How to sweat less

Sweating is necessary and healthy for the body, but excessive sweating can be very annoying, both because of the sensation of humidity and because of the smell. Read our advice on how to prevent excessive sweating, reducing sweating and the odours that come along with it.

How to sweat less

In order to learn how to sweat less, it is good to know what it is and why do we sweat.

When the body notices temperature or emotional changes, the endocrine sweat gland is altered. To regulate body temperature, these glands produce water and salt as a mechanism to cool the body. This process in our body is called thermoregulation.

The eccrine glands are the most common kind of sweat gland and are found all over the body. The sweat released from the eccrine gland is mostly composed of water, however will get mixed with other minerals found in the skin, such as salt, protein, urea and ammonia.
The sweat that comes from the armpits and groin are larger and are called apocrine glands, which are usually located next to hair follicles and create sweat that typically smells worse. Most people would assume that sweat is what smells, but this is not the case - it is actually the bacteria on our skin that absorb the sweat produced by the apocrine sweat glands.

Read our guide to understand how to sweat less, how to reduce sweating, why do we sweat and how to stop armpit from sweating.

The Causes Of Sweating

When and why do we sweat?

Sweating or perspiring is our body's natural response when we are exposed to high temperatures, when we exercise, when we have strong emotions or as a result of certain illnesses. Sweating at night or excessive sweating can be annoying, but not sweating is harmful to our health.

Why Do We Sweat

When we are exposed to situations where our nerves are on edge, such as in a job interview or when we have hormonal imbalances, it is normal for us to sweat excessively. Sweating at night, sudden excessive sweating or sweating on the hands can be a symptom of nervousness about something unknown to us. Therefore, these sweats are a natural reaction of our body. Another reason why we break out in a sweat is when we alter our body temperature, for example, when exercising or when we are in a place with very hot weather.

So why do we sweat? There are multiple reasons why our body will release sweat. Here are the main causes of sweat:

1. Stress

As part of the body's fight or flight response, our body will sweat more when we are in ‘high stress’ situations, this response can be before a job interview or a first date. Read our top tips for reducing stress.

2. Hormones

Changes in hormone levels can cause us to sweat because hormones are responsible for regulating body temperature. Hormone changes can occur during menopause, pregnancy and puberty.

3. Natural air conditioning

Sweating is our body’s natural way of cooling itself down. It works in 2 ways, firstly when your skin is wet, it makes you feel cooler especially when a breeze goes past it. Secondly, your sweat will absorb heat energy and then evaporate off your skin taking the heat energy away with it.

4. Alcohol

When we drink, sometimes our heart rate can speed up and blood vessels can dilate, this makes the brain think it's exercising which triggers a reaction to try and cool down; by sweating.

5. Diet

Eating certain things can cause you to sweat more than others, for example, a certain component in spicy foods sends a signal to the brain which makes it think body temperature is increasing. Another example is meat, sometimes the body uses a lot of energy to metabolise meat and so body temperature can go up, which can cause sweating.

Excessive Sweating Without Exercising

Wondering how to stop sweating so much? We’ve got you covered.

Excessive sweating can be uncomfortable and can impact our lives. It usually happens when we’re nervous or anxious and is related to the ‘flight or fight’ response in our body. It is different from the sweat you produce while exercising, as it comes from the apocrine glands rather than the eccrine glands.

You usually feel excessive sweating in the armpit, face and sweaty palms.

Sweating Of The Head And Face

Excessive sweating of the head and face could be the result of a condition called craniofacial hyperhidrosis. If your head and face are regularly very sweaty - when you are not exercising, stressed or hot - then this may be the reason behind it.

But why does your face sweat so much? There are a large number of sweat glands on the face and scalp so these areas are particularly prone to excessive sweat. Exercise, hot weather, stress, anxiety and spicy food can all cause excessive sweating on the head and face.

If there is no obvious cause behind your excessive sweating and it is troubling you, we advise you to see your GP to rule out any medical reason.

How To Reduce Sweating

Tips On How To Sweat Less

Lifestyle choices play a big part in our skin and how much we sweat. Special skincare, shaving and special antiperspirants can all help.

Here’s how to reduce sweating and how to stop armpits from sweating:

Include magnesium-rich products in your diet: Excessive sweating can be a symptom of a lack of magnesium and, at the same time, sweating itself can affect the level of magnesium in our body. To combat excessive sweating and the discomfort that this sensation produces, make sure that you include foods rich in magnesium in your diet, such as avocados, bananas and seeds.

Keep your body hydrated: Having a certain level of liquids in your body is not enough, it is also important to know what type of liquids are the most recommended. Stay hydrated by drinking water and tea infusions to prevent your body from reaching high temperatures and sweating. Water helps cool down your core temperature causing you to sweat less as you won't need to release excess heat - we recommend drinking 2 litres a day!

Dress in the right clothes: Help your body stay cool and avoid sweating excessively by wearing clothes that allow you to breathe naturally, such as linen and cotton, since these materials help your skin breathe by allowing the sweat to evaporate. Sometimes you can’t prevent sweating, so if you have a big event, stick to colours that won’t highlight any sweat marks, ditch the light blues and greys and stick to darker colours and blacks.

Stay clean and fresh: Feel fresh and confident at any time with an antiperspirant or deodorant roll-on or spray, that helps you throughout the day. Don't forget to apply it after you shower.

Watch your diet: The type of diet you follow has an impact on your level of sweating. Certain types of food such as garlic, curry, tea or coffee contain chemicals that can affect your body temperature level and your body's need to cool down by producing sweat. On the flip side, certain foods are much better at helping reduce sweating; fruit and veg in particular and foods that promote healthy digestion – as if your digestion is off, your body will produce more sweat. Stick to foods such as cucumber, celery, spinach etc to aid healthy digestion.

Keep your armpits shaved: Another way to minimise sweating is to have your armpits shaved to keep the area cooler. This prevents bacteria from getting into the skin follicles and eating the sweat, producing odours.

Remedies To Stop Sweating

How To Prevent Sweating

Although sweating is not something we can avoid, it is necessary to regulate our body temperature, in fact not sweating can be harmful to our health. While personal hygiene doesn’t stop sweating, a good shower can wash away any sweat, leaving you feeling refreshed and more comfortable in your own skin. Washing regularly with cleansing shower gels help to clear the sweat glands and prevent buildup in the pores.

Some of the main products to avoid, when your skin sweats, are oil-based skincare products. Leave these types of products for dry and sensitive skin, and use light-based moisturizing products.

How to stop armpit from sweating

If you regularly suffer from excessive armpit sweating, opt for an antiperspirant over deodorant.

Antiperspirants are designed to block sweat where typical deodorants only cover odour. For a strong antiperspirant, leaving you with a super dry underarm, try our NIVEA Invisible for Black & White Fresh Anti-Perspirant - for 48H antiperspirant protection.

So, how does antiperspirant work? It works by using aluminium salts, to block the pores and restrict access to the sweat glands, reducing the amount of sweat they produce.

How To Apply Antiperspirant

It may seem obvious but there are right and wrong ways of applying antiperspirant to reduce sweating:

Make sure you apply your antiperspirant to dry skin, this is because even the smallest amount of water can get in the way of the aluminium from blocking your glands.
Apply at night: most people apply antiperspirant in the morning, however, the best way to get the most out of your antiperspirant is to apply it at night. This is because you sweat less at night and this gives it a chance to really seep in, blocking the glands from releasing more sweat.
Wait for your antiperspirant to dry before dressing, if you pull on your t-shirt right after applying antiperspirant, it might just rub straight off!
Shave! The closer the contact the antiperspirant has to the skin, the better chance it has at blocking those sweat glands.

Other Products To Help Armpit From Sweating

Other essentials to keep you fresh are talcum powder, tissues and hand sanitisers. Talcum powder can absorb sweat, while it is handy to have a packet of tissues in your bag in case you need to dry off a little.

How to remove sweat stains

Yellow sweat stains can be hard to remove, especially if they have been there for some time. Treating it quickly is your best bet. We’ve highlighted some tips for you to try:

- Rinsing the area with cold water or dab a little white vinegar on it before your wash the item of clothing
- Wash your clothes as soon after wearing them as possible
- Use an in-wash stain remover

Learning how to stop armpit from sweating excessively and to manage how much you sweat is your best defence against sweat stains. If you’re worried about excessive sweating and sweat stains, try our NIVEA MEN Black & White Max Protection - which offers strong sweat protection whilst protecting clothes from yellow staining.