Sweating is a completely normal phenomenon. You may sweat excessively when you are exercising, when it’s too hot outside, or when you are frightened or nervous. It’s the body’s reaction to cooling itself down. But some people drip with sweat even when they are not exercising or feeling hot. In such cases, sweating may be caused because of an underlying condition. Take a look at normal and underlying health reasons the body sweats excessively.

Normal reasons the body sweats

Perimenopause
Perimenopause is the period when a woman stops having a menstrual cycle and is about to enter menopause. During this time, the body sweats excessively because of irregular hormone levels. There is also a shift in estrogen levels, causing the body temperature to rise, resulting in hot flashes. The exact reason for this is not known.

Foods
Consumption of certain types of food can trigger excessive sweating. Such instances of sweating are known as gustatory sweating. Spicy foods, caffeinated drinks such as soda, tea, coffee, and alcoholic beverages can cause excessive sweating.

Emotions
Certain emotions like anger, fear, embarrassment, and anxiety can make people sweat excessively, which is normal. Sweating stops once you get your emotions under control.

Complicated conditions causing excessive sweating

Primary focal hyperhidrosis
Primary focal hyperhidrosis causes excessive sweating in people even when they are not doing any physical activity. Typically one or two parts of the body will sweat excessively, like the hands, underarms, feet, or groin. Hyperhidrosis can make the skin soft, white, flaky, and prone to skin infections like jock itch.

Hyperthyroidism
The body produces a type of hormone called thyroxine that helps regulate metabolism, heart rate, and body temperature. Hyperthyroidism occurs when too much thyroxine is produced that disrupts normal hormone levels. A few symptoms of this condition are excessive sweating, heart palpitations, and sudden weight loss.

Diabetes
Diabetes results in low blood sugar, and one of its symptoms is excessive sweating. Prolonged low blood sugar levels can damage sweat glands, leading to a condition called neuropathy. This causes too little or too much sweating. Patients with diabetes may suffer from gustatory sweating caused after eating.

To get rid of excessive sweating and body odor, you can use antiperspirant or deodorant. Antiperspirants temporarily block sweat pores and reduce sweat from reaching the skin, thanks to their aluminum-based compounds formula. Deodorants, on the other hand, keep away odor but cannot reduce sweating. They contain alcohol that makes the skin acidic, reducing bacteria formation.