So, the reason stress sweat smells worse than other sweat is because different glands react to stress than react to heat and exertion. These glands produce a kind of sweat that is full of food for bacteria, and bacterial growth leads to odor.
"The evolutionary theory behind why stress sweat smells so bad is that it's believed the odor triggers an alert response in our brains," Hafeez said in an email to CNET. "When humans smell this type of perspiration, we can tell it's the physical response to a mental concern, like fear or anxiety."
Your body odor can change due to hormones, the food you eat, infection, medications or underlying conditions like diabetes. Prescription-strength antiperspirants or medications may help.
Estrogen and progesterone levels fall relative to your testosterone, while cortisol tends to increase. Higher levels of both testosterone and cortisol have been linked to stronger body odor.
Stress sweat comes from the apocrine sweat glands, which heavily populate the armpits, genital regions, scalp and hair follicles. The composition of stress sweat also differs from regular sweat - it's 80% liquid while the remaining 20% consists of fats and proteins.
Phantom Smells, such as odd, strong, acrid, metallic, blood-like, sour, ammonia-like, acidy, and repugnant smells, to name a few, are common anxiety disorder symptoms. Many anxious people report having phantom and odd smells as an anxiety symptom.
Common signs and symptoms of higher-than-normal cortisol levels include: Weight gain, especially in your face and abdomen. Fatty deposits between your shoulder blades. Wide, purple stretch marks on your abdomen (belly).
As the body's primary stress hormone, cortisol surges when we perceive danger, and causes all the symptoms we associate with “fight or flight”—increased blood pressure and heart rate, muscle tension, and the digestive system slamming to a halt, resulting in nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
If you're concerned about sweating and body odor, the solution may be simple: an antiperspirant or deodorant. Antiperspirant. Antiperspirants contain aluminium-based compounds that temporarily block sweat pores, thereby reducing the amount of sweat that reaches your skin.
When the bacteria break down the sweat they form products called thioalcohols, which have scents comparable to sulfur, onions or meat.
Dehydration can also make the sweat smell like ammonia. This is because the body needs water to get rid of ammonia through sweat. If there is not enough water to dilute the ammonia as it is released by the body, the smell of ammonia may be stronger.
“When you're anxious, your brain sends signals down your body to prepare for disaster. Your heart races, your blood pumps, and your internal temperature rises. Thus, you start to sweat,” explains Dr.
What's unfortunate is that anxiety itself can actually create smells that weren't originally there. That's because anxiety can cause sweating, which may make your armpits and other areas start to smell more like sweat.
Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhances your brain's use of glucose and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues. Cortisol also curbs functions that would be nonessential or harmful in a fight-or-flight situation.
As your body perceives stress, your adrenal glands make and release the hormone cortisol into your bloodstream. Often called the “stress hormone,” cortisol causes an increase in your heart rate and blood pressure. It's your natural “flight or fight” response that has kept humans alive for thousands of years.
Hair is another place where bacteria like to hide. If you still smell a strong body odor after a shower, consider shaving the hair in your armpits, groin, and chest. The hair's surface is a perfect place for bacteria to call home, and it's harder to eliminate them from the hair than your bare skin.
Trimethylaminuria is a disorder in which the body is unable to break down trimethylamine, a chemical compound that has a pungent odor. Trimethylamine has been described as smelling like rotten or decaying fish.
Trimethylaminuria (TMAU) is an uncommon condition that causes an unpleasant, fishy smell. It's also called "fish odour syndrome". Sometimes it's caused by faulty genes that a person inherits from their parents, but this isn't always the case. There's currently no cure, but there are things that can help.
In evolutionary terms, smell is among the oldest of the senses. New research shows how anxiety or stress can rewire the brain, linking centers of emotion and olfactory processing, to make typically benign smells malodorous.