There are some people who experience a scenario where the body feels cold but sweating continues anyway. The question is, is this something to be alarmed about? Is there some underlying condition that causes this sort of thing? The bad news is that sometimes this sort of excessive sweating can really be annoying and uncomfortable. The good news is, aside from being annoying, it’s generally considered harmless. What’s being described in this type situation is something known as hyperhidrosis.
Hyperhidrosis is the technical term for excessive sweating. It can occur anywhere on the body but is most often found in the hands, feet, forehead, and armpits. The most confusing thing about excessive sweating is that those who suffer from sit can sweat even when they feel cold. That makes living in a warm climate in that much more unbearable because it only serves to increase the amount perspiration.
How Can You Perspire If Your Body Temperature Doesn’t Go Up?
It is true that under normal conditions the body will not perspire as long as the core temperature remains at a certain level. That’s why for most of us, we are not sweating on a cold winter day unless we’re participating in some sort of vigorous exercise. But for someone suffering from excessive sweating, this is not always the case. A hyperhidrosis sufferer can sweat any time of day, under any conditions. It matters not whether it’s warm or cold.
It’s not uncommon for a hyperhidrosis suffer to wake up in the middle of night and find them self perspiring profusely. His partner may wake up, not knowing anything about a hyperhidrosis condition, and assumed the sufferer is ill with a fever. But when the partner touches the forehead and feels no fever, he is flabbergasted as to why the excessive sweating is occurring. That’s because hyperhidrosis is not dependent upon body temperature.
If It’s Not Body Temperature, What’s Causing It?
From a purely “mechanical” perspective, all hyperhidrosis is caused by sweat glands that simply produce too much liquid. The workaholic sweat glands, in turn, can be triggered by any number of things including stress and anxiety, reactions to some medications, allergies, a localized illness, or even a systemic illness. Determining what the exact cause is in any individual is paramount to helping treat the problem, especially when the body feels cold but sweating continues.
In a cold body scenario, it is possible to make the excessive sweating worse at any given with a rise in core body temperature. Whether it is exercise or emotional stress, an increase in body temperature will usually stimulate further perspiration. So it’s important as part of a hyperhidrosis treatment to avoid those types of situations whenever possible.
If The Body Feels Cold But Sweating Continues, Is There Ever A Reason For Concern?
It goes without saying that every individual who experiences excessive sweating even with a cool body temperature needs to pay attention to other symptoms. While it’s most likely nothing to worry, excessive sweating can be a precursor to other conditions such as heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and nervous breakdown. In addition to cool clammy skin, you’re also looking for other symptoms that would suggest a more serious issue.
Other symptoms include a clammy feeling to the skin, pale complexion, rapid heartbeat, muscles spasms or loss of control, and rapid eye movement. If you observe any of these symptoms in a loved one, or even yourself, it is imperative that you make an appointment to see your physician as soon as possible. These symptoms could belie a more serious underlying condition which is contributing to your excessive sweating. Some of those underlying conditions can be fatal.
Fortunately, excessive sweating is not something most of us will have to deal with. Since it only affects about 3% of the world’s population, it’s even quite likely that you could go through your entire lifetime without ever meeting someone who suffers from it. But if you are one of the millions whose body feels cold but sweating continues, have yourself checked by a physician to make sure it’s nothing serious.
