5 Causes of Excess Sweating
Naturally, the human body will respond by sweating to such stimuli as exercise, physical exertion, and eating certain foods. However, some people experience intense sweating spells without any external triggers. This kind of sweating is so fierce it will likely interfere with their daily activities. This condition is called hyperhidrosis. Some individuals suffer from this condition without any underlying medical issues.
This is a common form of the disorder known as primary focal hyperhidrosis and may be caused by the following underlying health issues:
1. Spinal cord injury
This kind of injury is a type of physical trauma that affects the spine. In most cases, it is very serious and causes life-altering changes to those affected. As an integral part of the nervous system, the spine is in charge of message distribution from the brain to all the body parts. Spinal cord injury leads to interruption between nerves that transmit to and from the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that controls thermal regulation. Due to this interruption, hyperhidrosis occurs.
2. Anxiety
It is not uncommon to hear people say when they are nervous; they get sweaty, then sweat more because they are worried. Hyperhidrosis can be defined in two principal ways; when an individual experiences excessive sweating in a specific area, it is known as primary focal hyperhidrosis. However, if the whole body sweats excessively, this can be termed as secondary generalized hyperhidrosis. Even though excessive worry cannot be pinned as the cause for this condition, it is known to accelerate the condition. Stress sweating tends to be more severe on individuals who lean towards perfection since their nervous systems are pressured by their obsessive energy.
3. Heart disease
You have probably heard this before, but excessive sweating is an indicator that you should have your heart checked. There are many disorders of the circulation system that are characterized by hyperhidrosis. For example, individuals with chest pains (or angina) will break out in spells of cold sweat because the heart is not receiving enough oxygen. For people sweating excessively at night, it might be subacute endocarditis. This means that the membranes lining the heart valves and chambers are infected. Heart disease such as atherosclerosis will end up in a heart attack and eventually heart failure if left unchecked.
4. Hyperthyroidism
This condition creates a chain reaction in your body, meaning it will cause other conditions. The thyroid glands of an individual with hyperthyroidism tend to secrete thyroid hormones in excess. This will lead to overactive thyroid glands. This means that the rate of metabolism will increase, which in turn causes heat production, activating hyperhidrosis. Moreover, the activities of the sympathetic nervous system will increase, which is likely to lead to anxiety attacks. Unchecked, this condition causes a weakened tolerance to glucose, thus leading to hypoglycemia.
5. Parkinson’s disease
Typically, Parkinson’s disease will interfere with the autonomic nervous system of an individual. The effect of this condition is that the person is likely to sweat excessively. The medications offered under the treatment of Parkinson’s disease are also known as probable cause for fluctuations in sweating. To manage this condition, while treating Parkinson’s disease, you can try an excess sweating deodorant that can be prescribed by your doctor or pharmacists before trying medication. Compared to hyperhidrosis, hypohidrosis is a condition where individuals sweat too little. This can lead to disorders like heat exhaustion. In the long run, it may lead to a severe case of anhidrosis, where a person is completely unable to sweat.