How To Tell ‘Stress Sweat’ From The Normal Kind

Did you know that our eyes make three types of tears – basal tears, which lubricate our peepers, reflex tears, which respond to stressors like onion fumes, and emotional tears?

Well, it turns out our sweat might take different forms depending on whether it comes from stress or a workout.

“When you’re exercising or sitting in a hot environment, your body mainly produces sweat to cool itself down. This comes from eccrine sweat glands, which produce a watery sweat that’s mostly made up of water and salt,” Dr Asiya Maula, a private GP at The Health Suite, told HuffPost UK.

“Stress is different. When you’re anxious, nervous or frightened, your body’s ‘fight or flight’ response kicks in.

“This activates a different type of sweat gland called the apocrine gland, which is found mainly in the armpits and groin.”

It can be hard to tell them apart, Dr Maula said. But stress, or apocrine, sweat has a different texture: this “contains more proteins and fatty compounds, making it thicker than the sweat produced during exercise”.

Additionally, “stress sweat” might have a more intense odour.

“Stress sweat itself is actually almost odourless when it’s first produced. The stronger smell develops when bacteria naturally living on the skin break down those proteins and fats,” the GP explained.

“That’s why many people notice stress sweat has a much more noticeable odour than the sweat they produce after a run or a gym session”.

Of course, context helps – “If you suddenly notice damp palms before a presentation, sweaty underarms during an important meeting or increased sweating while you’re feeling anxious despite not being physically active, stress is likely to be playing a role.”

But the speed of onset might matter too, Dr Maula said.

“People often describe stress sweat as appearing very suddenly and affecting areas like the palms, soles of the feet and underarms, even when the room isn’t particularly warm.”

Well, aside from meaning that you’re – you guessed it – stressed, the doctor said occasional apocrine sweat is nothing to worry about.

But “if you’re finding yourself sweating excessively during everyday situations, or you notice it’s becoming more frequent alongside symptoms such as poor sleep, constant worrying, palpitations or feeling on edge most of the time, it may be a sign that your stress levels are becoming difficult to manage”.

That’s worth speaking to your GP about, she said.

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to stop stress sweat in the moment.

But if you want to try reducing your stress levels overall, Dr Maula said you can try “Regular physical activity, good quality sleep, limiting excessive caffeine, mindfulness techniques and breathing exercises can all help reduce activation of the body’s stress response”.

And, she ended, “For people whose sweating is particularly severe or affecting their quality of life, there are also medical treatments available, so it’s important not to suffer in silence”.