Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesTreatment and ManagementWhen to See Your Healthcare Provider

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Causes

Treatment and Management

When to See Your Healthcare Provider

Extreme fluctuations in blood sugar can also affect perspiration, leading tohyperhidrosis(excessive sweating) oranhidrosis(lack of sweating).

This article discusses the link between diabetes and sweating, how to manage this symptom, and when to call your healthcare provider.

How Diabetes Causes Sweating

Research shows that up to 84% of people with diabetes experience sweating when they’re hypoglycemic.

There are different types ofsweating issuesthat may arise due to diabetes:

Hyperhidrosis

Adrenaline causes excessive sweating, orhyperhidrosis, as part of a counter‐regulatory hormonal response to the low glucose.

The body wants to stay within very narrow hormonal ranges to maintain homeostasis (the body’s need to reach and maintain a certain state of equilibrium). Whenever this is thrown off, as is the case in diabetes, thermoregulation is disrupted and hyperhidrosis may occur.

Gustatory Sweating

Gustatory sweating is seen in long-standing diabetes and is associated with nephropathy, peripheral neuropathy, and other conditions that disrupt our autonomic system. Profuse head and neck sweating after eating are usually all that is needed to make a clinical diagnosis.

Night Sweats

At night, the body uses energy from the carbohydrates you eat during the day to repair and restore itself. If you have not consumed enough carbohydrates, the body’s thermoregulatory system may go awry.

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is a common cause of sweating, esp. Adrenaline is produced in response to declining blood sugar levels, which results in the narrowing of blood vessels and the activation of sweat glands.

Low blood sugar can happen for a number of reasons, including:

Automatic Neuropathy

Depending upon how severe the nerve damage has become, automatic neuropathy may cause the sweat glands to stop functioning in some parts of the body, while causing them to become overactive in other areas.

Treatments and Management of Excessive Sweating

Excessive sweating is commonly experienced in those with diabetes and may signal a need for tighter blood glucose management. Fortunately, sweating in those with diabetes is often due to mildly low blood sugar episodes that usually go away shortly after you take in some sugar.

Conversely, anhidrosis, or reduced or absent sweating, is less common but may be experienced in the feet or legs of people withdiabetic neuropathy.

Treatment of excessive sweating depends on the severity, cause, and whether the symptoms are local or widespread.

Local treatments include:

Oftentimes, diabetes-induced sweating results in generalized sweating around the body. Systemic treatments to control sweating include:

Surgery may be considered for more severe symptoms. These include:

Lifestyle Changes

Carrying an antiperspirant and a change of clothes or taking an extra shower per day may be small (albeit sometimes difficult) changes that you can make to help cope with your symptoms.

Consider keeping a sweat journal that tracks common triggers of your perspiration. Common triggers include heat, feeling anxious, and certain foods, especially those that contain:

Excessive sweating can be very uncomfortable and disruptive to your everyday life. However, your healthcare provider can help address the frequency and severity of this condition.

Summary

11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hillson R.Sweating in diabetes. Pract Diab. 2017;34(4):114-115. doi: 10.1002/pdi.2096Hillson R.Sweating in diabetes.Pract Diab. 2017;34(4):114-115. doi:10.1002/pdi.2096MedlinePlus.Sweating.Gray KE, Katon JG, LeBlanc ES, et al.Vasomotor symptom characteristics: are they risk factors for incident diabetes?Menopause. 2018;25(5):520-530. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000001033Kaiser Permanente.Symptoms of low blood sugar.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Automatic Neuropathy.Moyer J, Wilson D, Finkelshtein I, Wong B, Potts R.Correlation between sweat glucose and blood glucose in subjects with diabetes.Diabetes Technol Ther.2012 May;14(5):398-402. doi:10.1089/dia.2011.0262Medline Plus.Hyperhidrosis.Glaser DA, Glaser K.Use of Systemic Therapies to Manage Focal Hyperhidrosis.Mo Med. 2015;112(4):287-291. PMCID: PMC6170074American Academy of Dermatology.Tips for managing hyperhidrosis.Healthgrades.When to see a doctor for excessive sweating.

11 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hillson R.Sweating in diabetes. Pract Diab. 2017;34(4):114-115. doi: 10.1002/pdi.2096Hillson R.Sweating in diabetes.Pract Diab. 2017;34(4):114-115. doi:10.1002/pdi.2096MedlinePlus.Sweating.Gray KE, Katon JG, LeBlanc ES, et al.Vasomotor symptom characteristics: are they risk factors for incident diabetes?Menopause. 2018;25(5):520-530. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000001033Kaiser Permanente.Symptoms of low blood sugar.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Automatic Neuropathy.Moyer J, Wilson D, Finkelshtein I, Wong B, Potts R.Correlation between sweat glucose and blood glucose in subjects with diabetes.Diabetes Technol Ther.2012 May;14(5):398-402. doi:10.1089/dia.2011.0262Medline Plus.Hyperhidrosis.Glaser DA, Glaser K.Use of Systemic Therapies to Manage Focal Hyperhidrosis.Mo Med. 2015;112(4):287-291. PMCID: PMC6170074American Academy of Dermatology.Tips for managing hyperhidrosis.Healthgrades.When to see a doctor for excessive sweating.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Hillson R.Sweating in diabetes. Pract Diab. 2017;34(4):114-115. doi: 10.1002/pdi.2096Hillson R.Sweating in diabetes.Pract Diab. 2017;34(4):114-115. doi:10.1002/pdi.2096MedlinePlus.Sweating.Gray KE, Katon JG, LeBlanc ES, et al.Vasomotor symptom characteristics: are they risk factors for incident diabetes?Menopause. 2018;25(5):520-530. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000001033Kaiser Permanente.Symptoms of low blood sugar.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Automatic Neuropathy.Moyer J, Wilson D, Finkelshtein I, Wong B, Potts R.Correlation between sweat glucose and blood glucose in subjects with diabetes.Diabetes Technol Ther.2012 May;14(5):398-402. doi:10.1089/dia.2011.0262Medline Plus.Hyperhidrosis.Glaser DA, Glaser K.Use of Systemic Therapies to Manage Focal Hyperhidrosis.Mo Med. 2015;112(4):287-291. PMCID: PMC6170074American Academy of Dermatology.Tips for managing hyperhidrosis.Healthgrades.When to see a doctor for excessive sweating.

Hillson R.Sweating in diabetes. Pract Diab. 2017;34(4):114-115. doi: 10.1002/pdi.2096

Hillson R.Sweating in diabetes.Pract Diab. 2017;34(4):114-115. doi:10.1002/pdi.2096

MedlinePlus.Sweating.

Gray KE, Katon JG, LeBlanc ES, et al.Vasomotor symptom characteristics: are they risk factors for incident diabetes?Menopause. 2018;25(5):520-530. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000001033

Kaiser Permanente.Symptoms of low blood sugar.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Automatic Neuropathy.

Moyer J, Wilson D, Finkelshtein I, Wong B, Potts R.Correlation between sweat glucose and blood glucose in subjects with diabetes.Diabetes Technol Ther.2012 May;14(5):398-402. doi:10.1089/dia.2011.0262

Medline Plus.Hyperhidrosis.

Glaser DA, Glaser K.Use of Systemic Therapies to Manage Focal Hyperhidrosis.Mo Med. 2015;112(4):287-291. PMCID: PMC6170074

American Academy of Dermatology.Tips for managing hyperhidrosis.

Healthgrades.When to see a doctor for excessive sweating.

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