Sweating, for instance, when lifting weights, is a common mechanism that the body uses to prevent overheating. It also aids in maintaining balanced bodily fluids and hormone levels. Normally, how much sweat you produce depends on what type of stress your body is subjected to.

But what if the sweat you’re producing does not match the kind of stress you’re body is experiencing. For instance, when you find yourself sweating in an air-conditioned room while sitting down on a desk and working. This could indicate hyperhidrosis, which is a condition characterized by excessive sweating.

So how do you know if you have hyperhidrosis? Here are some telltale signs.

Sweating While at Rest

This could be anytime and anywhere, whether you’re lounging around, driving, or eating out. Unless you’ve just worked out, sweating while your body is at rest is a major red flag. And this kind of sweating is similar to how you sweat during a workout.

Your Shoes Are Slippery

If you find that your shoes are always slippery when you don’t wear socks, this could signify hyperhidrosis. Your hands and feet contain extra sweat glands, so excess sweating in those parts is common in people with hyperhidrosis.

A Sweaty Handshake

Because of the added sweat receptors in your palms, you may have hyperhidrosis if you find that your handshakes are moist and clammy. The hands are the first areas to sweat profusely for people with hyperhidrosis.

Sweating at Night

The body is made to cool itself down naturally during sleep, so you don’t need sweat to regulate your temperature while sleeping. This means that waking up in a sweat fest could mean that you have hyperhidrosis.

Sweating in the Cold

Like the coolness you experience while sleeping, you should also not be sweating when you’re in a cold place, even during exercise. While it’s perfectly normal to sweat while, say, running a marathon in the cold, it would be significantly minimal when compared to running a marathon in warm weather. Also, sweating during the cold could make wind chill feel much worse because it reduces your body temperature even more.

How to Manage Excessive Sweating

If you’re experiencing excessive sweating, you’ll be glad to know that you have some treatment options. One of the most effective and popular is Botox, which blocks the nerve signals responsible for stimulating the sweat glands, albeit temporarily. One Botox treatment could last for as long as eight months.

You might likewise consider looking at your eating habits. Spicy foods could trigger excessive sweating because of their capsaicin content. You could also opt to use an antiperspirant with aluminum-chloride, which could reduce excess sweating by hindering sweat production.

However, if you find that excessive sweating is seriously affecting your quality of life, talk to your doctor as soon as possible. This is especially true if you’re also experiencing other symptoms like dizziness, chest pain, chills, or fever. In rare cases, excess sweating and these symptoms could indicate heart disease.