Medical Centric

Seven Reasons You Might Be Sweating a Lot

Seven Reasons You Might Be Sweating a Lot

  • Sweating is a natural body process that is important for controlling internal body temperature.
  • The sweat is usually focused on the face, the palms, soles of the feet, and in the armpits.
  • Sweating in certain amounts is essential for body function, however excessive sweating, regardless of the environment, means that you may have hyperhidrosis.
  • Hyperhidrosis is a disorder that makes sweat glands more active, resulting in excessive sweating.
  • Here are seven reasons why it might be affecting you:

Runs in the Family

  • Primary focal hyperhidrosis causes sweating to occur on the face, underarms, feet, head, and hands.
  • It starts during childhood and tends to affect a person throughout their life.
  • Although there may be several causes for it, 30 to 50% of all people with the condition often have a family history of hyperhidrosis.

Medication

  • Excessive sweating can also be a result of some medication that you might be taking.
  • It can be a side effect of some over-the-counter or prescription drug.
  • However, excessive sweating is a rare side effect of most drugs.
  • The drugs that cause it most of the time are antidepressants such as protriptyline, desipramine (Norpramin), and nortriptyline (Pamelor).
  • Taking zinc as a mineral supplement may also cause excessive sweating.

Pregnancy

  • The glow that we see on women while they are pregnant is probably due to the fact they sweat more during that period.
  • Pregnancy causes several changes in blood and hormonal flow and also increases their metabolism.
  • These reasons can result in excessive sweating, something women have to deal with throughout pregnancy.

Thyroid Problems

  • Metabolism may also increase from hyperthyroidism – the overactivity of the thyroid gland.
  • The thyroid gland produces several metabolic hormones, and their increased production can cause the internal temperature to increase.
  • You might also lose weight rather quickly, get jitters, and even feel a lump in your throat along with the increased sweating.
  • Hyperthyroidism is a serious condition that requires immediate medical attention.

Diabetes

  • Our nervous system triggers the sweat glands when the body falls low on blood sugar.
  • Because of this, sweating is often the sign for diabetics that their blood glucose is dipping, and they need to eat something quick.
  • Beyond that, diabetics may also suffer from night sweats due to the blood sugar depreciating during the night.
  • Diabetes may also cause damage to the nervous system, which can result in irregular signals to the sweat glands.

Anxiety

  • Excessive sweating is a common sign of anxiety.
  • The stress hormones immediately shoot up and the body’s first line of defense against them is perspiration.
  • People tend to sweat more when they are nervous, and the sweating continues as long as they feel anxious.

Perimenopause

  • Perimenopause is the stage right before menopause when the female body stops going through its menstrual cycles.
  • Hormone levels vary wildly during perimenopause, and the body reacts to them by perspiring more.
  • Changes in estrogen levels have a direct influence on the body’s temperature, an increase in which can cause excessive sweating.