How to Get Rid of Cold Sweats

How to Get Rid of Cold Sweats

How to Get Rid of Cold Sweats

Cold sweats, also referred to as clammy skin, happens when the skin becomes cold, damp, and pale due to excessive perspiration. Unless you are shirtless in the middle of Greenland, swimming during wintertime, or acting like Gandhi, your skin should be warm and dry.

However, there are various types of illnesses that may cause your skin to turn clammy, even if you cover yourself with a plethora of fur coats and decide to bask in the desert sun. Donning the whole animal kingdom or exposing yourself to heat may cause heat exhaustion, which in turn cause cold sweats.

The condition is not really a matter of climate change or superficial cause and effect principle -- it is about health conditions that may require medical attention.

Psychological stress and anxiety may also provoke physiologic changes that translates to perspiration and clamminess. Lack of normal skin color normally accompanies cold, clammy skin. Depending on the cause, other symptoms may manifest as well.

Having a cadaver for a body may suggest nothing serious; however, such a body condition may raise health concerns. Understanding this medical condition and its causes and symptoms, can help you reach a definitive answer.

Causes and Signs of Cold Sweats

• Anxiety. This emotional disorder, characterized by unreasonable fears and feelings of impending doom, may trigger various physical symptoms, including heart palpitations, dry mouth, indigestion, and cold sweats. (For dry mouth treatments, learn how to get rid of dry mouth)

• Acute Gastritis. It usually occurs in a sudden and violent fashion, but only lasts for a short time. There are two types of acute gastritis: acute simple gastritis and acute erosive gastritis. The former may be caused by excessive intake of spicy food, alcohol, aspirin, or other drugs, which is often marked by nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The latter is a medical emergency that may be caused by swallowing a poisonous substance, often marked by severe stomach pain, rapid pulse, excessive thirst, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting of blood, and cold sweats.

• Heat Exhaustion. When heat is accompanied by high humidity, exhaustion becomes a common sight. People suffering from heat exhaustion sweat profusely, which turns their skin pale and clammy. The condition is marked by faintness, poor coordination, dizziness, thirst, nausea, and vomiting.

• Shock. This condition occurs when blood pressure is too low to maintain the body's vital functions. Such occurrence is marked by a fast, weak pulse, disorientation or confusion, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, lack of urination, and a sense of impending doom. Shock may also be the result of fluid loss, such as severe burns and certain cardiovascular conditions like heart attack.

• Hypoglycemia. When the level of glucose in the body becomes abnormally low, symptoms of cold sweats manifest, such as dizziness, faintness, hunger, nervousness, irritability, and mood swings. Hypoglycemia can occur due to excessive production of insulin, which is why diabetic people should be careful with their medicinal dosage. Insulin overdose can be life-threatening.

Quick Care Tips

For someone suffering from heat exhaustion, have him or her drink plenty of fluids and move to a cool shaded environment. Meanwhile, for people who are suffering from shock, let him or her lie down on the back with legs elevated about 12 inches. You should probably consult a doctor through the phone, or better yet, call an ambulance or bring the person straight to a hospital.

As much as possible, stabilize the person before medical aid comes. If upon first aid remedy, the symptoms have improved, you may not necessarily need to bring him or her to a hospital; however, people with any of the following symptoms should immediately be given medical assistance:

• Shortness of breath
• Chest discomfort
• Signs of shock, such as low level of consciousness, confusion, or weak pulse
• Repeated occurrence of cold sweats
• Anxiety-related symptoms
• Heat-related symptoms
• Sickle cell disease or a condition that impairs the immune system

If you are not familiar with any first aid procedure or unable to contact a doctor, call for emergency help or take the person to a hospital right away.

Before heading to a hospital, you may want to prepare answers for certain medical questions to help the doctor diagnose. If you are on your way to a hospital, try to compose yourself and go through these questions:

Time Pattern

• How quickly did the symptom(s) develop?
• Did it develop suddenly?
• Has it ever happened before?

Medical History

• Is the person ill?
• Is the person in pain?
• Has there been an injury?
• Does the person seem anxious or stressed?
• Has there been a recent exposure to high temperature?
• What other symptoms occurred for the past few hours? Days?

Tips to Prevent or Remedy Cold Sweats

• Change your exercise routine from hot,hock should be dealt with immediately. Before any medical aid, be sure to keep the person lying down with legs elevated. Cover the person for warmth and stop external bleeding by applying pressure. Make sure the person is able to breathe freely. If breathing stops, give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR (Learn how to do CPR) if both breathing and pulse stop.

• Resort to medication and behavioral therapy. If you have a great deal of anxiety problems, consult a doctor for medication and psychological treatment. Behavioral therapy gradually exposes you to frightening situations in order to eliminate any fear response, and eventually control anxiety.

Cold sweats is a condition that may be life-threatening if not given attention right away. As much as possible, avoid situations wherein you are risking cold sweats, or any medical condition for that matter. Cold sweats may sound trivial but it can prove to be fatal so do not ignore it by all means.

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