Stress and Sweating

Sweat production increases because of the changes our body undergoes when we stress. This is why you might find that a little bit of stress does nothing, whereas the more you stress, the more you sweat. Your blood pressure increases, your circulation moves faster, and your heart rate escalates. You may even feel a little hotter when you stress. Have you ever noticed a stressed person with a red face? These bodily changes contribute to that look, just as they do with sweating. The problem with sweating is that it can become a stressor itself. As you continually stress and sweating continues, it can make you uneasy about your appearance, scent, and other complications we attribute to stress. Those feelings of discomfort can lead to increased worry and hence more stress, more sweating, and another cycle that stress can create (just as it is with sleep and stress).

Stress management is one of the few ways you can use for yourself to stop or reduce stressors. You need to relax your body in order to slow your blood flow and heart rate, which can in turn reduce the amount you find yourself sweating. Taking a few moments to breathe deeply and tell yourself to calm down or simply focus on your breathing can make a large difference in how you feel and how much you are sweating. You may never be able to fully stop your body from sweating when you stress, but it can be comforting to know it will no longer be a problem you may have experienced it in the past.