Sweating is a natural bodily function that occurs typically on performing rigorous physical activities. Besides besides various other factors such as the weather, menopause, obesity, puberty, nervousness and , heat are also known to cause sweating. etc. While sweating, the body tends to produce fluids that are made up of water along with miniscule amounts of urea, sodium chloride, minerals and lactate, These fluids are secreted from the 5 million sweat glands that are spread all over one’s skin.


Sweat or perspiration also helps to regulate the body’s temperature as it evaporates and also aids in flushing out small amounts of bodily wastes.

However, if an individual suffers from excessive sweating then he is known to be suffering from a medical condition called hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis if is of two types, generalized hyperhidrosis which affects the entire body and Focal Hyperhidrosis which is more focused to one particular area of the body.


This medical condition is known to affect body parts like the hands, armpits and feet. There are various causes of hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating such as heredity wherein this disorder is genetic and transferred from parent to child. Puberty and menopause also result in excessive sweating on account of the number of hormonal changes taking place in the individual’s body. Nerves, like sweat glands are present all over the body and they are responsible for sending the right signals to the brain for the body to function normally. However abnormal functioning of the nerves may result in the brain getting the wrong stimuli thus leading to excessive sweating. A major part of the central nervous system is the spinal cord which when affected by syringolmyelia, tumors or lesions may trigger the onset of hyperhidrosis. The hypothalamus is that part of the brain that controls thirst, hunger and sweating and also maintaining the overall body temperature. Abnormal functioning of the grain or emotional factors like stress, depression, anxiety etc and so on may result in excessive sweating. Obesity is another trigger of excessive sweating as in case of obese people the sweat glands work overtime to dispose off the excess minerals from the body. Certain foods that are too hot or spicy may also result in sweating excessively and hence their intake should be minimized. Similarly, humid weather conditions and physical activity may also lead to excessive sweating.

Simply put, excessive sweating is caused by the malfunctioning of a portion of the sympathetic nervous system which directly affects heart rate and, level of anxiety. etc. The sympathetic chain is responsible for controlling the eccrine and apocrine sweat glands all over the body.