The complete answer to your why do my feet sweat so much question and proven to work sweaty feet remedies.
SEE ALSO: Listerine foot soak before/after photos
Sweaty feet are undeniably one of the most embarrassing and uncomfortable situations you can experience.
Sweaty feet? Big deal!
That’s how some people might react when you try to explain it to them but little do they know about the consequences it causes for the one who suffers from it: you.
And no we’re not talking about sweating on a super hot day or after an intense workout session.
We’re talking about sweating to the point you experience the following scenarios in your life all the time.
Let’s talk about some examples of when suffering from ultra sweaty feet might interfere in your day to day life:
- Walking into someone’s house and hoping that no one will ask you to take your shoes off. Or in some cases, avoiding to visit places where you know you’ll have to take them off.
- You love sports but the fear of flooding your socks and shoes with sweat pulls you back from participating.
Can you relate to the above scenarios?
Your social life is most likely the one that suffers the most.
Picture this: You’ve been walking a mile to a relative’s house and they ask you to remove your shoes before coming in. Ouch!!
At that moment you’re trying to make quick excuses in your head to leave before having to take them off.
Just imagining that is terrifying you right and you’ve likely been in that situation many times before landing on this page.
Relax.
You’re not alone and there certainly are some solutions to help you treat the smelly feet condition.
What causes sweaty feet?
Did you know you need to sweat?
Yes, sweating is a normal bodily function that actually has a purpose: Thermoregulation.
In other words, sweating helps control your body temperature even when the outside environmental temperature is different.
When your body is too hot, the sweat glands on your skin produce sweat that helps cool your body when the sweat evaporates.
Bottomline: Sweating is good for health.
So when does sweating become a problem?
Sweating becomes a problem in your life when you sweat excessively.
It’s when you sweat way more than what’s required to maintain your body temperature.
Excessive sweating is known as Hyperhidrosis [1]. There are two main types of Hyperhidrosis and they are:
- Generalized Hyperhidrosis (GH):
This affects the entire body and is usually caused by things such as infections, thyroid problems, diabetes, menopause, pregnancy, neurological disorders, and certain medications.
If any of the above causes of GH is relatable to you then that could be the reason why you’re Googling why do my feet sweat so much.
Another thing to note about Generalized Hyperhidrosis is that as mentioned, it affects your entire body and not just one part.
- Focal Hyperhidrosis (FH):
Primary Focal Hyperhidrosis: This is the most common one that can occur in completely healthy individuals. It’s said that 51% of those with FH suffer from Axillary Hyperhidrosis (excessive underarm sweating).
However, the hands, feet, and face can also be affected by FH.
Research also reveals that Focal Hyperhidrosis has a genetic connection [2].
In this case, excessive sweating in the feet is called Plantar Hyperhidrosis and it usually fits in the Primary Focal Hyperhidrosis category [3].
The 2 main causes of Focal Hyperhidrosis is heat and emotional factors such as stress and anxiety.
It is estimated that each foot has about a quarter of a million sweat glands, but the number of these glands can be and is usually much higher in people who have this specific issue.
The problem with your sweaty stinky feet is not the number of sweat glands, but something else entirely. You start experiencing the smelly feet issue when the sweat does not evaporate quickly as it should but sticks around which allows for the growth of bacteria that in turn can put your skin at risk of more complications.
Excessive sweaty feet can cause symptoms such as itchiness and also increase the risk of infections such as Athlete’s foot.
Top 3 causes of sweaty feet
Know your enemy…even better!
- Heredity – and it’s logical. For instance, if one of your parents had a much larger number of sweat glands on their feet or generally a problem with excessive sweating, there’s a good chance it can be passed on to you as well. If it didn’t affect you, or if neither of your parents had this problem, you can cross this out and move on to the other two.
- Physical Activity and Sports- Physical activity, although obvious, is another main trigger factor of excessive sweaty feet. And if the sweat doesn’t evaporate quickly, it will create the perfect environment for bacteria to form in your shoes. They will bask and frolic in your sweaty socks and leave you to suffer the consequences.
- Stress & Anxiety: Is there anything these 2 don’t seem to have an impact on? Why is my heart pounding erratically? Stress. Why am I insomniac? Stress. Why do I sweat and smell? Stress. It’s true though, and the two particular areas affected by stress are your feet and palms.
You will notice how your palms get sweaty when you are in a pinch, or close to a person that makes you nervous, regardless of reasons. It’s stress, and it’s the same case with your feet.
6 Sweaty Feet Remedies
There are a lot of great solutions for sweaty feet and smelly shoes, among which some require better and more regular personal hygiene practices, and some require the use of certain helpful things you can find in your house.
The first thing that can help deal with your sweaty feet problem is to have several pairs of socks and shoes available. If your circumstances don’t allow you to have multiple pairs of shoes, have some good pairs of breathable socks ready.
Keep a pair in your pocket or bag when you’re out because you don’t know when you might need to change it.
You absolutely have to select your shoes carefully – your feet have to be able to breathe in them, so nothing too tight and nothing out of rubber or cheap synthetic materials. It does not matter how good some shoes look – if they are not good quality do not buy them. Ever. Even if you don’t have sweaty feet, you’ll still be creating the perfect environment for bacteria in these kinds of shoes.
1. Change your socks and shoes often
And keep them clean and dry.
As mentioned above, your shoes should be comfortable and allow your feet to breathe and your socks better be 100% cotton. Now, assuming you have at least two good pairs of shoes and a lot of socks, this step should be the easiest one to follow.
A lot of people who suffer from excessive sweaty feet tend to feel better after adopting this practice. It’s not going to make your sweaty feet to stop sweating but it will help manage the bad odor from your shoes and socks.
All you have to do is to rotate your shoes often, if possible twice a day. Each time you remove your shoes, wash your feet, dry them well and put on a pair of fresh socks.
The trick is to keep your feet and shoes dry 100% of the time. After a while, you will notice that even when your feet sweat, it does not smell too bad at all.
2. Drying your feet and antiperspirants
This second tip is also quite easy to follow and it’s something you should do anyway, but it’s still worth mentioning.
Whenever you wash your feet, try to do so with warm water because warmer water opens up your pores, making it easier to clean every dot of your feet.
Do not use any aggressive soaps or shower gels. If you notice itchiness or rashes from any of the products you’re using, discontinue them immediately and opt for a natural soap that will not irritate your feet. The skin of your feet is more sensitive than it looks.
Immediately after washing your feet, make absolutely sure that they are completely dry. Use a towel to thoroughly dry them and avoid getting them unnecessarily wet whenever possible. It’s generally hard for bacteria to thrive in the dry environment, so this is your trump card.
Also, if you have severe sweaty feet issues, apply antiperspirants or baby powder on the sole of your feet. This little trick can save you some embarrassment if you are going somewhere where you have to remove your shoes.
3. Exfoliate your feet from time to time
Exfoliating your skin with scrubs and pumice stones, and then moisturizing them with a rich foot cream is a lifesaver when you have sweaty feet.
It will help get rid of those hard dry dead skin on your feet and also any lingering dirt and bacteria.
After exfoliating and moisturizing your feet, put on a clean pair of socks. Doing this on a regular basis will not just help you deal with the sweaty feet problem but it will also give you nice looking feet.
Now, who wouldn’t want that?
4. Salt water foot soak
This might sound like a simple remedy but it’s actually very effective to treat sweaty and smelly feet.
Get into the habit of soaking your feet in the warm salt water, preferably sea salt or Himalayan salt for 20 minutes, at least 2 times a week.
Salt water foot soak will help dry and help exfoliate your feet deeply to get rid of every dirt and bacteria that you might have missed otherwise.
WARNING: If you have any cuts or wounds on your feet, the salt water foot soak will irritate that area so keep that in mind if you experience any burning sensations while soaking your feet in the salt water.
5. Apple cider vinegar soaks
The astringent and antibacterial properties of Apple Cider Vinegar can also help treat sweaty feet.
Add half a cup of ACV in a basin of warm water and soak your feet in it for 20-30 minutes. Do this once or twice a week for best results.
Similar to the salt water soak, this one will also help deep cleanse and exfoliate your feet from any remaining bacteria and odors.
When you’re done, dry your feet immediately and put on a fresh pair of socks if you’re going out.
Apple cider vinegar will keep your skin completely dry for hours after the soak, and it will eventually reduce your sweaty feet problems to a bare minimum.
6. Soaking feet in sage tea
One of the best natural astringents is called tannic acid which can be found in tea, wine and a lot of other things. Soaking feet in wine would be expensive and downright outrageous, though.
Now, in order for this to work, you have to make really strong tea for the soak, which means at least 5 to 6 bags for your basin. Don’t freak out when you see that your feet changed color because of the tea – this is normal and it can be easily washed off. Sage tea soaks should also ideally last from 20 to 30 minutes.
The Sage tea soaks will give you good results in the long run and is possibly one of the best ways to get rid of your sweaty feet and smelly shoes for good.
When to see a doctor
If you started sweating excessively suddenly a short while ago, and if this does not happen to you all of the time, you need to see a doctor.
The thing about excessive sweating and sweaty palms and feet is that it is mostly constant and it does not just appear and disappear. If you are under a lot of stress, this could happen, but it could also indicate that something else is wrong with your body.
Excessive sweating can be a symptom of something more serious if it’s sudden. Even if you think that stress is causing this, you should go see a doctor because stress usually triggers a lot of things in your body.
How do you manage your sweaty feet problem?
Feel free to share your experience in the comments below.