Emotions and heavy sweating

Posted In: Hyperhidrosis Forum

      • Participant
        Twinkle on #794

        I tend to sweat too much: mostly feet and underarms, moderately palms. I learned to accept profuse sweating in warm weather, during physical activities and in stressful situations, but one thing still frustrates me to no end.

        My emotions trigger heavy sweating even when I'm happy! More accurately, when I'm excited. I hate this because it makes me feel like I'm not allowed to feel joy. I mean, when I get sweaty hands and feet during a crisis, I keep telling myself to breathe deeply and relax. Stress is bad, so I'm motivated to fight it with or without sweating.

        But what about joy? I hate the fact I'm supposed to tell myself not to get excited over something nice. 🙁

        How do your emotions affect excessive sweating? How to stop sweating and still feel excited over something? Please share your advices.

        Reply
      • Participant
        Leons on #803

        Hello. 🙂
        What you're going through does not seem unusual to me. Your heart starts beating faster once you get excited, increasing body heat and leading to excessive perspiration. I think there are only two ways to go:
        1) you either take immediate measures to cool yourself off. E.g. take a cold drink, take off a jacket if you're wearing one, stand next to air condition or a window, you know, stuff like that.
        2) try to keep your emotional reactions in check, be happy and excited psychologically, but try to keep your body relaxed. Maybe this way you can stop excessive sweating. 😉

        Reply
      • Participant
        Twinkle on #807

        Your first advice is good, but not always possible, because I start sweating profusely in the stupidest of situations. For example, often when I talk on the cell phone and walk. The more and louder I talk, the more excited I get and my underarm sweating gets so bad that I must take a shower and change the shirt afterwards. I even happens when I chat online, if I'm really having fun. Isn't that absurd?
        Maybe I should use stronger antiperspirants, but many of them irritate my skin. 🙁

        Reply
      • Member
        Elena V. on #812

        Hi there! 🙂

        I read your story and wonder if your causes of excessive sweating are partly psychological. Please don't take offense, but maybe it only seems to you that your excitement is normal. Maybe you actually tend to get overexcited when talking to other people.

        How do you normally feel around people? Does excessive underarm sweating happen to you even in face-to-face conversations?
        It doesn't matter if you feel happy & excited, body might still recognize this as stress if communication makes you feel tense on some level.

        I mean, it's normal to be excited in some conversations, but it if happens often, maybe you should try to suppress it. Happy & relaxed combo will also bring you joy, and without heavy sweating. 😉

        Reply
      • Participant
        jessie on #824

        I'm certain emotions play a big part in my excessive sweating – it's that cursed loop in which I'm nervous because I have sweaty palms and feet, and then I sweat even more… and then I'm more and more anxious. Emotions bury me pretty deep.

        This is the first time I hear someone's excess sweating is influenced by happy emotions. Sorry to hear that, it really sounds annoying. 😐

        Reply
      • Participant
        Zoey Q on #874

        I sweat a lot when under stress. Apart from during school exams, this also happens during arguments with my friends (yeah, no comment but some of them can be mean ***) or when I feel nervous because I have to stand up in front of the class and read my report out loud. Stuff like that. It would be so easy to deal with heavy sweating if only we could control our emotions!

        Reply
      • Participant
        Twinkle on #887

        I read your story and wonder if your causes of excessive sweating are partly psychological. Please don’t take offense, but maybe it only seems to you that your excitement is normal. Maybe you actually tend to get overexcited when talking to other people.

        How do you normally feel around people? Does excessive underarm sweating happen to you even in face-to-face conversations?

        No offense taken, but I don't know about this. I think my excitement is normal because I see other people being just as hyped and excited without getting stupid armpit sweat staining their clothes. I would say I am just like everyone else, except that I have to deal with excessive perspiration when I get excited.

        And this happens in face-to-face conversations sometimes, but not always. Again – depends on how worked up I get. So I really don't believe my heavy sweating has to do with anxiety.

        Reply
      • Participant
        Ramona on #926

        Hello everyone,

        I have anxiety issues and this partly causes my hyperhidrosis. 😳 There is even a possibility that I would be able to completely stop excessive sweating if only I could deal with my anxiety issues. I don't like talking a lot in public but it is much easier online and I hope this place will help me deal with my emotions better, at least to the point where I can learn how to prevent sweating in sensitive situations. ^^'

        Cheers,
        Ramona ^^

        Reply
      • Participant
        JennyDale on #928

        Hi Ramona and welcome to the community. 😉
        I hope we will be able to help you come to terms with your anxiety and hyperhidrosis. Look around and ask any questions… that's what I've been doing so far and it is already helping me feel more relaxed about my profuse sweating.
        It is interesting what you say about anxiety, and look on the bright side – if that really is one of your main hyperhidrosis causes – you might be able to cure yourself once you learn how to overcome anxiety. Isn't that great? 🙂 😉

        Reply
      • Participant
        Twinkle on #929

        Hey Ramona!
        Welcome to the club! I in particular feel a little better seeing that I am not the only one whose heavy sweating is heavily influenced by emotions. Although I am not anxious, I understand what it's like to have your overactive sweat glands freak out as soon as something gets your heart beat faster. That's SO not fun. 🙁
        Cya around! 🙂

        Reply
      • Participant
        Ramona on #974

        Thanks everyone, you are very kind. I didn't want to attract so much attention lol. ^^' …but thanks once again.

        I am positive that if I knew how to stay calm, I'd knew how to prevent sweating. I talked to a psychologist, but my anxiety isn't severe enough to require medication. She said I just need to overcome my nervousness and suggested I spend more time with friends in public spaces where crowds tend to gather. Unfortunately, I don't have that many good friends. ^__^

        Reply
      • Participant
        jessie on #978

        @ Ramona
        Hi! From the looks of it, we're 2 different sides of the same coin: I have anxiety issues BECAUSE I'm sweating too much, whereas you sweat too much because of anxiety.
        So, in a mirror reflection, I understand how you feel. I am sure you'll be able to overcome your problems and then you can brag to us how you're not sweating profusely anymore. 😉

        Reply
      • Participant
        Steve on #980

        Hey there ladies! 🙂
        I am not so great when it comes to supportive talk, but I really wanted to give you a hand somehow… So, I found a good website and opened a special topic about anxiety and hyperhidrosis.
        There is also a link which includes tips and tests… well, you will see. I hope you will find it somewhat useful, and I am sure there are many others facing those very same obstacles when it comes to causes of excessive sweating…

        Reply
      • Participant
        Ramona on #981

        Thanks Steve, that's very kind of you – I'd say you're better at being supportive than you believe yourself to be. ^^

        I just came online to see what's new – I'm a little busy now and gotta run from the computer, but I will absolutely look into your topic later. Thanks for helping once again.. because frankly I feel like I probably gave you the idea for that anxiety topic. 😳 But as you said, many people who sweat too much are anxious…

        Reply
      • Guest
        Negin on #3035

        Hey there.
        I'm 23 and I've had the same exact problem ever since I was 11-12 I think, except, I have more sweat on my palms than my feet, but definitely heavy sweat underarms and some on my feet too. My palms are so sweaty exam papers usually curl up under my palm.

        The sweat under my arms usually stinks too, so I use something that has literally changed my life, and that is Rubbing Alcohol (i.e. 70% Isopropyl Alcohol) on it before wearing my shirt every day. I'll usually have to wash and re-apply it every time I change though.

        As for the wetness and the sweat itself though, I go through the exact same thing. When happy, excited, or even when I'm internally or unconsciously anxious/happy/nervous I sweat excessively. It is really a big social problem, because I always have to think about what to wear so that the stain is not visible. I do try to mentally cool down whenever that happens, but that's not always possible, because it's a bit difficult to un-happy yourself!
        It's funny though because when everyone else is sweating (say at a club or when dancing), I don't really sweat! I've read about botox injections, but I wouldn't wanna do that because I have recently been diagnosed with MS and I'll do anything to avoid unnecessary injections.

        I don't know how correct this is, but I suspect this actually is related to my immune system. MS for example is an autoimmune disease (which is a neurological problem) where certain nerves get attacked and possibly destroyed by our own immune system. I have a feeling my nerves (or my immune system) are hyperactive in some way, and they cause me all these sorts of symptoms.

        I haven't found a cure for the sweating problem. If any of you ever find out what the cause or the cure is, do share with us:)

        Reply
      • Participant
        JR31 on #3048

        Hi. It seems that unfortunately there has been no ‘cure' found yet for excessive sweating. Many times through the decades I think ETS (Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy) has been portrayed as a ‘cure', but having been through horrendous personal experiences with the side-effects of this awful operation I can categorically state that this is certainly no ‘cure' (quite simply I wish it had never been invented).
        Therefore, I believe that at the moment treatment of excessive sweating is all about safe control (i.e. non-invasive and non-surgical techniques). The following have all been found to be successful for some people:

        Botox injections (as you've mentioned)
        Topical medications (such as glycopyrrolate)
        Oral medications
        Iontophoresis (this seems a fantastic treatment for excessive sweating of the hands and / or feet, and one that I desperately wish I had been made aware of by the UK health service many, many years ago).
        Alternative therapies such as Chinese medicine (I have acupuncture for the nerve damage caused by ETS, and it's something I find therapeutic in many ways).
        Talking treatments like CBT, if the excessive sweating is mostly triggered by emotions like anxiety.

        This is all that I know of really. Glad that we have a place like this to share info and support. 🙂

        Reply
      • Participant
        Meg Liters on #4136

        I definitely find myself suffering from emotional situations and hyperhidrosis. I went to my doctor after many years of dealing with this, only to find out that i'm a sufferer of hyperhidrosis. The doctor recommended trying out meditation and breathing exercises to try and get a grasp on my emotions.

        I did some preliminary research online, and found that there is a direct connection between anxiety and sweating.

        I personally experience a combination of anxiety and nervousness on a regular basis, which causes me to sweat. I started doing some research online and found out that i can control my anxiety by using meditation to control my excessive sweating.

        I highly recommend learning yoga or trying out some breathing exercises. These ways are the single best way to control your emotions and can yield positive results for your sweating problem. It has worked tremendously for me.

        Just figured I'd throw in my 2cents. 😀

        Reply
      • Guest
        Joe on #4209

        Hi all,

        Stress hormones prepared the body for instant action by changing how the body functions when danger is apparent. Part of this change includes increasing sweat so the body’s water can be eliminated through the skin rather than through the kidneys – so that you don’t have to stop to urinate in the midst of defending yourself from or avoiding harm. Another part of the stress response’s actions cause an increase in breathing and heart rate to shunt blood to the parts more necessary for emergency action and away from those that aren’t.

        This increased respiration and shunting action causes the body's temperature to increase. A second reason for increased perspiration is to help cool the body.

        When we’re nervous, we might experience a rise in perspiration because of the stress response changes that take place. Since the feelings and symptoms of a stress response are directly proportional to the degree of anxiety, we may experience a wide range of sensations and symptoms associated with the different degrees. For example, someone who is extremely anxious may experience dramatic sensations and symptoms, whereas someone who is only slightly anxious might experience them mildly.

        Hope this helps.

        -Joe

        Reply
      • Guest
        Coleen on #4660

        I'm 12 years old and turning thirteen. I kind of like experience hyperhidrosis as well on my underarms and back. At first it was only underarms but then when I started using antiperspirants and worrying more about my condition, my back started to sweat excessively, too. This started last year when I joined our cheerdancing team. Maybe it's because of the hard routines? I don't really know. It just started one day when I was looking at the mirror, I noticed sweat stains on my pit. I've never experienced this before and it's really irritating me because we have uniforms in our school, just like our green dress for fridays. I tend to just fold up the sleeves to hide the sweat stains, if you know what I mean. It's hard to dress or choose clothes as well. I can only wear sleeveless clothes in the afternoon onwards because I sweat less during those times. Even if I'm not doing anything, I still sweat. Not to mention that it's also very embarrassing and it's stressing me out. I'm using Dove antiperspirant on my underarms but it only lessens the sweat.

        Reply
      • Guest
        mike on #4662

        I am 28yr old male. and ive been experiencing this emotional stress for about 8 years now. It seemed it all started happening after an opitate addiction in which ive been clean for 8 years now.

        I believe it is caused by something in my stomach. When i eat certain foods I am more prone to having excessive sweating problems when nervous for the next 3-4 days.

        I notice when I stopped eating dairy it helped a little. I stopped eating gluten and that helped a little too, but that was too much of a hassle and i still had the problems. so right now im just dairy free. I notice when i eat bannanas, eggs, peanut butter, or pork my reactions intensify when stressed.

        Try to put yourself in a stressful situation in the morning before you eat anything and see if you can handle it better. if you can than its something to do with your diet. unfortunately i still havent figured out my exact diet because i still suffer with the problem.

        BUT, i did find a solution. Its called Avert.

        I suggest start small, I take .5mg a day because i notice the effects get compounded daily. but the side effects are dye mouth, eyes, and hard to pee if you take too much. But it will change your life because once you take this for a month you will forget you even have a sweating problem and that might stop the internal nervous thinking that compounds when you start to visually sweat. Taking this will stop sweating everywhere.

        Reply
      • Guest
        Joy on #4882

        Hello Everyone,

        I believe I may have the answer to your questions. I would like to begin by sending you all love because I know how much you are suffering. I have had severe hyperhidrosis since puberty began (when it usually starts for most people). After receiving zero help from Dr's (they didn't even care to find the cause) I set out on finding the answers myself. I will spare you the agony of pondering what I am talking about and tell you right now that it was a severe dairy intolerance! I had no other noticeable symptoms – here is how I worked it out. Oh, and I should say that I have been off dairy for a month and my SEVERE hyperhidrosis (driiiipppping hands and feet – impossible to live life, and overwhelming emotions which triggered my sweat) has imroved by 80%. Same for my overwhelming emotions and heart palpitations (when you can feel your heart beat – I didn't know I had these until they stopped!). Your sympathetic nervous system is solely responsible for your sweating, I discovered. So I tirelessly Googled sympathetic nervous system dysfunction and hyperhidrosis/excessive sweating. I knew my sympathetic nervous system had to be malfunctioning and that this was causing my hyperhidrosis. But what could cause it to freak out so? I came across a Dr Ben Kim article called “A Natural Approach to Overcoming Excessive Sweating”. Please read this – it changed my life. In it Dr Kim explains that ANY food intolerance (it does not have to be dairy – it could be anything, gluten or even something obscure like lentils!) can severely impair your sympathetic nervous system and cause it to dysfunction. This not only causes the overwhelming emotions which and linked to and trigger hyperhidrosis, it is also responsible for you body “freaking out” and making you anxious and extremely sweaty. I REALLY hope this helps you all. Lots of love from Joy p.s. Remember, it could be any food intolerance and a good intergrative Dr (and specialised services, please Google this) will be able to test you to see what it is that you are allergic to.

        Reply
      • Guest
        Diana on #5099

        Hi i have suffered from hyperhidrosis since i was a child. Now i have my own child and my sweating has become more excesive. Sometimes really bad odour but i think because i sweat too much. I am just started drinking sage tea and i am hoping it helps cause here in our country we dont have much options to treat excessive sweating….

        Reply
      • Guest
        MichaelB on #7073

        Hi.

        I suffered from HH, since I Can remember. I think that I born as a fish because i felt like fish – always wet on the whole my body area. Bad odour and this heavy sweat around many years… the worst thing that ever happened to me. I didn't stop fighting with them and I found a superb remedy for HH called Electro Antiperspirant. I forgot about expensive operations, botox and antyperspirants , Electro Antiperspirant made that I can use only deodorant for my armpit. Earlier I used many creams and other sh*t for my other sweaty body parts. In Nowadays I feel free from HH – that was tried to kill me, but I defeated this. This device was the last solution for change my life and his the real name is HERO.

        Reply
      • Guest
        Dr wong on #7325

        Sweating is a physiological mechanism. However, excessive sweating or what they call hyperhidrosis can result in substantial individual suffering. Distinction is made between generalized and focal hyperhidrosis. Emotional sweating serves as a physical “feedback” signal in emotionally affecting sensory, cognitive, and behaviorally relevant processes. emotion, stress, or other stimuli mainly stimulate sweat glands in the face, the axillae, the palms, and the soles of the feet. Sometimes it is called “stress sweat”. It can be controlled by managing your stress and learn how to control it to prevent or limit stress sweating in the first place. Think mindfulness, meditation, and life balance. Use an antiperspirant to prevent sweat-related wetness.

        Reply
      • Guest
        Aaron on #9083

        I got the same machine (electro antiperspirant ) like MichaelB posting here. HH is very nasty b…. and this device said good bye for my problem. No more sweaty armpits. What I could be use that not dirt my t-shirt? My experience can say more than I want, only electro antiperspirant is the best option for me. Normal life since last treatment in 2019. I love this machine.

        Reply
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