't make a recommendation."
Read more: I Got a Blood Test to Learn About Cortisol and Its Effects
My initial feedback from Thorne outlined holistic steps for a healthier sleep hygiene plan rather than a supplement. These personalized recommendations were algorithmically generated from my test results and included in-depth information on the following:
- Eating an anti-inflammatory diet (like Mediterranean or low-carb)
- Limiting melatonin-rich foods (such as tomatoes, walnuts or tart cherries)
- Limiting caffeine, as it can interfere with melatonin levels
- Avoiding alcohol before bed, as it inhibits melatonin secretion
- Maintaining a consistent bedtime routine and wake-up time
- Exercising regularly and practicing yoga and meditation
The guidelines also included research-backed sources and clinical evidence for said recommendations.
How the test has helped
It's been a few weeks since receiving the results of my Thorne Sleep Test, and I have been paying much closer attention to my sleep patterns and daily habits.
Consistent bedtime routine
One of the main changes I've implemented is a stricter bedtime routine. I have been going to bed earlier (around 10 p.m. rather than midnight, like I was). I almost always wake up early, whether from the rising sun or our pets demanding food and attention. Given that my melatonin levels were extremely high in the morning after waking up, the simplest way, in theory, to fix this would be to adjust my sleep schedule so that my melatonin levels peak between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., as they should, rather than closer to sunrise.
Less caffeine and alcohol
I've been more mindful of the types of food I eat at dinner and before bed, doing my best to avoid sugary or spicy foods (which has proven to be the toughest adjustment).
Since I normally wake up feeling groggy after a restless night of tossing and turning, I have come to rely on caffeine to revive myself. I typically have a few cups of coffee in the morning and early afternoon to get me through the day, but lately, I've been forgoing all coffee after lunch. I also occasionally enjoyed a glass of red wine before bed, but I've since given that up, as well.
Read more: Best Mocktails to Make Before Bed
No more melatonin pills
Another significant change I implemented is avoiding melatonin pills to allow my body's natural production of melatonin to balance out. Though I didn't use a melatonin supplement every night, I did take them regularly. I also took them too late in the evening, usually around an hour before bed. Most experts recommend taking melatonin around two to three hours before bed, but some suggest even earlier. According to the University of Michigan's Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program, it's best to take melatonin 4 to 6 hours before bed -- which I definitely was not doing.
Stopped tracking my sleep
Though it wasn't included in Thorne's recommendations, I stopped tracking my sleep with a wearable. I felt it was becoming more of a burden as I'd worry about what my tracker would say, informing how I felt based on the poor sleep scores I was receiving.
Read more: Obsessing Over Your Sleep Data Is Keeping You Up. Here's How to Stop
Reading instead of scrolling
Sleep researchers have been screaming it from the mountaintops: no screens before bed. Thorne also suggested avoiding blue light exposure because melatonin's natural release is triggered by darkness. The report explains that the "influx of light from an electronic device can alter the normal production of melatonin. Even though your melatonin levels [before bed] tested within normal limits, use of these devices can negatively affect sleep and might temporarily negatively impact melatonin levels and your ability to fall asleep."
I've prioritized reading before bed rather than scrolling mindlessly on my phone. Instead of e-books on my Kindle, I've been reading physical books with a reading light that emits a soft, warm glow.
My new bedtime routine makes me feel like a Victorian-Era woman -- pre-electricity, sleep tech, screens and melatonin supplements. And I'm loving it.
Returning to the basics
Since making these adjustments, I've already noticed a drastic improvement in my sleep. As expected, there have been some restless nights and groggy mornings here and there, but fewer than before. I'm falling asleep easier and waking up less often throughout the night as my body slowly adapts to going to bed earlier. I haven't felt as strong of a need to drink coffee later in the day, and I believe (and hope) it's because my circadian rhythm is slowly returning to normal.
The irony is not lost on me. Thanks to today's telemedicine technology, I can take a sleep test from home -- only for it to tell me that I need to focus on the basics of the human sleep-wake cycle. This indicates a larger conundrum that millions of people face as our technology advances, but our quality of sleep declines. It's to the point where lack of sleep is now considered a public health epidemic.
According to the 2025 Global Sleep Report by ResMed, most people attain only four nights of good sleep per week, leaving the other three nights unsatisfactory. "It's a paradox of modern life -- sleep quality is falling short even as its value is being increasingly acknowledged," the report shares.
Thorne advised, "We suggest you follow your diet, exercise and lifestyle recommendations for three to six months and then retest to track progress." I will continue heeding these guidelines to the best of my ability, paying closer attention to my energy levels in the morning and throughout the day. There are additional ways I plan to address and improve my sleep habits, including Thorne's suggestions for mindful exercise, meditation and journaling.
As Price explained, this test provides only a snapshot. Retaking it down the road could help build the bigger picture -- and thanks to our advancing technology, I don’t even have to leave my house to do so.
Pros and cons of at-home testing
Thorne offers various at-home tests and health panels, including thyroid, menopause, biological age, fertility and gut health. The company also has free online quizzes to determine which supplements are best for you. "At Thorne, we're focused on pairing testing with solutions. We offer testing as part of a more comprehensive program. We try to figure out the right product or solution that will be useful for you," Price said.
The advantages of such at-home tests are clear. They offer convenience and privacy, allowing you to manage aspects of your health from home. This can appeal to those with busy schedules or who feel anxious about visiting the doctor. The results are typically returned quickly and can be more cost-effective than scheduling multiple appointments or tests.
Addressing and managing health concerns via telehealth platforms is beneficial for many.
On the other hand, visiting your doctor in person can provide a level of professional guidance and support that at-home tests cannot. Most at-home health panel services also offer virtual appointments with providers, so it’s important to take advantage of that rather than trying to interpret results on your own.
Another complication is taking the test correctly and at the appropriate times, which I experienced by taking the sleep test too close to my period.
Learn more: Medicare Telehealth Coverage Ending Soon? Here's What We Know
The choice ultimately depends on your preferences and the health conditions involved. Always consult your doctor about any concerns you have, whether sleep-related or otherwise, to help determine the best path forward.