Sweating is a normal part of everyday life, and we all experience it every once in a while. But if your sweat goes past just cooling you off during a workout or on a hot day and starts to interfere with your everyday life, it goes from a barely-noticeable bodily function to a real problem.
Sweating through the back of your shirt out of nervousness or because of the weather can be embarrassing and make you feel too self-conscious to be able to properly focus on whatever it is you’re doing, like delivering a presentation at work or enjoying a fun date at the park. Instead of being able to freely live your life, you end up worrying about how to stop back sweat from showing.
So if you find yourself wishing that you could stop your pesky back sweat problem, here are some tips that can help you eliminate your unwanted sweating and find your confidence and comfort again.
What Causes Back Sweat?
Let’s start by talking about what it is that can cause your back to get sweaty in the first place. The truth is that sweating is a natural, important bodily function that helps to regulate your body temperature by releasing heat in the form of liquid when you need to cool down. But sometimes, normal sweating can cross the line into excessive sweating, which is defined as sweating that occurs without something like heat or exercise causing it.
In the medical world, this is called hyperhidrosis, and it can happen all over your body or be limited to just one part, like the back. Hyperhidrosis might be hereditary or caused by something like the side effect of a medication or an underlying medical condition. Yet much of the time, the first steps of treating hyperhidrosis are simply prevention and management.
How to Stop Back Sweat With These Easy Steps
When your excessive back sweat is interfering with your self-image and happiness, it can feel like an untackleable problem. But the truth is that there are actually a number of different things you can do to solve it. Here are six steps you can take to manage and even stop your back sweat.
1. Apply Antiperspirant
Even though antiperspirant is traditionally only applied to the armpits, there is no reason why you shouldn’t apply it to your back if that is your sweating problem area. You can start by just using a standard antiperspirant, but if that doesn’t work, you can also give a clinical-strength antiperspirant a shot, as these are formulated to be much stronger and specifically help people who sweat excessively. For the back, we recommend using a spray antiperspirant or antiperspirant wipe, as these will make it easier to cover the entire area.
2. Make Smart Clothing Choices
A lot of the time, the clothes that you wear can be making your sweating problem worse without you even realizing it. Most of us choose our clothes for their style, but when you want to address a back sweating problem, it’s important to consider the fabric, as well. Natural fabrics like linen and cotton are much lighter and more breathable than synthetic fabrics, which lots of modern clothes are made out of. So next time you buy a new shirt, check the tag to see what it’s made out of. Choosing primarily natural fabrics or blends can make a big difference in your comfort.
3. Try a Sweat-Proof Shirt
If you want to wear clothing that you can be sure will definitely help your sweating problem, try out clothes designed to be sweat-proof. Social Citizen’s Social Tee is made out of a blend of ultra breathable and absorbent cotton with just a bit of spandex to help with durability and sweat-wicking. They come in three neutral colors and are designed to fit into your wardrobe and look just like any other one of your favorite t-shirts.
4. Manage Your Anxiety
Much of the time, excessive sweating is caused by nervousness, which can raise your heart rate and make you feel hotter. If you think this might be the case for you, a focus on stress management can really help. A combination of breathing techniques, meditation, and self-care can make a big difference in helping you feel less anxious throughout the day.
5. Look at Your Diet
Some foods tend to raise our body temperature more than others as your body has to work extra hard to digest them. We’re talking about things like highly-processed foods high in fat and sugar and drinks with alcohol and caffeine. Eliminating foods and drinks like this from your diet and focusing on eating a variety of healthy plant foods and drinking lots of water instead can help keep you from getting too sweaty.
6. Speak to a Doctor
If none of the interventions above are helping you as much as you’d like, try talking to a doctor. They might be able to prescribe you a special deodorant, cream, or medication made for hyperhidrosis, or recommend you to make a medication switch that could help eliminate excessive sweating symptoms.
If you’re looking for a sweat-proof shirt that can eliminate underarm sweat while also reducing the appearance of back sweat, check out Social Citizen’s Social Tee, designed for your comfort and confidence.
