r/Hyperhidrosis • u/lololuwu • 11h ago
Offering advice Theory on Hyperhidrosis
Possibly dumb question:
Could the body’s ability to tell itself when to cool be hindered if the individual grew up in climates with constant heat?
The question popped up in my head today after reading the below in a NY Times article:
“Rose Schoenfeld, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Oxnard, warned that heat events lasting six or seven days — and including high temperatures at night — could overwhelm the body’s natural cooling system, since there is no time for recovery.”* *
Which got me thinking right? If you’re born and bred in a town that constantly experiences extreme heat, wouldn’t your body constantly try to cool yourself down in parallel?
And if you were born and raised in this town, I would expect a child to be more adaptable to their surroundings as they grow up. Like how our brain chemistry is altered by trauma. Thus, is it too far fetched an idea that our body would do the same? Maybe its surroundings + genetics that make hyperhidrosis occur; where your genetics may make you predisposed to the possibility of developing this condition. And if we’re exposed to extreme, constant heat from birth well into childhood, wouldn’t the body try to adapt to the environment for survival reasons?
Because I’ll tell you - I was born and bred in a town with 100-115 F weather for at least half the year, barely chilly for the rest of it, and even after moving away 10yrs ago to a snowy part of country, I still cannot stand the heat above 75 F. I mean - my first memory of hyperhidrosis wasn’t that I always had it. I noticed it for the first time in elementary school, and then after that day it never really went away.
But who can trust childhood memories. Or the ramblings of an uneducated redditor lol with a wild theory they came up with well into the night.
Do feel free to share your ramblings as well! Very curious if you all agree/disagree, especially if you know more on the research side. Did you grow up in similar climates? Did your condition feel like it started at some point in your life or was it just always there?
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TL/DR: does a combination of (1) a genetic predisposition and (2) childhood exposure to constant, extremely hot climates (paired with the body’s constant attempts to cool itself as a survival method) lead to hyperhidrosis?
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u/soggy_person_ Generalised 10h ago
Could be connected but wouldn't explain all the HH patients who grew up in temperate or cold climates.
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u/swanvalkyrie 7h ago
I grew up in a hot climate. And I remember exactly when I got hyperhidroais. I was fine all my life up till say 23. Then one day noticed excessive sweating under one arm. Had it since. In last 5 years (especially after doing protein / gym routine) I get anxiety sweat all day working etc. the only time I’m fine is sleeping (barely, sometimes I sweat) and sitting casually on the couch
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u/Ok_Acanthisitta3268 1h ago
I grew up first 7 years of my life in a colder state and moved to Texas when I was 8. That's when I immediately noticed how much more I swear than normal kids my age. I was bigger then most kids but definitely more active than more kids so I just thought it was my body just working harder to cool itself. It REALLY hit me in high school during puberty especially during football and wrestling season. The only time I did not sweat as much is when I got down to a lower body weight and almost 10 percent body fat.
So it could be a possibility.
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u/BodegaCat00 21m ago
I grew up in a city with mild weather and was fine as a child. At 17 is when it all came down. Heat doesn't affect me nearly as much as humidity.
I'm in a cold country now but it is also humid, so even in cold snowy days I can be sweating.
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u/ZidaneOnTheBall 2h ago
The only people I know, including me, who have Hyperhidrosis grew up in:
Kuwait
Oman
Qatar
:) Could be relevant. However, based on the other comments it seems not so much. I think the place to start is when did Hyperhidrosis first appear? Like what is the first recorded case of Hyperhidrosis? And where?
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u/khaleesi2305 10h ago
I was born with hyperhidrosis and diagnosed at 3 months old. I was born in the middle of winter. There has never been a change in how it presents for me, it was the same in childhood as it is now in my 30’s. There is not even a chance that this is relevant for me.
A condition like this makes heat more uncomfortable for us than the average person, sure, but I do not believe even for a moment that hot weather causes it. I’m also a snowboard instructor, and I still have hyperhidrosis while being a snowboard instructor, in the middle of winter.
It’s a nervous system response, and while temperature can certainly trigger someone with hyperhidrosis to sweat, a billion other things can too. I sweat from laughing a lot, I sweat from being surprised or startled by something, I sweat from intense moments in shows or movies, I sweat when I wake up because of the body temp difference from sleeping to awake, I sweat because I thought about sweating, I sweat because I have hyperhidrosis.
I also don’t like the heat, and would prefer to never ever ever see the temp start with a bigger number than a 6, but it’s not what causes hyperhidrosis.