Sweating is associated with being hot. The fact is when we are hot, our bodies sweat as a defence mechanism to cool us down so that we do not overheat. It’s an interesting fact, but you may ask, why are my feet sweating but are cold at the same time?
Could this be because of hyperhidrosis? But, what is hyperhidrosis? Hyperhidrosis is the medical term for frequent or constant sweating. There are many causes of hyperhidrosis, but most of all, they can make your feet feel cold.
Sweating, lack of adequate blood flow to the feet – through the arteries, and nervousness are obvious reasons for getting cold feet. Arteries are the blood vessels that deliver oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the body’s tissues, including those in the feet.
Let me provide a bit more detail here, poor blood circulation to the foot makes it difficult for enough oxygenated blood to go to the feet through the arteries to warm them up regularly. Hence your feet feel cold.
However, the sweatiness of your feet may have other underlying causes, including diabetes and thyroid problems.
If you suffer from circulation problems, it is crucial to keep your feet warm and covered to protect them from the cold or heat, as you may not have a full feeling in your extremities. Then you won’t get any peripheral ulcers or injuries to your toes.
What Is Cold Feet A Sign Of, Seriously?
We have to distinguish between cold feet from the exterior weather. If your floor or room is cold, then your feet may become cold to the touch. So, cold feet can be just that, a sign that your feet are not warm enough. The easiest solution here is to put on some warm socks and your problem fixed.
There are some other sinister reasons why your feet may be cold and sweating at the same time. If you have diabetes type 1 or type 2, you may have nerve damage in the extremities.
Mention it to your doctor to check it out if you are concerned. People with diabetes require close monitoring of blood sugar levels, adjust insulin and stay optimal.
Now, I will express in more detail some of the signs that cold feet could indicate:
Poor Circulation
In certain conditions, the heart may struggle to pump enough blood to the extremities. One cause of poor circulation is a heavy smoker.
Giving up smoking is imperative, as if you fail to do so, you will be a wheelchair user due to not enough blood reaching your extremities over a long period. Once you give up smoking, you will notice the difference within one week and will be able to walk further.
HYPOTHYROIDISM
An underactive thyroid gland can interfere with the metabolic system and slow the metabolism down. Hypothyroidism directly lowers the body’s temperature and heartbeat and reduces circulation to the feet, and this means that the feet will always be cold.
If you have a problem with cold feet all the time, ask for a blood test to check your thyroid levels.
Why Are My Feet Sweating But Are Cold?
A lack of adequate oxygenated blood flow to the feet through the arteries can also make the feet cold. Below are some of the reasons for feet sweating but are cold at the same time.
Raynauds Disease
Raynauds disease is due to blood vessels spasming and not allowing enough blood to both the hands and feet. At the same time, the feet may feel sweaty. Seek advice from your doctor, as there are now medications that can help with this disorder.
Arteriosclerosis
Often seen in older people is caused by a build-up of plaque in the arteries, where high cholesterol is often present.
When you touch the feet, they are often cold and sweaty to feel. You can slow or stop arteriosclerosis by eating a healthy diet and giving up smoking. Take up walking.
Metabolic Disease
Diabetes is the most common metabolic disorder, and especially people with type 2 diabetes, caused by lifestyle choices, will have cold sweaty feet.
Often weight loss and exercise are recommended to help these people, as losing weight can return the blood sugars to normal and ultimately reverse the need for medication.
Sadly many of these people never manage to make the changes due to entrenched poor dietary habits and inability to exercise.
Because metabolic disorders negatively impact the body’s ability to distribute vital nutrients like proteins and carbohydrates, the condition often manifests in uncomfortable symptoms and the body’s inability to correct the situation.
A person with type 2 diabetes will often have cold, sweaty feet, and compression socks to boost circulation can help increase blood flow.
Daily Rituals To Care For Sweaty Feet
I went ahead and put together a few daily rituals that you can implement today to ensure that your feet do not sweat as much.
1. Lifestyle Changes
If your feet are excessively sweaty, they may need washing twice a day; use cool water with a few drops of eucalyptus added, and use antifungal soap.
Especially in Summer, having sweaty feet is normal, and if you suffer from excessive sweating, you will need to change your socks each time you wash your feet.
If you are overweight, consider a diet to take some weight off your feet, this will make a difference to your whole body.
2. The Right Shoes
Choosing the right shoes for walking around is very important. Once you find the right shoe, buy two pairs. The shoe should have stability and give support.
Look for roominess in the toe area, and make sure that the midsoles have some cushioning. Check that the shoe has good shock absorption. Once you have new shoes, alternate them by resting one pair.
3. Buy The Right Socks
If you suffer from excessively sweaty feet, you can buy socks that draw moisture away from the skin. You will need to visit a sports store and ask them to show you some moisture-wicking socks.
Some sports socks have ventilation panels that minimize moisture and odor.
Before you put your socks on, use your antifungal powder to keep your feet odor-free.
During the day, for fast relief, use rubbing alcohol (like methylated spirits) to dry out sweaty feet.
4. Seek Medical Attention
Ask your doctor to prescribe a strong antiperspirant. Drysol may work for you and is often the answer, especially in hot summer weather when the problem becomes much worse for most people.
In really extreme cases, Botox injections can stop excessive sweating. Unfortunately, the Botox wears off within a year and would have to be re-injected.
Sweaty feet can be embarrassing, so do everything you can to control the problem.
Go to a podiatrist; if you need good advice, they’ll recommend strategies you can implement today to solve your feet problem – they do it for a living.
You can often put an inner sole in your shoe, which will extend your footwear life, as when it becomes dirty, you can throw it away and purchase another pair.
5. When You Play Sport
If you play a lot of sport, you may ask why my feet are sweating but are cold? Sweating is the body’s way of cooling off when we are too hot. When we have a fever, we find this affects us and lowers the temperature.
So if you are playing regular sport have the right shoes for each sport, like cycling, tennis and running, and keep them for that activity. When you are very active, sweating is considered normal, depending on the effort expended.
Conclusion
You can do a lot to control sweaty feet and keep them clean and comfortable with a bit of planning.
