It has been discovered that the palms of hands and the soles of feet have the most number of sweat glands as compared to other parts of the body. That is why if you happen to have a sweating condition, your palms of hands and soles of feet are the most affected. This type of problem is common and can affect anyone regardless of age and gender. Sweaty hands and feet can be very embarrassing sometimes especially if you are an outdoor person and you spend most of your time with other people.
What Causes Sweaty Hands and Feet
If you happen to have sweating hands and feet, it should not worry you so much because it is not a disease. The problem can affect even children and if not addressed it can be there to stay. Sources have it that it is a hereditary condition. If you happen to be a stressful and anxious person, these are the things that make this condition worse. Sweating of hands and feet does not occur at night while sleeping. A condition whereby you experience excessive sweating in any part of your skin is commonly known as hyperhidrosis.
Types of hyperhidrosis
There are two types of hyperhidrosis namely: primary and secondary hyperhidrosis.
- A primary hyperhidrosis which is also referred to as focal hyperhidrosis is whereby there is excessive sweating in the palms of hands, underarms, face, and feet with no major reason.
- Secondary hyperhidrosis which is also referred to as generalized hyperhidrosis is whereby there is excessive sweating all over your body or on a large surface of the skin and it is resulted from a medical condition or medication.
Therefore, in this case we are going to majorly look at the primary type of hyperhidrosis. There are many factors that can result to this condition and we are going to discuss most of them below.
Why do I have Sweaty hands and feet?
If you happen to have sweaty hands and feet, it is believed to be a result of being anxious. That is not the only cause but this problem is majorly believed to be caused by mental problems. There are many reasons that can cause your body temperatures to rise suddenly. Ranging from spicy foods, hot weather, stress, vigorous exercise and even panic attack. All these can cause your hands and feet to become sweaty.
To be general, excessive sweating of the body can be the reason why you are having sweaty palms and feet, also known as palmar and plantar hyperhidrosis. There are many other reasons including health issues that can result in abnormal sweating of hands and feet. Knowing why you are sweating at any part of your body is very important when it comes to finding the correct treatment of the condition.
Sweaty Hands and Feet Causes
It is normal to sweat when there is hot humid weather in your environment. However, if you are suffering from any kind of hyperhidrosis expect to sweat much more than other people who are in that environment. In this case you may realize moisture dripping off from your palms or soles as if you washed them alone and did not wipe them. People who have hyperhidrosis can sweat even for no reason.
Normally, sweat glands produce perspiration which is carried to the skin surface in case there is high temperature, have a fever, you are carrying out an exercise, or you are anxious about something. If these factors are not part of you, the nervous that facilitate sweating are usually on hold.
Researches suggest that around 2 to 3% of the total population in the world have a hyperhidrosis condition. In this case, the sweat glands don’t shut off. These people usually sweat even when the conditions that facilitate sweating are not present. Some patients of this condition have gone further to tell their doctors that they sweat even while in swimming pool.
Causes of sweaty hands and feet
The causes of hyperhidrosis mainly depend on the kind of sweating a person is going through. Increased sweating however is not a cause for worry hence cannot cause harm, and there are cases where doctors cannot even explain the causes of excess sweating. There are cases where hyperhidrosis is caused by a medical condition that is lying inside your body. Some of the causes of sweaty hands and feet include the following:
- Menopause
During menopause or perimenopause period, there is drop in the hormonal level in the body of women. This makes the body system not to function as usual. Therefore there is increased sweating during this period and the hands and feet are not excluded from this condition. Menopause is the main reason why women sweat at night excessively with hot flashes that appear 30 seconds to 10 minutes duration.
- Caffeinated drinks and alcohol
Drinks such as coffee are said to raise the temperature of the body whenever they are taken. Therefore if you happen to be suffering from a primary hyperhidrosis taking hot coffee will be one way of making your condition worse.
Also, alcohol is known to be absorbed in the liver and as we know very well, liver is used to generate the heat of the body. When you drink alcohol in excessively, it means you are interfering with the liver’s normal regulation of the body temperature. Therefore you may end up with hot flashes that are accompanied with excessive sweaty hands and feet.
- Hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar
Sugar levels in the body also play an important role when it comes to temperature regulation. Insulin in the liver work in hand to make sure that temperature in the body is regulated as per the environment the body is in. shortage in the sugar level means that things are not working right and that may cause temperatures to be very much high when they should be low or minimum. This condition should be addressed in your doctor’s office so that you are put on drugs that will bring the sugar level to normal. This is very common with people suffering from diabetes.
- Medication side effects
Side effects that result from taking drugs such as painkillers, antidepressants, cardiovascular can as well result into excessive sweaty hands and feet. If you realize that your hands started sweating more than normal after you took a certain drug, then that could be the reason for your palmar hyperhidrosis. Dugs that have severe side effects should be addressed to the doctor to see if they can be changed.
- Hyperthyroidism or overactive thyroid
Hyperthyroidism is a condition whereby your thyroid glands are overacted. This condition can also cause a serious excessive sweating that is not anticipated. Thyroid glands also have a stake when it comes to sweating on the skin. You can talk to your doctor about this condition.
- Stress and anxiety
Stress and anxiety have an effect on the hormones and every time you allow stress to overwhelm you, you are likely to end up with hormonal related conditions. Much stress cause the hormonal activities to increase thereby causing body temperature to rise up, when body temperature is high, there is increased sweating and this will eventually cause sweaty hands and feet for people who have hyperhidrosis.
Medical conditions that cause sweaty hands and feet
- Pregnancy
Some women while pregnant it is normal for them to have increased sweating in their palms and sole of feet. This condition is very common especially in the second and third trimester. In severe conditions, pregnant women also experience swelling in these areas as well. This is because while pregnant, the hormone level specifically the estrogen goes down and this may cause temperatures of the body to rise up. This may be associated with sweating at night and hot flashes.
- Obesity
Obesity is a condition of having excessive weight more than your body is supposed to withstand. Obesity makes the metabolic activities in the body not to take place as required. Obese persons are known to sweat uncontrollably especially on face, armpit, hands and feet and even groin. Obesity can be dealt with by doing exercise and observing keenly your diet.
- Infections
Some infections that result from bacterial or viral germs can cause you to develop an increased sweating on the skin. For example, malaria is known to be associated with fever as its main symptom. When you have fever, you may sweat since fever increases the body temperature thereby resulting into excessive sweating in palm and soles and even armpit.
Some of the other health factors that may result in excessive sweaty hands and feet include the following:
- Gout
- Diabetes
- Parkinson’s disease
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Lymphoma
Sweaty Palms Anxiety
As we have shared above, increased sweating in the palms of your hands is commonly referred to as palmar hyperhidrosis. The condition can be stressful and emotional since most of the jobs are done by use of hands, and touching things is usually difficult with wet hands. As we said above there are many conditions that result in sweaty palms and one of the major cause is anxiety. Anxiety is usually referred to as an emotional state of being in a panic mood or a state of worry.
Anxiety causes the hypothalamus part of the brain not command its activities normally since the hormone that facilitates its regulation of temperature is messed up with. This means, while you are anxious, there will be reduced communication from the hypothalamus part of the brain to reduce or control the rising temperatures of the body. While this happen, there will be increased sweating to let out some of the excess temperature and if you happen to have hyperhidrosis condition, your palms and soles of feet will sweat more.
This is because sources have revealed that there are many sweat glands in the palms of hands and soles of feet, therefore expect to perspire more sweats I those areas.
Sweaty Hands and Feet Home Remedies
Some types of hyperhidrosis do not call for serious medical intervention and they can just be left alone or treated by simple home remedies that can do wonders. We are going to provide you with useful information that you can use to manage your condition just at the comfort of your home. Usually, sweaty palms and soles can be irritating so much and their major problem is psychological condition whereby you are not able to carry on well with your daily activities due to problems arising from hyperhidrosis.
It can even make you fear shaking people’s hands since you may leave them looking at their hands to confirm if what just happened is real. Here are a few ways you can use to treat sweaty hands and feet by use of home remedies.
- Use of baking soda
Basic soda has alkaline content that is very useful when it comes to dealing with excessive sweat in your hands and feet. You simply need to mix 2 to 3 spoonful of baking soda with warm water and stir until it completely dissolve. Then dip in your hands and feet in the solution for about 20 to 30 minutes before you remove them. While in the water you should keep rubbing your hands and feet with the soda powder. After that, remove them and pat them dry. Do this daily for two weeks and you will realize excellent results.
- Rose water
In this case you will have to acquire organic rosewater from the market store and prepare your own solution by boiling rose petals in the water. After the mixture is ready late it cools a bit before using a cotton swab to apply it on your hands and feet. Rosewater is known to have a cooling impact on your sweaty hands and feet.
- Cold water
The most immediate way of controlling increased sweating is by dipping yourself into cold water. Cold water will bring down the body temperature and therefore this will reduce sweating. I this case you just have to dip your sweaty palms and feet into cold water and this will stop the sweating immediately although it will not heal the underlying condition.
- Cornstarch or talcum powder
Both of these powders work in the same way as they pat the skin dry. You simply have to take either of these powders and dust it on your palms of hands and soles of feet. In the case you are using talcum powder, try not use a perfumed one as a non-perfumed one is more natural and better, hence more useful for this case.
- Drink more water
Drinking more water will means more of the excess temperature is brought down by extra liquids in the body. This therefore will make you to lose more of the temperature and toxic material though urine and not through sweat.
- Stay in a well ventilated and cool place.
Avoid areas that will keep your temperatures high such as scotch sun and high humid areas. Also avoid things like coffee and alcohol if you have a hyperhidrosis condition as all these make your condition worse.
Sweaty Hands and Feet Cure
There are numerous ways your doctor may advise you or use to treat a hyperhidrosis condition. Apart from surgery, which may only be necessary if your condition is very much severe, there are a number of treatments that have proven successful to a too much sweating condition. Before you thing of moving to chiller areas or hiding your condition in bulky clothing, you should try the following ways:
- Treatment with antiperspirants
This is medication that has been proven to be the easiest while dealing with excessive sweating. Most people use this medication on a daily basis. They are known to contain aluminum salt, which when they are rolled on the skin, they stop perspiration process immediately. These drugs can be acquired over the counter in the local stores. However it will be well if your doctor prescribed them for you. It is said that over the counter antiperspirants are less irritating as compared to prescribed ones. Therefore you may start with the over the counter first before opting for prescribed ones.
- Medical treatment
In case your case is much beyond antiperspirants treatment, your doctor may provide the following treatment options:
- Iontophoresis: in this case, you sit with your sweaty hands and feet in a shallow tray of water for around 20 to 30 minutes while a low electrical current is allowed through the water. It is not known how this treatment works, but sources have it that it can help in blocking excess sweat glands to reduce sweating on the skin surface. The treatment is done several times before excellent results are archived.
- Botulinum toxin: in this case, a patient is given sweating injections of botulinum toxin which is the same medicine used for wrinkles. Botox is a medicine that is approved in treatment of excessive sweating in the underarms but it can as well be used in the case of palms and soles of feet.
Note: A specialist or doctor should be the only one to prescribe a medication for your after examining you for other medical complications.
How to Cure Sweaty Hands Permanently
You need to pay a keen observation of your sweating pattern and you will realize that you sweat more during a certain period or when certain factors are highly active. For you to treat sweaty palms and feet completely, you should make sure that all the factors that we have talked above are not part of you. In case you are suffering from a certain medical condition, you should make sure it is treated so that its symptoms are put under control.
Therefore a permanent cure for sweaty hands and feet is by first eliminating the causal factor completely and then this symptom will disappear. If the condition is caused by health conditions that cannot be treated such as diabetes, there are controls mechanisms that your doctor will provide that can bring down its symptoms.
More references
- Sweaty palms and feet: https://www.healthxchange.sg/head-neck/brain-nervous-system/sweaty-palms-feet-coping-tips
- Who gets sweaty hands and feet: http://www.aafp.org/afp/2004/0301/p1121.html
- Sweaty hands: https://www.sweathelp.org/where-do-you-sweat/sweaty-hands.html
- Hyperhidrosis: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/182130.php
- Excessive sweating: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hyperhidrosis-treatment-11#1