Excessive sweating can affect your entire body or just your palms, soles, underarms or face. Excessive sweating is usually defined as sweating an amount out of proportion with the temperature of a room or your activity level. Besides disrupting normal daily activities, excessive sweating can cause social anxiety or embarrassment.

Excessive sweating that affects large areas of the body and that occurs while you're awake and asleep is likely a side effect of a drug or a sign of a disease or condition, such as menopause hot flashes, anxiety or overactive thyroid.

Excessive daytime sweating of the palms, soles and underarms for no apparent reason is known as focal hyperhidrosis. This type of excessive sweating typically stops when you're sleeping and isn't associated with an underlying condition.

Medical causes of excessive sweating include:

1. Diabetes
2. Endocarditis
3. Fever of undetermined cause
4. Generalized anxiety disorder
5. Heart attack
6. HIV/AIDS
7. Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating)
8. Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid)
9. Leukemia
10. Medications, such as some beta blockers and tricyclic antidepressants
11. Menopause
12. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
13. Obesity
14. Stress
15. Tuberculosis

Causes shown here are commonly associated with this symptom. Work with your doctor or other health care professional for an accurate diagnosis.

Source: mayoclinic.org

Schedule a doctor's visit
Contact your doctor if you experience any of the following:

• You suddenly begin to sweat more than usual.
• Sweating disrupts your daily routine.
• You experience night sweats for no apparent reason.

Most types of excessive sweating respond well to treatment.

Source: mayoclinic.org