How to Know If You Have Hyperhidrosis

Sweating is our body's way of regulating its temperature when exercise or warm weather conditions cause our internal thermometers to rise. People with hyperhidrosis sweat volumes more than the average person, even when at rest. This condition can produce anxiety and extreme self-consciousness of those who suffer from its symptoms. Being aware of the symptoms of hyperhidrosis, recognizing some of the behaviors and self-treatment methods of hyperhidrosis patients and seeing a physician may help you know if you have the medical condition.

Things You'll Need

• Journal
• Physical exam

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Learn about the two kinds of hyperhidrosis that could be affecting you. If your hands, feet and other small areas of the body become excessively sweaty on both the left and the right sides of your body, this is called primary focal hyperhydrosis. People who have this type of the condition do not usually have underlying medical concerns. Secondary generalized hyperhidrosis is a type of sweating that affects larger regions of the body and tends to be caused by other medical problems and by medications.

• 2

  Keep a journal that describes when you feel you are sweating too much and what you have been doing immediately prior to the sweating. Primary focal hyperhidrosis can occur at any time, while secondary hyperhidrosis sweating is usually during sleep. A journal can help you remember the timing of your symptoms and is a helpful diagnostic tool.

• 3

  Think about how much (if any) your sweating has affected your everyday life. People who have hyperhidrosis often change their clothing several times a day, keep paper products on hand to blot wet underarms and other areas and take numerous showers and baths. If excessive sweating has caused you, on a regular basis, to avoid social situations or interferes with your job, you may have hyperhidrosis.

• 4

  Take stock of any skin irritation or infections you have and how often you seem to develop skin problems. Bacterial and fungal infections are common in people who have hyperhidrosis.

• 5

  Make an appointment with your doctor and bring him your journal and other observations. He will examine you, take your medical history and may run some tests to determine the cause of your sweating. Blood tests can determine if you have medical conditions that can be contributing to hyperhidrosis. A thermoregulatory sweat test may be performed to measure how much you sweat while at rest at normal room temperature.