WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: How Does Anxiety Cause Underarm Sweat?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio. Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Vogel Bomb here with a classic episode

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<v Speaker 1>from our archive. We all have things that make us nervous.

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<v Speaker 1>Performance is actually one of mine. It took me like

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<v Speaker 1>three years of weekly podcasting before I stopped pit sweating

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<v Speaker 1>every time I sat down at the mic. But so

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<v Speaker 1>that's a weird bodily reaction to anxiety. This episode delves

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<v Speaker 1>into why it happens. Hey, they're brain stuff, Lauren vogel

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<v Speaker 1>bomb here. So you're sitting in a large table in

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<v Speaker 1>a conference room with several of your colleagues, or maybe

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<v Speaker 1>in a crowded classroom. Soon your manager or teacher will

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<v Speaker 1>call you to the front of the room to give

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<v Speaker 1>a presentation. All you can think about is how nervous

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<v Speaker 1>you are. Your heart pounds, you feel tense, and now

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<v Speaker 1>there's that unmistakable wetness under your arms. Why just feeling

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<v Speaker 1>anxious about something like public speaking make your under arms

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<v Speaker 1>so sweaty. Anxiety can evoke a body response called fight

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<v Speaker 1>or flight, your body's way of readying you to deal

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<v Speaker 1>with a potential threat. While public speaking isn't really a threat.

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<v Speaker 1>The lower part of your brain, which controls basic body functions,

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't know that. Ultimately, you can blame your hypothalamus, a

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<v Speaker 1>part of the autonomic nervous system, for your anxious sweating.

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<v Speaker 1>When faced with a stressful situation. It tells your adrenal

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<v Speaker 1>gland to release dozens of hormones, including epinefrin or adrenaline.

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<v Speaker 1>Epinefrin is responsible for putting your sweat glands to work.

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<v Speaker 1>The idea is that your body will need to remain

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<v Speaker 1>cool and slippery during your supposed confrontation. Not everyone has

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<v Speaker 1>the same fight or flight responses. Some of us sweat

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<v Speaker 1>mostly from our apocrine glands when we're anxious, such as

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<v Speaker 1>those in the armpits in genital areas, while others sweat

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<v Speaker 1>more from the ecrine glands found on the rest of

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<v Speaker 1>the body. Ecrine sweat is bad enough because it can

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<v Speaker 1>mean sweaty palms, but in addition to potential pit stains,

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<v Speaker 1>apocrine sweat can make you smell bad because it's full

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<v Speaker 1>of protein and fatty acids. This makes it prime fuel

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<v Speaker 1>for bacteria that live on this skin, which eat your

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<v Speaker 1>sweat and excrete the stinky compounds that we know as

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<v Speaker 1>a body odor. Anxious sweating can be a vicious cycle.

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<v Speaker 1>Worrying about whether others can see sweat or smell body

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<v Speaker 1>odor on you may make you feel even more anxious.

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<v Speaker 1>For most of us, the fight or flight response that

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<v Speaker 1>occurs when we're anxious goes away fairly quickly. We calm

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<v Speaker 1>down as we warm up to the stressful situation, or

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<v Speaker 1>at the very least, we feel better once it's over,

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<v Speaker 1>and we can better control this anxiety through repeated exposure

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<v Speaker 1>to it. The more practice we get, the less scary

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<v Speaker 1>it seems. But some people have an extreme reaction to anxiety,

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<v Speaker 1>including excessive under armed sweating that can last for hours.

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<v Speaker 1>A stronger antiperspirant can help deal with the sweat, but

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes an anxiety disorder is at the root of the problem.

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<v Speaker 1>If sweaty symptoms never seem to ease, don't worry. A

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<v Speaker 1>doctor can help find a therapy that works for you.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode is based on the article why does anxiety

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<v Speaker 1>cause under arm sweat? On how stuffworks dot com written

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<v Speaker 1>by Shanna Freeman. Brain Stuff is production by Heart Radio

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<v Speaker 1>in partnership with how stuffworks dot Com, and this episode

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<v Speaker 1>was produced by Tristan McNeil and Tyler Klang. Four more

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<v Speaker 1>podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app,

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<v Speaker 1>Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.