Excessive sweating can affect the entire body, but it usually occurs in the palms, soles, armpits, or groin area. In most circumstances , the cause isn’t known. It may be caused by thyroid problems, low blood sugar, nervous system disorders, medicines, or other problems. It is also vital to know that some foods can cause sweating. In today’s article, we will discussing about the foods that can cause excessive sweating.
Before we proceed, excessive sweating can be called Hyperhidrosis. It is not always related to heat or exercise. You may sweat so much that it soaks through your clothes or drips off your hands. Heavy sweating can disrupt your day and cause social anxiety and embarrassment. However, there are some hyperhidrosis treatments that can help.
In Nigeria, excessive sweating or hyperhidrosis can be a disturbance especially during hot and humid climates. It is so interesting to know that certain foods can trigger it, making you feel exhausted and uncomfortable.
Some of the foods that can cause excessive sweating include:
- Red meat
- Sweets
- Dairy products
- Processed foods
- Alcohol
- Caffeinated beverages
- Spicy foods
1. Red meat
Eating a lot of protein such as red meatq is one of the foods that causes excessive sweating. It probably raises the body temperature through a process called diet-induced thermogenesis.
Some dieticians and health experts claims that meat has to do with sweats, this is called the thermic effect of food, in which eating large amounts of protein causes your body temperature to increase, thus making your body sweat to cool you down.
In addition, eating heavy meals of any kind, especially if they contain lots of protein, can increase body heat and sweating. It is advised to limit the portion sizes of meat and fish to three to eight ounces per meal in order to avoid excessive sweating.
2. Sweets
High sweets intake can lead to blood sugar imbalances caused by too much sugar. This can trigger the production of adrenaline and cortisol, leading to sweating while you sleep.
Occasionally, a high-sugar meal can cause your body to make too much insulin, the hormone that helps you process sugar and change it into energy. That can lead to a plunge in blood sugar known as reactive hypoglycemia. Sweating is one of the symptoms.
It is recommended to try having a tablespoon of almond butter before bed to help regulate your blood sugar overnight.
3. Dairy products
Some health experts believe that large amounts of protein such as dairy products has to do with sweats called the thermic effect of food, in which eating large amounts of protein causes your body temperature to increase, thus making your body sweat excessively.
Excess quantities of protein-rich foods cause physical symptoms like excessive sweating. Likewise, alcohol and protein both force the body to work harder to break down lots of protein, which can increase your body temperature, causing night sweats.
Read more: 5 health benefits of agbalumo african star apple
4. Processed foods
Processed foods are one of those foods that causes excessive sweating. It can generate sweating for the same reasons that proteins and sugars do. Most processed foods are high in fat and lack fibre making them difficult to digest. Your body has to do a lot of work and expend tons of energy to digest them. This, in turn, increases your core temperature, resulting in sweat.
Processed food, which is usually your favourite snacks and burgers, are low in fibre and they don’t have enough enzymes your body needs for digestion. This makes your body work harder to process them, and that’s why you’ll find yourself sweating a lot.
5. Alcohol
Generally, alcohol impacts on the central nervous system, the circulatory system, and every part of your body. Thus, drinking of alcohol leads to an increase in heart rate and widens blood vessels in your skin. This tends to trigger perspiration.
Alcohol can cause a person’s body to improperly regulate temperature, potentially causing them to sweat even when not hot. Alcohol alters the cardiovascular system, dilating vessels and allowing blood to rise to the surface of the skin. Your temperature rises, and your sweat glands open to cool you off.
6. Caffeinated beverages
Thermoregulation is the ability of the body to regulate its internal temperature. It is the reason why humans sweat. As caffeine in beverages accelerates thermogenesis, or causes the body to creates heat, the temperature of the body exceeds its natural set point in the hypothalamus.
As a stimulant, caffeine stimulate your nervous system. And because of this heightened response, your body produces sweat to regulate your internal temperature. Hence, coffee sweating and caffeine sweating go together.
Obviously excessive amounts of coffee, which is a stimulant (increases the heart rate), might have some negative effect with increased sweating in the hands and feet.
7. Spicy foods
Spicy foods is one of the most commonest reasons why people sweat excessively. Spicy foods like peppers have a chemical called capsaicin that triggers the nerves that make your body feel warmer, so you sweat to cool it back down.
Hot drinks and hot or spicy foods can cause sweating after eating, also known as gustatory sweating. They raise your internal temperature, activating your body’s cooling mechanism. Spicy food and hot drinks before bed can cause heavy sweating after eating or night sweats.
How can I control excessive sweating?
- By using aluminium-based antiperspirants.
- By bathing daily
- By wearing loose-fitted clothing made of natural fabrics that allow the skin to breathe.
- By visiting a doctor if you find sweating disrupting your daily activities or you suddenly notice your sweating getting worse
- By taking a medication called Propantheline bromide, an anticholinergic medicine approved for treating hyperhidrosis.
Conclusion
If you think you sweat excessively then, I suggest you avoid the above mentioned foods to prevent any further health complications. Sometimes, excessive sweating can be a sign of underlying health conditions such as diabetes and nervous system health issues. In that regard, I strongly advise you visit a doctor.
