Why do I sweat so much more than everyone else?
Primary hyperhidrosis, drenching palms, feet, or underarms since youth, symmetric, sparing sleep, is a common overactive sweat reflex, not a hygiene failure. It runs in families.
It is very treatable: clinical-strength aluminum chloride antiperspirants applied to bone-dry skin at night are step one; prescription wipes, iontophoresis, botulinum toxin injections and oral medicines follow. Nobody needs to accept ruined shirts as personality.
New sweating that arrives in adulthood, soaks the sheets at night, or comes with weight loss, fever or palpitations is a different pattern, and that one is a doctor visit to look for a cause.
See a doctor promptly if
- Sweats that soak nightclothes or sheets most nights for more than two weeks
- Night sweats with unintentional weight loss or persistent fever
- Night sweats with a cough lasting over two weeks, or with new lumps in the neck, armpit or groin
See your own numbers2 min, free, nothing to installProtein in grams for your weight, and a week built round what you already eat.
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
The one skin product doctors push
Broad-spectrum SPF 50, worn daily, does more against skin aging and skin cancer risk than any cream sold above it. The best sunscreen is the one you will actually wear every morning.
Buying through this link supports the free library with a small commission. It never changes a pick.
A spot, rash or mole of your own?
Upload up to three photos. A dermatologist replies in writing within 24 hours.
People also ask
Health education, not medical advice.