There’s nothing fun about excessive sweating! Do you suffer from excessive sweating, wet armpits, and/or sweat stained clothes? Well you are not alone! Excessive sweating is actually quite common. Here are some tips to help you get control of your excessive sweating so you can stay dry for your next activity.
Why You Sweat So Much
First of all, everyone sweats. Sweating is completely healthy and good for you. It’s how your body cools off, removes toxins, and maintains salinity in your body. So don’t sweat too much about sweating.
Did you know that we sweat from up to 5 million sweat glands located all over the body? There are two types of sweat glands on the body: the apocrine glands, which are found mainly in the armpit area and the eccrine glands, which are found all over the body. Apocrine glands develop in areas abundant in hair follicles, such as your armpits and they contribute to the odor component to sweat. The apocrine sweat glands produce sweat that is thicker and contains much of what bacteria feeds on as it’s secreted. The eccrine glands are the glands that are responsible for the secretion of sweat on the skin to lower the body temperature.
Since most of your apocrine glands are concentrated in your armpit area is why you only put deodorant or antiperspirant under your arms and not all over your body. Your Eccrine glands, on the other hand, fire off when your body needs to cool down. Most of the wetness you feel when you work out or when you’re in a hot environment comes from the eccrine glands, but the there is much less odor. Here are a few of the main contributors for excessive sweating:
1) Exercise: Anyone can develop excessive sweating during a workout. Excessive amounts of sweat during exercise develop when your body temperature rises. The eccrine sweat glands then release the body’s fluid to cool down your body temperature.
2) Hyperhidrosis: Hyperhidrosis is a condition that affects 1-3% of the population and involves excessive sweat in the palms, underarms, feet, and groin. People with Hyperhidrosis produce several times more sweat that normal.
3) Nervousness: Emotional stress causes a reaction from your sympathetic nervous system, which affects the eccrine glands on your body. This is part of the body’s unconscious protection process, also known as the fight or flight response.
4) Emotions: Strong emotions (anger, excitement, stress, etc.) can also activate your sweat glands. Similar to the way being nervous makes you sweat, strong positive feeling can
Although there are many other factors that can increase your sweating, these are the main contributors for excessive sweat.
Avoid Over-Sweating
Antiperspirants and deodorants can be helpful when it comes to sweat problems. However, they aren’t always 100% effective. Consider putting on antiperspirant on before you go to bed, if you struggle with wetness. If you body odor is a problem, deodorant will help to kill the smelly bacteria that feeds off of your sweat byproducts and make you smell nice.
In addition to using, antiperspirant and deodorant, you may want to avoid certain types of food. Consider reducing your coffee intake and avoiding spicy foods, if possible. Studies indicate that caffeine causes you to sweat more because it has an effect on your central nervous system. Drinking it hot will raise your body temperature as well. Similarly, spicy foods have an effect on your central nervous system, contributing to physical reactions of heat, including sweating and flushing.
To avoid sweating, find a way to better deal with your stress and anxiety. If you feel like you sweat way more than other people, a visit with your doctor might help you find a solution.
Keep Your Body Odor Under Control
Excessive sweat usually leads to body odor, but there are ways to keep it under control.
1) Wear a good deodorant. Deodorant not only covers up body odor with pleasant smells, it also contains alcohol to kill the bacteria that’s causing those unfortunate scents.
2) Use a spray or two of cologne or perfume.
3) Bathe every day with antibacterial soap.
4) Avoid alcohol and foods containing sulfur (Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and any other plants in the Brassica genus. Plants in the Allium genus, like onions and garlic, can contribute as well).
5) Wear antimicrobial shirts.
Dress to Hide Your Sweat
One of the ways you can take control over you sweat issues is to dress to hide your sweat. Wear colors that won’t show stains that badly. Dark colors like black or navy are the best for hiding sweat. Avoid grays, blues, and bright colors. Additionally, certain types of patterns can help you hide glaring wet spots too. You can wear patterns like plaid or camo and sweat won’t stand out. You may also want to wear something underneath your visible clothing, such as a breathable undershirt. A jacket or sweater in a breathable material may work too. Just be careful not to overheat or you’ll worsen the problem. Just remember, the number one priority is to be comfortable in what you’re wearing.
Prevent Sweat Stains on Your Clothes
There are plenty of ways to fight the prevent sweat wet spots. If you have the luxury, prevent any visible sweating from the start with what you wear. Wearing a tank top or any other type of shirt with big armholes is one of the most effective ways to avoid armpit stains. Just be sure to use deodorant to keep the odor under control. Always keeps a change of clothes on hand in case you get too sweaty and you want to switch your clothes. There are also over-the-counter pads you can buy and wear or attach to clothing that will absorb sweat before it gets to your outer layers. To prevent armpit stains, it’s important to plan ahead and consider the activities that you will be taking part in throughout your day.
In conclusion, there are many things you can do to get control of your excessive sweating. However, it’s going to happen no matter what. While excessive sweat can be embarrassing, follow the tips mentioned above and you will likely feel more comfortable or more prepared for excessive sweating.
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