By Myra Chen
People with sweaty palms have one common enemy: the resin-laminated black countertops in science classrooms. Although these countertops are one of the best in their resistance to chemical stains, they fail to resist the stain of the embarrassingly humid environment fostered by our over-productive sweat glands: a nice, moist handprint.
At Fountain Valley High School, senior Angelina Nguyen suffers from a bad case of the sweaty hands.
“Just thinking about sweating makes my hands sweat. Everything I touch becomes sweaty and sometimes it makes my papers all wrinkly and even smears my writing,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen isn’t the only one. Around 15.3 million people in the United States are reported to have hyperhidrosis: the excessive sweating in the palms, face, scalp, feet or underarms. People with a sweating problem may have an oversensitive sympathetic nerve, the nerve that responds to stress.
Sweating is a part of the natural fight-or-flight response of human beings, we typically sweat when placed in high temperature environments or in nerve wracking situations as a protective mechanism. Two hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, activate and send a message to your nervous system. Alongside tensing muscles and a quickening heart rate, a flush of heat spreads across your body. To control this increase in body temperature, the human body begins to sweat to cool you down.
Another potential cause are stimulants, like caffeine. Stimulants increase activity in the nervous system and can trigger more reactions in body temperature, and therefore, increasing sweat production.
As much as sweaty hands are an obstacle for its possessor, it can also be quite the uncomfortable situation for others. When it comes time to shake someone’s hand or give them a friendly high five, the sweaty person subjects the innocent onlooker to a transfer of salty sweat.
“Usually I just wipe my hands on a towel or on my pants. I feel like there isn’t much to do except just try not to think about them,” Nguyen said.
To avoid clammy handshakes, a temporary solution is to regularly wash your hands or use hand sanitizer. The alcohol contents of hand sanitizer will dry up the sweat. In tandem, eliminating any odor, limiting the amount of sweat and bacteria transfer and making for a much more pleasant handshake.
Sweaty hands are a natural bodily response. Although having sweaty hands can be an annoyance, it is also perfectly normal. It is a sign that your nervous system is intact and healthy. So, don’t get mad at your hands too much.
