Emotional Awareness During a Hyperhidrosis Episode; Why Am I Sweating So Much?

Many of us have likely tried to manage hyperhidrosis by avoiding certain clothes, places, or social interactions. At other times, we may have tried to ignore it simply to get through the day. Often, we may feel unsure about what to do.

During a hyperhidrosis episode, it’s common to wonder, Why am I sweating so much?

Here’s something you can try during your next hyperhidrosis episode: instead of focusing only on the sweat, pause and identify the strongest emotion you are experiencing. Developing emotional awareness can begin to answer the question Why am I sweating so much? 

The more we sweat, the more likely we are to experience negative emotions such as fear, discouragement, embarrassment, or shame. If you’re anything like I used to be, you may stare at your sweaty hands in disbelief, wondering what on earth could possibly be causing them to sweat like this. Naturally, you want to stop the physical sweating. But what is it that’s making you sweat? That is the age-old question. But beneath the physical symptoms lies a deeper question: What is triggering my body to respond this way?

Because these bodily reactions are so fast and mostly unconscious, you have little direct control over them. They can feel impossible to control. Yet transformation from hyperhidrosis can begin by becoming aware of the emotions that accompany the episode. 

When we have a hyperhidrosis episode, there is an emotional response. For a transformation from hyperhidrosis to take place, we become aware of that response. How do we do this? We start by noticing the physical sensations in our body– such as sweating, muscle tension, or a racing heart– and then asking ourselves what emotions we are experiencing in that moment.

The emotional response associated with hyperhidrosis begins in the subconscious, where it triggers a neurochemical reaction—messages sent by the brain—that produces physical change such as faster heart rate, muscle tension, altered breathing, or sweating. These signals are the body’s way of drawing attention to the underlying emotion driving the reaction. When this process is repeated along the same neural pathways, it can reinforce an overactive sympathetic nervous system response. In people with hyperhidrosis, these pathways can contribute to excessive sweating experienced in the hands, feet, underarms, or face. 

Emotional awareness during a hyperhidrosis episode may unfold like this (refer to the Diagram above): 

• The hyperhidrosis episode is happening > 

• A repressed emotion is activated in the subconscious > 

• The brain sends neurochemical messages to the body that activate the sympathetic nervous system (and possibly the parasympathetic nervous system) > 

• Physical sweat presents > 

• The conscious mind recognizes and labels the underlying emotion

Once you identify the emotions responsible for that hyperhidrosis episode, you pick the label- such as shame, emptiness, fear, rejection, or isolation. This label represents your group of emotions within your hyperhidrosis episode and helps bring subconscious patterns into conscious awareness. As emotional awareness develops, you become better able to notice, reflect on, and label your emotional responses associated with your hyperhidrosis.

SUMMARY

• Repressed emotions are not conscious and can be culprits in hyperhidrosis triggers

• The hyperhidrosis emotional response starts in our subconscious

• Emotional awareness involves noticing the physical sensations (e.g., sweat) and reflecting on what you are feeling emotionally

• Recognizing and labeling emotions helps to understand the patterns of your hyperhidrosis

Information in this blog is adapted from Chapter 5 in My Hyperhidrosis Transformation: Tools To Break Free From Hyperhidrosis (Katz, 2026).

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