Anxiety and excessive sweating: Western and Chinese views and how acupuncture can help

Excessive sweating, especially during moments of anxiety, can be a distressing and confusing symptom. You may find yourself sweating more than usual, even when you’re not physically exerting yourself or in a hot environment. Let’s break down why this happens, how Chinese Medicine views it, and how acupuncture can offer relief.

Western medical perspective: Anxiety and excessive sweating

Excessive sweating, also known as hyperhidrosis, is a common anxiety symptom, especially when it happens outside of normal triggers like heat or physical exertion. Here’s how it occurs:

• Overactive sympathetic nervous system: Anxiety activates the sympathetic nervous system, which triggers the fight-or-flight response. This causes your body to release stress hormones like adrenaline, which can increase sweating. Even if you’re not physically active or overheated, the emotional stress can still send your sweat glands into overdrive.
• Temperature regulation issues: Anxiety can affect your body’s ability to regulate its internal temperature. The sudden surge of stress hormones can disrupt the normal balance, causing excessive sweating even in cool environments.
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure: The body’s stress response also includes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, which can overstimulate sweat glands and lead to sweating episodes, even when you’re not physically exerting yourself.

The Chinese Medicine perspective: Yin Deficiency or Qi Deficiency

In Chinese Medicine, excessive sweating is viewed through a different lens, focusing on the balance of Yin and Yang, Qi, and the body’s ability to maintain equilibrium. Here’s how Chinese Medicine might approach this issue:

• Yin deficiency: When the body lacks Yin—the cooling, calming, nourishing aspect of our energy—it can lead to symptoms like excessive sweating, especially during the night (night sweats). Anxiety and emotional stress can deplete Yin, causing the body to overheat and sweat more than usual.
• Qi deficiency: Chinese Medicine also associates excessive sweating with a Qi deficiency, especially in the Spleen and Lung systems. When the body lacks the necessary Qi to support healthy bodily functions, it can lead to issues with temperature regulation, causing sweating even when it’s not hot.
• Excess heat: Anxiety and emotional stress can generate Heat in the body, which causes it to overheat and sweat excessively. The Heat generated can be felt as an internal, uncomfortable sensation that leads to increased sweating.

How Acupuncture Helps with Excessive Sweating

Acupuncture can be highly effective for managing excessive sweating caused by anxiety. Here’s how acupuncture helps:

✅ Regulates the nervous system: Acupuncture helps calm the sympathetic nervous system and brings balance to the body’s stress response. By reducing the fight-or-flight reaction, acupuncture can alleviate the excessive sweating that often accompanies anxiety.

✅ Nourishes Yin and balances Heat: Acupuncture can help replenish Yin and reduce internal Heat. By stimulating points that support the Kidneys and Lungs, acupuncture helps restore your body’s cooling mechanisms, preventing excessive sweating caused by Yin deficiency or excess Heat.

✅ Boosts Qi: Acupuncture is also great at tonifying Qi to address Qi deficiency, especially in the Spleen and Lung systems. By strengthening these energy systems, acupuncture helps restore your body’s ability to regulate temperature and reduce the likelihood of excessive sweating.

✅ Regulates sweat glands: Acupuncture can help regulate the function of sweat glands, ensuring that your body sweats only when it needs to, such as during physical exertion or heat, rather than due to anxiety or emotional stress.

If anxiety is causing excessive sweating or making you feel uncomfortable in your own skin, acupuncture can provide a safe, natural way to restore balance and ease these symptoms. At The Village Healing Centre, we address anxiety-related symptoms and help you find relief from the physical and emotional discomfort that often accompanies them.

If you’re in the Northern Beaches of Sydney and you’d like to take action with your anxiety-related symptoms, we’d love to help you.

📍 Find us in Curl Curl (Sydney Northern Beaches)
📞 Call us at (02) 9938 2182
📅 Book your appointment