Saliva cortisol: a good indicator for acceleration stress.

The effects of +Gz stress on the salivary cortisol were studied using four healthy male volunteers (non-aircrews). They were subjected to acceleration up to +5Gz for 1 min without G-suit. At +4Gz and +5Gz stress, the level of saliva cortisol increased significantly (p less than 0.001) 20 min following centrifugation. At higher +Gz levels, the response of the salivary cortisol was noted to increase. The advantages of monitoring cortisol level in saliva as an indicator for +Gz stress are discussed.