Sweating why

In most cases, there's no known cause for this condition. Certain problems such as diabetes, heart failure, anxiety, and overactive thyroid can cause heavy sweating. And some drugs may cause heavy sweating as a side effect. Share on Facebook. Notice: Users may be experiencing issues with displaying some pages on stanfordhealthcare. We are working closely with our technical teams to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your patience. View the changes to our visitor policy » View information for Guest Services ». New to MyHealth? Manage Your Care From Anywhere. It happens for a different reason, and it's primarily associated with a different type of sweat gland altogether. In response to something stressful, scary, nerve-wracking or anxiety-inducing — and regardless of your body temperature — your body enters what's called the "fight-or- flight" response.

Among other things, this response revs up a second type of sweat gland found on your body: apocrine sweat glands. To be fair, your eccrine sweat glands get activated to some extent too, hence the sweaty palms, but what you're probably most concerned with are your sweaty armpits — and you have your apocrine glands to thank for that.

Unlike eccrine sweat glands, which are found all over your body and produce sweat that's mostly made up of water and salts, apocrine sweat glands are isolated to your armpits and groin and produce a thicker, fattier sweat. Why does this matter? Because it's what gives your armpits that distinctive odor you might smell if you forget to put on deodorant. To be clear, the sweat released from your apocrine glands doesn't smell itself. But the bacteria that live in your armpits love this oily sweat, quickly metabolizing its nutrients into some pretty smelly byproducts.

So why do we sweat when we're stressed? It's probably not a totally satisfying answer, but it's because we've been doing it since Day 1. Our fight-or-flight response is a hard-wired, inherited response that our ancestors relied on to deal with the various threats to their survival.

This response is characterized by a release of adrenaline, as well as other stress hormones, which in turn raises your heart and respiratory rates, increases blood flow and tenses your muscles. It gets your body ready to act, but this adrenaline rush also activates your apocrine glands — and with that comes sweat. If illness or medications cause uncomfortable sweating, talk to your doctor about alternative treatments. Sweating may indicate a medical problem if it occurs with other symptoms.

Let your doctor know if you experience these as well:. The following conditions result from either excessive sweating or the absence of sweating. Sweating is a normal bodily function. Beginning at puberty, most people start to use antiperspirants to minimize sweating and odor. Sweating either too much or too little can indicate a medical problem.

Sweating in conjunction with other symptoms may also indicate a health condition. Sweating too easily can affect all aspects of your life. Sometimes it may be due to an underlying condition, and other times there's no distinct…. Sometimes dizziness and sweating can happen together and can be caused by a variety of conditions. Some conditions, like motion sickness and hot…. Sweating is a normal and natural process that helps regulate your body temperature and cool you down.

Sweating when you work out can help prevent you…. Although we associate sweat with temperature regulation, sweat has numerous other benefits such as helping clear your body of BPAs, PCBs, and heavy…. Here are 16 of the best sunscreens on the market in spray, lotion, and solid forms, and for different needs.

What other symptoms accompany it? Detective hats on, hand-towels at the ready. This is one of the most common causes of excessive sweating, according to Mayo Clinic. The "focal" in the name refers to the focal points of the body where sweat shows up naturally, like the underarms, palms and face. It generally manifests as a symmetrical excess of sweat on the body for instance, both palms, both soles of the feet, or both sides of the groin will produce too much perspiration.

And don't worry — it's not a sign of nervousness or of serious illness. So why does it happen? Unfortunately, science isn't entirely sure. People who suffer from it don't have more sweat glands, larger ones, or anything else in their sweat-making bits that could cause this malfunction. The current theory is that it's a genetically transferred problem in the nervous system that produces a sweat reaction when it's not actually needed.

It's known as idiopathic , indicating that we don't actually know how it happens yet. Fortunately, there are treatments available for the condition, including the use of very low electrical pulses, medications or even injectable neurotoxins to paralyze sweat glands. However, many people with PFH don't seek help due of embarrassment. But there's no need to be: if you're suffering from PFH and really bothered by it, know that there's help available.

Your glow may at least partially be due to a thin sheen of sweat that covers you at all times. Dietz tells Bustle. But know that if you end up constantly mopping your brow during your baby shower, not to worry. This is another potential cause of excess sweat among pregnant women: pregnancy kicks the thyroids of some women into overactivity, which is associated with high sweat levels.

It can do the same to the non-pregnant too, though. Hyperthyroidism — the medical term for an overactive thyroid — means that the thyroid gland, which plays a large role in manipulating your body's metabolic rate, goes into overdrive, producing excess levels of the metabolic hormones thyroxine T4 and tri-iodothyronine T3.