Sweating during perimenopause and menopause
Sweating, including excessive sweating and night sweats, as well as flushes and feeling really hot are some of the most common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. For most, this happens under the arms. It can be on the face, at the back of the neck, and the whole chest area. But there are other surprising areas of the body that you can start to sweat from.
Other potentially sweaty places
Firstly, it could be the scalp. This is a major one. You might find yourself getting really hot. The sweat can start dripping down the side of the face and down the back of the neck.
It could be the crook of your knee. If you're sitting for a long time, those areas can get really hot.
It could be your feet and hands. You might find that your hands get really hot. They might start to sweat and get a bit slippery.
It can be under the breast area and between the breasts as well. The other areas affected tend to be the groin and the top of the legs.
Why do you sweat more during perimenopause and menopause?
In perimenopause and menopause, one of the things that goes all over the place is our body's ability to keep our temperature regulated. So, on a regular basis, the body will trigger sweats and flushes in order to cool the body down.
Now, the primary areas in our body for sweating generally are under the arms and the feet. But what do we do? We block under our arms with antiperspirants. And now, a lot of these antiperspirants, they're going to last 24-48 hours.
If you've got socks or tights and footwear on, then your feet can't release heat either. So, if your body is desperately trying to cool down, it's going to have to sweat from somewhere else.
The other places tend to be really uncomfortable and, for those of them which aren’t the normal areas, you can end up getting chafing and rashes, which can make it even more uncomfortable.
What can help?
Here are a few things I recommend to help relieve sweating during perimenopause and menopause:
Try not to use antiperspirants: I know it's a difficult one because you don't want to sweat, and it is culturally or publicly unacceptable to be really sweaty under the arms; but if you are blocking the arms, it's going to cause problems. So, I recommend using natural deodorants instead. And today, natural deodorants are really effective at stopping you from smelling sweaty.
I've used them for years. I use them on my travels, and I've never had a problem with them. I really prefer them. I recommend the Salt of the Earth natural deodorant range, which includes scented and unscented options in different forms, such as roll-ons and sprays.
Let your feet sweat and breathe: It's the same with your feet. If you wear man-made nylon socks, nylon tights, and man-made footwear, then your feet are not going to be able to sweat.
Obviously, in wintertime, it's not quite so easy, but try to give your feet some air at some point during the day. It's apparently also really good if you walk with bare feet. It seems to stimulate some of the points on the feet, which might be good for you too.
Stay hydrated: This is very important because you can get so dehydrated that it triggers the nervous system, which then results in sweating. This can become a real vicious cycle, so remember to drink plenty of water every day.
Herbal help: You can also look at the herb Sage. We have our registered product, Menoforce Sage tablets, which is registered for the relief of excessive sweating and night sweats associated with the menopause.
A.Vogel Menoforce Sage Tablets for Menopausal Hot Flushes and Night Sweats, One-a-Day, 30 tablets
£15.99 (30 tablets) In Stock
Stress and anxiety management: Anxiety and stress can trigger sweating as well. If you're in a state of anxiety or panic, the body will give you a really big sweating episode in order to cool the body down, so you might need to look at some stress remedies like magnesium or Passiflora.
Avoid triggers: If you're getting sweaty at the same time every day, if you're sweating in these strange areas, then maybe look at what you're doing or not doing. Have you not had water? It could be caffeine. And caffeine can very often give you a really big surge of heat and sweat. A lot of you tell me that you're much more sensitive to caffeine now, so it can create more of a response than it might have done a little while ago.
Also look out for high salt and high sugar intake as well, because that can rev up your nervous system, which can cause sweating in these areas.
Get your vitamin D levels checked: If you're getting excessive sweating from the scalp or from the neck upward, and you're really, really sweating, that can be an indication of vitamin D deficiency. So, it's important in this instance to ask your doctor to do a test, just to rule it out.
The problem is that, for some reason, vitamin D deficiency seems to be quite prevalent in perimenopausal and menopausal women. Vitamin D deficiency will cause a whole raft of symptoms that are absolutely identical to menopause ones, including sweating, so it's really important to get this one tested at some point just to make sure that you don't need a top-up.
I hope you found this one helpful. It's a really interesting one and there are lots of different reasons that this can happen. So, if any of you have sweated in any surprising places, what did you do to help yourself? Please share your stories and tips. I love reading them all, and it always helps me because I tend to learn something that I didn't know before as well.
And until next time, have a lovely week, and take care.
