People who suffer from hyperhidrosis normally report profuse sweating of the armpits, hands and feet, although it isn't uncommon to have abnormal sweating of the groin, back, scalp and pretty much any other places where there are numerous sweat glands. There's even one kind of excessive sweating that only occurs at night, called sleep hyperhidrosis.

It doesn't matter where the excessive sweating occurs because all variations cause issues for the sufferer such as their sweaty hands causing accidents, social problems with handshakes or armpit stains. Unfortunately, in addition to the problem with sweating, thereis also the concern of having bad body odor if the sweat isn't often washed away.

Before seeking treatment of hyper-hidrosis, it's necessary to know how sweat glands are controlled normally. In people without abnormal sweating problems, the sweat glands are regulated by the central nervous system... specifically the sympathetic nervous system. Humans have hardly any control over the actions of the sympathetic nervous system. It's the part that regulates our heart-beat, our breathing, our gut movement and many other body functions we're unaware of.. unless something stops working properly. People who have normal sweat patterns can see how the sympathetic nervous system activates sweating by noticing how much additional sweat is produced simply by being nervous. It may just be an inconvenience to people with normal sweat patterns, but to a hyperhidrosis sufferer, that is the "usual" activity level of their sweat glands!

The regulation of sweating goes wrong in sufferers of hyperhidrosis. Scientists know the cause is over-active nerves leading to the sweat glands, because anti-cholinergic drugs, injections of botox, or surgery to sever the nerve leading to the sweat glands will stop the sweating. Those are three of the more dramatic ways to deal with hyperhidrosis. Simpler solutions for excessive sweating are mental relaxation techniques, not drinking caffeinated drinks, using strong antiperspirants such as those with aluminium chloride and avoiding spicy foods. Some people believe that sage tea and zinc may decrease sweating.

Usually most people who have abnormal sweating will go for cheap, natural solutions, and if they don't work will consider the more expensive treatments. Some of the most dramatic treatments (surgery and drugs) can have side-effects, so check with a doctor before taking any action regarding abnormal sweating.