8 Things Your Sweat Is Trying to Tell You

Anything that toys with your endocrine system (your body’s collection of hormone-producing glands) can leave you feeling sweatier than usual. Of course, there’s the dreaded hot flash, which as many as 85 percent of women have in the years right around menopause, but pregnancy may also be to blame. That’s because hormonal changes seem to mess with the brain’s “thermostat,” mistakenly making you think you’re overheating—and triggering the naturally cooling sweat response—even when you’ve positioned yourself right in front of the AC.

Related: 8 Ways To Make Menopause Less Miserable

If you keep catching yourself sniffing and wondering, “Is that me?” take a secong to reflect on what’s been on your mind lately. If you’re stressed or anxious, your pits are probably to blame. The sweat we produce when we’re hot is made by eccrine glands all over the body and contains mostly water and salt. But when we’re stressed, sweat is produced by apocrine glands, which are found only in certain areas, like the armpits. That type of sweat contains fat and protein that mix with the bacteria on our skin, producing a stench in the process. Same deal if you’re anxious or scared.

...or your fear. Oddly enough, the people around you can pick up on what you’re feeling by the smell of your sweat. In one experiment, 36 women smelled sweat samples of 12 men who had watched videos meant to either scare them or make then happy. When a woman smelled sweat from a guy who’d been scared by the video, she was more likely to make a facial expression resembling something like fear. When she smelled sweat from a happy guy, she was more likely to smile. Guess it can’t hurt to crack a smile when working out.

Related: Here’s How Happy People are Less Likely to Get Sick

Everything’s going swimmingly during your summer run, when suddenly you realize you’ve stopped sweating and you’re starting to get dizzy. Anhidrosis, or the inability to sweat normally, can be dangerous, since it prevents your body from naturally cooling off. If you continue on without rehydrating, you risk heat illnesses like heat exhaustion or heatstroke. Move to a shady or air-conditioned space and have something cool to drink (without caffeine or alcohol). If you don’t start to feel better quickly, call for emergency medical attention.

However, longer-lasting anhidrosis may be due to nerve damage, certain medications, or an inherited condition, which can increase risk for heat illnesses and heart problems, too, says David M. Pariser, MD, former president of the American Academy of Dermatology. It’s pretty rare, though, he says; just because you don’t feel moist and clammy, doesn’t mean you’re truly not sweating. Turns out, most of us produce about an ounce and a half of sweat every day, not counting those puddles you make when you run. If you notice a real drop in your sweat production, be sure to bring it up with your doctor.

Normally, your blood sugar should be between 70 and 100 milligrams per deciliter, if measured when fasting. But if it drops below that 70 mark, whether because of diabetes or something like strenuous exercise, you may start to feel the effects.

One symptom can be excessive sweating or cold, clammy skin, particularly at the back of your neck at your hairline. Watch out for a quickened heartbeat, shakiness, slight nausea, dizziness, and blurred vision, too. Luckily, in cases of a mild dip, you can bring your blood sugar back up to normal by eating or drinking something. But if your blood sugar continues to drop, you’ll likely start to notice other more serious symptoms and could require medical care.

Related: So You Sweat...a Lot. Here’s Help

If you’ve been cursed with particularly fishy smelling body odor, you may have a rare genetic disorder called trimethylaminuria, which means your body can’t break down the chemical compound trimethylamine, produced during digestion of foods like eggs, legumes, and fish. Instead, your body sheds excess trimethylamine via sweat, urine, and breath—often producing a smell not unlike rotting fish, rotting eggs, or garbage, according to the National Institutes of Health. If you think you may have trimethylanminuria, work with your doctor to come up with the best treatment plan, which will likely involve avoiding these foods and possibly popping certain supplements.

Ever had sweat drip into your eyes, only to find yourself in searing, stinging pain? Does dried sweat leave a gritty feeling or white streaks on your cheeks, as well? You’re probably a salty sweater, common among people who get lots of water during the day and keep sodium pretty low in their diet. You’ll want to reach for a sports drink or an electrolyte tablet you can dissolve in some H2O sooner than the average exerciser. 

If a doctor  can’t find an explanation for your excessive sweating, you may have a condition called primary focal hyperhidrosis, when excessive sweating is a medical condition in and of itself. And no, you do not have hyperhidrosis if you can completely soak a shirt on your lunch run. Primary focal hyperhidrosis is typically marked by sweating so excessive it interferes with your daily activities. “You’re supposed to sweat when you’re physically hot, or exercising, or stressed,” says Pariser, who’s also secretary and founding member of the International Hyperhidrosis Society. “People with primary hyperhidrosis sweat at times when they shouldn’t.” Even in a cool room, sitting perfectly still, a person with hyperhidrosis could have sweat dripping from her hands, he says. 

Experts aren’t entirely sure why it happens, but they do know that hyperhidrosis runs in families and is the result of too much stimulation from the nerves that trigger the sweat glands. “The switch is stuck in the ‘on’ position,” Pariser says. Depending on the location of the sweating, hyperhidrosis treatment varies, but can include prescription-strength antiperspirant (even on the hands and feet), Botox injections, and even surgery.