(Photo by Ron Lach)
Facts about Hyperhidrosis & Stress Sweat!!
What is Hyperhidrosis?
A: “Hyperhidrosis is a common condition in which a person sweats excessively. Sweating may affect the whole body or it may only affect certain areas. Commonly affected areas include the: armpits, palms of your hands, soles of your feet, face and chest, and groin”. (Hyperhidrosis. NHS)^1
What is Stress Sweat:
A: “Stress sweat. When the body is reacting to an emotion, like anxiety, stress or excitement, sweat is released from the apocrine glands. These glands produce a milkier sweat comprised of fatty acids and proteins. The apocrine glands are found near dense pockets of hair follicles under the arms, around the groin and on the scalp. While this type of sweat is initially odorless, it doesn’t evaporate as quickly and can develop an odorwhen it combines with bacteria on the skin.” (The Difference Between Regular and Stress Sweat, Piedmont Healthcare)^2
Important Note: Stress sweat smells worse than regular sweat because it has bacteria added to it.
A personal journey and thoughts about it!
Personally, I have not been diagnosed with Hyperhidrosis, but do know for certainty that I sweat excessively. Specifically stress sweat mostly. As the years have passed, I have concluded and know that anxiety shoots it up to the sky. For me, I sweat more in social spaces, new and out of my comfort zone places, when change happens, when I am stressed, and when I am nervous. So it is self-caused in my case. Some days are great, and others are harder. Especially if I am really anxious that day or whatnot.
But nevertheless, I still struggle with over-sweating more than a normal individual.
Religion, specifically being a Christian and having a Father who I know created me and loves me, has helped me during my stressful times. Knowing and sharing the root of it all with you all, I have started to truly give everything to God. Starting to be my first resort rather than trying to find solutions and leaving God at last.
Sharing with you all the root of my sweating, I have slowly started giving everything to my Heavenly Father. Being a Christian, you don’t carry everything by yourself, rather you have a God, a Father who takes your burdens.
Bible Verses
Psalms 55:22 NIV
“Give your burdens to the Lord,
and he will take care of you.
He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”
And
1 Peter 5:7 NIV
7Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
(OBEMBE, Release your faith: Cast your burden upon the lord)^3
Personal Thoughts about Sweating!!!
-Now when anything overwhelms me, I start to PRAY and give it over to God. Been a new thing I have been doing and saying to myself out loud “Everything is Okay, Everything will be okay”. If you are in a safe space, say out loud “I am safe, I am safe where I am Now”. Hearing it has been beneficial even though I know that I am okay and safe.
And this is all tied to Anxiety and Stress and the unknowns of this world and my future.
Which makes me worry and then I start sweating.
But this is a journey and one I am not doing by myself. God is with me, and He can be with you too.
Lean on HIM during these stressful moments, and give Him everything, He cares for YOU sister or brother.
Also, I am here if you need someone to talk to.
Don’t feel embarrassed by it, just know someone is here if you need someone to have a conversation with. If you are going through something similar.
The sweat that you produce may be caused by many different reasons, genetically, by external factors, environmental, etc.
I invite you this week and if you can longer than this week to write down when you start sweating where you are, what you are doing, and what you feel as documentation. And when a week or more is over, read over it and see similarities and if there is a unifying factor in it.
That will help you uncover what is making you sweat. The root of it all.
It is all going to get better, I used to be in a time and space where all I could find online was nothing about this topic. Or any tips or tricks. Here is the LINK to my latest blog about: Tips and tricks to help combat sweat specifically in the armpit area. Check it out if interested.
You are not alone in this battle
Have an amazing week everyone, hopefully, all is well with every one of you. Hopefully, some of these words were beneficial and useful.
Love
Kenia L
<3
Citations
- Hyperhidrosis. NHS inform. (n.d.). https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/skin-hair-and-nails/hyperhidrosis#:~:text=Hyperhidrosis%20is%20a%20common%20condition,palms%20of%20your%20hands
- Schedule your appointment online. The Difference Between Regular and Stress Sweat | Piedmont Healthcare. (n.d.). https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/the-difference-between-regular-sweat-and-stress-sweat#:~:text=When%20the%20body%20is%20reacting,groin%20and%20on%20the%20scalp
- OBEMBE, O. (2015, November 8). Release your faith: Cast your burden upon the lord. The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News. https://guardian.ng/features/release-your-faith-cast-your-burden-upon-the-lord/#:~:text=Psalm%2055%3A22%20(Amplified),slip%2C%20fall%20or%20fail
Blog Posts about Hyperhidrosis:
Link: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyperhidrosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20367152
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