Recognizing Excessive Sweating and How to Overcome It

Excessive sweating without clear triggers can make a person feel disturbed, and reduce self-confidence. This condition should not be ignored because excessive sweating can be a sign of a disturbance in your health. Sweating is one of the body's natural processes to adjust body temperature to the surrounding environment. You do this by removing fluid containing salt through the sweat glands. Normally sweat comes out when the body is doing enough energy, eating spicy food, fever, or when feeling certain emotions such as anger, shame, fear, or nervousness. Another case with excessive sweating that tends to occur without triggers, this condition is called hyperhidrosis and usually occurs due to certain diseases. There are two types of excessive sweating or hyperhidrosis, namely primary focal hyperhidrosis or sweating in certain parts, and secondary general hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating throughout the body.

• Primary focal hyperhidrosis

Someone with primary focal hyperhidrosis will experience excessive sweating in certain parts. For example in the palm of the hand, soles of the feet, groin, armpits, or just the head and face. Usually the affected area is symmetrical, meaning that when the right palm sweats a lot, so does the left palm. The cause of this type of excessive sweating can be caused by a problem with the functioning of the nervous system, but not a disease.

• Secondary general hyperhidrosis

This type of excessive sweating occurs in all parts of the body, and usually occurs at night. This condition can be caused by certain diseases, such as thyroid disorders, tuberculosis, menopause, heart failure, stroke, cancer (lymphoma and leukemia), Parkinson's disease, diabetes, spinal cord injury, nerve disorders, lung disease, anxiety disorders, addiction alcohol, and pregnancy. Not only that, certain medications and supplements can also be a cause of excessive sweating. For example, antibiotics, medications for blood pressure, medications for dry mouth, and drugs used to treat mental health problems.

When to Watch Out

Some people can feel annoyed with excessive sweating, while some others underestimate this problem. It is highly recommended that you see a doctor if you experience the following:

• The amount of sweat that comes out of the body more or cause skin irritation in the armpits, ulcers in the armpits, and black underarms.
• At night, you wake up with a very wet mattress caused by cold sweat coming out of the body.
• You feel excessive sweating only occurs on one side of the body, for example only on the groin.
• All parts of your body experience excessive sweating and not only in certain parts.
• Primary focal hyperhidrosis generally begins to occur in adolescence and adulthood. But if you are middle-aged or older, and experience excessive sweating in one part of the body, it is advisable to do a doctor's examination.
• If you not only experience excessive sweating but also experience insomnia, increased thirst, fatigue, coughing, or frequent urination.
• Excessive sweating occurs without clear triggers, lasting for 6 months or more.
• Excessive sweating starts to disrupt daily activities.
• Excessive sweating is accompanied by weight loss, chest pain, fever, rapid heartbeat, chest pressure, or shortness of breath.

Usually the doctor will do several tests to find out the cause of excessive sweating that you experience. Some types of tests that may be carried out include physical examination, urine test, blood test, paper test, iodine starch test, and thermoregulatory test.

How to Overcome Excessive Sweat

If you experience excessive sweating thoroughly and caused by an illness, then what will be done is to overcome the cause. For example, if it is caused by a thyroid disorder, then what is done is to treat or perform thyroid surgery. Or, if excessive sweating is caused by blood sugar problems in people with diabetes, then efforts to control blood sugar can be done to eliminate excessive sweating. While the treatment of excessive sweating that occurs in certain body parts aims to reduce symptoms, for example by giving Botox injections to stop the nerve activity that triggers excessive sweating. In addition, ways that can be done is to provide antiperspirants in the form of roll-on, spray, lotion or provide drugs that can inhibit sweat glands. Another way is to do surgery. The operation can be a surgical removal of sweat glands or cut nerves in the chest that can trigger excessive sweating. Removal of fat tissue in areas that experience excessive sweating can also be done to reduce sweat production. In addition, iontophoresis can be done, which is a treatment using low-voltage electrical stimulation to temporarily stop the function of sweat glands. Excessive sweating can interfere with activities and reduce self-confidence. Although not all excessive sweating indicates that you have a dangerous disease, but if accompanied by other symptoms and or increasingly disturbing, it is recommended to consult a doctor immediately.