This is the question set by many people whose feet are kept for long hours in work boots. They may be construction workers, hunters, farmers, police officers, etc. Excessive feet sweating can cause itch, odor, or inconvenience in movements that make people annoying or embarrassing in their workplace. Fortunately, there are many ways offered for you to stop feet sweating in work boots. Let’s get started to discover suitable solutions to your problem!
What do you know about sweating?
Sweating is a common function of the body producing a clear salt-based liquid, which releases from sweat glands. That condition can happen in any part of your body and only cause some problems if its amount is excessive. There are over 500 000 sweat glands in your feet with the aim of keeping moisture for them. Wearing unbreathable shoes and having energetic outdoor activities for a long time can make your feet sweat a lot.
As a medical name, excessive sweating is called hyperhidrosis, which can cause flaky or cracked skin, odor, toenail fungus, even pain in your feet. Consequently, foot problems caused by excessive sweating affect your comfort and confidence. Continue with the use below information for more understanding.
If you are a person struggling with excessive sweating, then you may want to know that obesity and sweating can be related. The reason is that fat people usually have more active sweat glands, which create more perspiration. So, weight loss may also help in the reduction of sweating.
Why do your feet sweat in work boots?
Improper work boots: While the heat can force your body to release sweat for coolness, the feet kept in inappropriate work boots all day can easily lead to excessive sweat. It is obvious for you to acknowledge that an unbreathable or tight pair of boots can stop the salt-water liquid called after sweat from evaporating for leaving moisture but getting your feet wet all the time.
Pressure on your feet: Because you are putting constant pressure on your feet for a long time, they heat up and need cooling off by getting more sweat. Doing so many exercises can cause excessive feet sweating if you do not take a rest.
Foot condition : In the case that you are suffering from an athlete’s foot, your feet can become sweatier. Plus, anxiety or stress also cause excessive feet sweating. Some people have overactive sweat glands or take genes from their parents. In this case, they release sweat even when they take a rest without having any exercises.
Working in a hot environment: This factor comes with heavy-duty or insulated work boots that can make your feet sweaty easily. While the hot environment makes all of your body heat up, these work boots prevent your feet from breathing.
How do feet sweating affect you?
Feet sweating belongs to one of the basic functions of your body to cool off the heat. However, the overactive sweat glands or the environment can make your feet wet, which causes some effects on your health and life if untreated. There are some popular results in suffering excessive feet sweating follow as:
Foot Odor
Foot odor is mainly caused by foot sweating. Although sweat itself is odorless, it creates a convenient environment for the bacteria to grow up and produce annoying odors. Wearing closed-toe shoes contributes to the increase of sweat and gives bacteria a perfect place to thrive more and more. While your feet are kept in work boots, there is not only sweat but also dirt, dead skin cells, and oil leading to smelly feet.
Consequently, you can feel annoyed about that kind of terrible smell and even make others uncomfortable to be close to you. With smelly feet, you can lose your own confidence when being in the crowd and affect your daily life.
Athlete’s foot
Athlete’s foot is caused by a fungus developed in the wet environment with sweat and commonly happens in the area between the second-to-last and the pinkie toe. The symptom of that condition shows that you feel itchy, and your skin turns red, dried, cracked. If untreated for a long time, your skin can get thinner, turn white, be flaky, and even be swollen.
Also, feet sweating can form blisters, sore, and bad smell on your foot. More seriously, an athlete’s foot can make your nails thinner and lose color. As a consequence of suffering from that condition for a long time, your feet will become more sensitive and vulnerable to be infected by cellulitis.
Toenail’s fungus
While the nail fungus may be a common condition with the appearance of small white spots in the toenail, the deeper fungal infection can cause your nail to thicken, discolor. Heavy sweating can cause fungus to thrive and then damage your toenail if it is left untreated. As a result, you may not be happy with ugly nails, and your toes can not be covered by nails for protection.
Methods to stop feet sweating in work boots
Wear appropriate footwear
Footwear functions to protect your feet from outdoor factors and also affect your foot health if you choose the wrong kinds of them. As mentioned, unbreathable or tight work boots make your feet sweaty. With this in mind, you need to consider choosing those boots which have the ability to make your feet breathe. Also, the right size can comfort and reduce stress on your feet while they are working for you.
You can find weather-friendly boots that prevent the heat from the hot climate. They are made of materials for both protection and breathability. In addition, gel inserts are designed to absorb moisture and keep your feet comfortable. Some kinds of foot insert offer you the ability to destroy odors.
In case your boots can not stop your feet from sweating, absorbent socks are the best solution for you. They are made of moisture acrylics or natural fiber for absorbing sweat to make sure that your feet are dry all the time. Some materials good for your choice include merino wool, polyester, Coolmax, Olefin, and DryMax or a combination of these.
Based on the technology of producing quality socks, they can prevent bacteria or odor. Although these socks can be helpful for keeping your feet dry, you need to bring extra socks and change them if necessary for complete dryness throughout the day.
To prevent feet from sweating excessively, one of the most important things is to wear appropriate footwear. For work boots, choosing the right type of boots is essential. Look for breathable materials and moisture-wicking features, such as mesh linings or removable insoles. This can help to keep your feet dry and comfortable, reducing the amount of sweating.
Keep your feet clean all the time
Good hygiene for your feet is important for keeping them odorless, even with sweat. At the beginning of the process of preventing feet from sweat, it is necessary for you to clean and dry them. Before putting your feet on boots or after that, remember to keep them clean all the time.
This job can prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus from affecting your foot health and bring comfort to you. You can use antibacterial soap and then leave them naturally dry before wearing footwear or using a hairdryer if necessary. Keep in mind that cleaning with care will result in odorless feet.
Use foot powder & antiperspirants
If your feet sweating is mild, you can find foot powder for relieving that condition quicker. Some give you cool contact to your skin, while others feature antifungal substances. They can absorb moisture and prevent your feet from sweating to a certain extent. If foot powder is not available, you can use baby powder to replace it.
If you have hyperhidrosis, antiperspirants can help you. They are designed to deal with excessive sweating, including antibacterial agents that prevent odor. However, the combination of antiperspirants and foot powders works for nothing and can even cause an allergic reaction.
In some cases, you can use baking soda or cornstarch available in your kitchen to prevent your feet from sweating in your high-quality work boots. In this way, you sprinkle baking soda into your boots overnight or fill the toes with it.
Apply at-home treatments
There are some natural materials that solve your sweaty feet in work boots. For those who are vulnerable to any kinds of artificial treatments, apple cider vinegar or black tea can be used to protect your feet from bacteria or fungus. While apple cider vinegar works well for cleaning the feet up, black tea can reduce sweat. Both of them are applied by soaking your feet into them.
Moreover, lemons juice can close your pores so that the sweat is stopped from releasing too much. You can use cotton clothing and rub it with lemon juice at the bottom of your feet. Otherwise, you can rub alcohol on the sweaty area to stop the foot odor caused by feet sweating in your work boots.
Drink plenty of water
Some people can suppose that drinking plenty of water can cause excessive sweating. However, this can make your body cool off the heat. As a result, sweat glands don’t need to release too much to cool you.
Drinking plenty of water can also help you to keep your feet sweat-free while wearing work boots. Staying hydrated is essential to regulate your body’s temperature and keep your skin cool, which in turn reduces sweat production. Learn more about the benefits of drinking plenty of water in losing belly fat.
Clean your boots all the time
Not only keeping your feet clean, cleaning your boots will give your feet a comfortable environment for moving in them. A pair of boots left wet or dirt for the next day will make your food conditions more serious. Because the damp and dirty environment helps the bacteria and fungus to thrive with ease, you can suffer from an athlete’s foot and foot odor.
You need to keep your boots clean right after use and leave them completely dry. Many people often only wash the exterior of boots and forget to clean and dry the interior for protecting your foot health.
Take a rest for your feet
If your feet must work all day without taking a rest, they must heat up and need more sweat to cool off. Therefore, let your feet breathe, rest, and dry naturally. In this way, you can take off your boots at breaktime or sometimes use flip-flops instead if possible.
Seek medical advice
When you realize that your hyperhidrosis can not be solved by the above treatments and become more serious, the best way is to find medical advice. The doctors will exactly identify your condition and suggest popper treatments. In some cases, treating feet sweating can give an opposite effect or make your feet worse.
FAQs
Why do my feet sweat so bad in work boots?
Because you may be wearing unbreathable and close-fitting boots, which heat up your feet, your brain is informed of that condition and reminds your sweat glands to work for cooling off and decreasing the temperature on your skin.
How do I stop my feet from sweating in steel toe boots?
There are some treatments used to stop your feet from sweating in steel-toe boots. First of all, you need to invest in quality breathable boots, absorbent socks, or foot inserts. It depends on your foot condition; you can use foot powder or antiperspirants to stop excessive foot sweat. Don’t forget to keep your feet and boots clean and dry all the time with soap or natural treatments available in your kitchen. For more information, you can scroll up for reference.
How do you dry sweaty work boots?
You can leave it naturally dry or use a boot dryer. A good device will supply the proper heat for drying your sweaty work boots without damaging them. Plus, you can stuff newspaper inside your boots to absorb moisture left after it is naturally dry.
How do I keep my feet dry while working?
Sweaty feet can cause annoyance for you while you are working. Thus, you can use foot powder to prevent feet sweating or baking soda, cornstarch available in your house. Sprinkle them in your boot and leave overnight or fill your feet with them. Wearing absorbent or foot inserts is another way but make sure to change and clean them frequently.
Are work boots breathable?
It depends on what types of work boots that you are wearing. Almost all work boots are made of durable materials and protect your feet from water so that they can be nearly unbreathable. However, you can find breathable work boots in the market.
Are our waterproof work boots hotter?
Yes, if you are wearing them on the ground, but no, if you are wearing them in the cool water. Because it is designed to prevent water from contacting your feet, it can strap the heat for a hotter feeling. However, the cool water can not make them hotter if you don’t move much.
Conclusion
Sweaty feet can be normal at times, but excessive feet sweating can cause an inconvenience for you. A pair of comfortable work boots is necessary for your job, but its design can only protect your feet from outside impacts without keeping your feet dry. There are many reasons for getting your feet sweaty in work boots. You need to consider identifying your foot conditions and refer to suitable treatments. Don’t forget that caring for your feet is a must for your comfort and confidence.
