How much you sweat depends on how many sweat glands you have.�A person is born with about two to four million sweat glands.�The glands start to become fully�active during puberty. Women actually have more sweat glands then men --�the men's glands are just�more active.

Because sweating is the body's natural way of regulating temperature, people sweat more in when it's hot outside.�People�also sweat more�when they exercise, or in response to situations that make them nervous, angry, embarrassed, or afraid.��

If sweating is accompanied by fever, weight loss, chest�pain, shortness of breath, or a rapid, pounding heartbeat, talk to a doctor. These symptoms may indicate an underlying problem, such as hyperthyroidism. Excessive sweating may also be a symptom of menopause.

See also:�

sweating - absent

sweating - excessive

• Warm temperatures
• Fever
• Menopause
• Overactive thyroid gland
• Low blood sugar
• Infection
• Cancer (sweating at night without an obvious cause)
• Emotional or�stressful situations
• Exercise
• Spicy foods (known as "gustatory sweating")
• Drugs, including antipyretics, some antipsychotics, sympathomimetics, caffeine, morphine, alcohol and thyroid hormone
• Withdrawal from alcohol or narcotic pain killers

After an episode of sweating, a person should:

• Wash the face and body
• Change clothes and bed sheets
• Replace lost body fluids by drinking plenty of water
• Slighly adjust room temperature�to prevent additional sweating

• There is prolonged, excessive, and unexplained sweating.
• Sweating is accompanied or followed by chest pain or pressure.
• Sweating is accompanied by weight loss or most often occurs during sleep.