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Health Science Medium #cortisol#circadian#sleep

The Daily Cortisol Curve

A 24-hour cortisol rhythm with a configurable stress spike and threshold band - clean, animated, and instantly legible.

A free, animated daily cortisol curve you can read here or embed on any website, from Scrollchart.

The Daily Cortisol Curve

The Daily Cortisol CurveCortisol (nmol/L)

Cortisol follows a predictable 24-hour rhythm. It peaks roughly 30 minutes after waking (the "cortisol awakening response"), declines steadily through the day, and reaches its lowest point around midnight. Disruptions - chronic stress, poor sleep, late-night stimulants, shift work - flatten or invert this curve, which is associated with metabolic and immune dysfunction. The animated diagram traces the canonical curve over a 24-hour axis, optionally overlaying a stress-spike event so editors can show their own data point in context.

Good for

  • Health bloggers explaining stress, sleep, or hormones
  • Medical educators teaching the HPA axis
  • Wellness writers visualizing circadian disruption

Source & accuracy

Curve shape based on standard endocrinology references; synthetic example data - replace with your own.

Embed this diagram

Add this animated daily cortisol curve to your own site. Copy one line of HTML, or use the embed builder for theme and sizing options.

Reference

What this is
A free, embeddable, animated daily cortisol curve for any website.
Who uses it
Bloggers, Content marketers, Educators.
How to embed
Copy one line of HTML. No signup. No watermark. Works in WordPress, Webflow, Ghost, Substack, plain HTML.
File size
iframe embed, ~80 KB gzipped (loads on demand, does not block your page paint).
License
Free forever. Editorial explainer text included; updated centrally over time.
URL
scrollchart.com/diagram/cortisol-day-rhythm

Embed format options

Copy the universal HTML snippet, the WordPress shortcode, or an iframe fallback - see the WordPress plugin page for details. Any format keeps the same Core Web Vitals profile and the same explainer text.

Embed snippet 
<div data-scrollchart="cortisol-day-rhythm" data-scrollchart-v="1"></div>
<script src="https://scrollchart.com/embed.js" async></script>

By embedding, you acknowledge the diagram and explainer text are served from scrollchart.com and may be updated from time to time to reflect new research or to link to relevant sources within the explainer.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get a free animated "The Daily Cortisol Curve" for my website?
Scrollchart provides "The Daily Cortisol Curve" as a free, embeddable animated diagram you can add to any website with one line of HTML. No signup is required and there is no watermark. The diagram and its explainer text are served from scrollchart.com, so the embed stays current without any maintenance on your end.
How do I embed a daily cortisol curve diagram in a health or wellness blog?
Copy the HTML snippet from the Scrollchart diagram page and paste it into any post or page in your CMS. It works in WordPress, Webflow, Ghost, Substack, and plain HTML without any plugin or account. The diagram renders as animated SVG directly in your page, so search engines can index the accompanying explainer text.
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