For us adrenaline addicted workout obsessed people, sweating is one of our greatest pleasures.  Call us weird, we’re fine with it, but there really is nothing better than that feeling of knowing how hard we’re working towards our goals and awesome body. For others though, sweat is obviously just a normal bodily function to cool you down.  Ever worry that you’re sweating too much? Excessive sweating is in fact a real medical condition, and it’s important to figure out if you have it.

Doctors explain that sweating is (generally) a natural process, however excessive sweating is in fact a medical condition known as hyperhidrosis.  Sweating is the body’s way of cooling down and preventing itself from getting overheated. Hyperhidrosis causes the body to sweat more than is required to maintain a healthy body temperature. Around 15 million Americans are dealing with excessive sweating every single day.  

This excessive sweating can happen is any area of the body and disturb daily functioning. People with these condition sweat four time more than what they need. Which is a whole lot.  The cause of this condition remains unknown for now, however it can be genetically passed on through relatives.

There is both primary and secondary hyperhidrosis. The primary type  starts out early on and only affects certain parts of the body, such as the face, underarms, feet and hands. Secondary hyperhidrosis is caused by another medical condition and is a side effect of medication. It usually begins in adulthood and effects the entire body, with symptoms most present during sleeping.

There’s a large variety of medical conditions that are known to cause excessive sweating, such as diabetes and menopause.  If you think that you are over sweating due to these factors, make sure to talk to your doctor and figure out how to proceed.   Excessive sweating can have a major impact on a person’s life, relationships and well-being, much beyond some embarrassing sweat at the gym.

If you’re confused as to whether or not your sweat is normal (or not) there are online sweat assessment tools to find out exactly where your sweat stands, and there’s no need to continue suffering.