Overview
A person’s Sweat can Smell like ammonia for various reasons, including diet changes, health conditions, medications, lifestyle changes, and exercise. The reason is, the primary purpose of sweating is to reduce body temperature as when sweat evaporates, it leaves a cooling effect on the body, the basic process of thermoregulation built in our DNA by default. But you must be wondering why it has to smell like ammonia. Or why does my sweat smell like urine? Keep reading because in this blog, we will break down for you the causes, remedies, and treatment plan of how you can get rid of the ammonia-like smell from your sweat.
Key Takeaways
- The ammonia smell in sweat can be due to excessive fat burn, protein-rich diets, dehydration, or health conditions in some cases like kidney disease, diabetes, and hormonal changes.
- To eliminate the ammonia-like smell in your sweat, following a balanced diet, good personal hygiene, hydration, and managing physical and emotional stress are crucial.
- The ammonia-like smell in your sweat or urine is not normal and identifying the cause is essential to eliminate it. Consult your doctor if you are not able to detect the cause.
Why Does My Sweat Smell Like Ammonia?
The ammonia-like smell is a sign your body is telling you something is wrong. It is important to notice small changes and read between the lines to understand those changes and act before the consequences become worse. Here is the list of possible causes why your sweat smells like ammonia:
Exercise
Exercise is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle, however, if you notice an intense ammonia-like smell after a workout, then it indicates that your muscles are being broken down. What it means is if you are excessively exercising, and the available energy sources (carbohydrates) have been used, the body starts breaking down stored sources of energy (proteins) into urea which is an ammonia compound. The reason behind smell is that the body converts proteins into urea faster than the kidneys can convert urea to urine. Excess is leached out in a sweat and causes an unwanted ammonia smell. It can be prevented by eating more carbs before and after a workout to avoid running out of primary energy sources (carbohydrates).
Diet
Another crucial internal cause of the ammonia smell in sweat is our diet. Whatever we take in measures what will come off. That’s why it is very important to optimize your diet from time to time and notice all the significant changes occurring due to small changes in your diet. As discussed above, a diet rich in protein and low in carbohydrates can cause ammonia to smell like sweat. It is essential to filter the amounts of proteins and carbohydrates you are taking in. Therefore, it is essential to balance the amounts because not every body type is fit for ketogenic diets and there must be a check and balance.
Talking of ketogenic diets, where individuals usually avoid carbs and grab proteins. Some sources of a protein-rich diet include meat and dairy products like chicken, eggs, and milk. These products also produce smells as dairy products produce trimethylamine (have a strong fishy smell) when digested. It doesn’t end here. Many other types of diets can cause an ammonia-like smell, including some spices like cumin seeds and vegetables like onion, garlic, etc. can be a source of ammonia in sweat once digested.
Dehydration
Whether on a diet or not, working out or not, our body needs water to stay hydrated and run the normal biological processes of our life. However, dehydration can cause more concentrated sweat and a particular ammonia-like smell as the body needs to get rid of ammonia one way or the other so when water is not enough to pass it through urine, it is leached out in sweat.
Health Conditions
Health issues can also cause ammonia to smell in sweat if your diet and physical activity are expected. Let’s analyze those health conditions that can cause ammonia like the smell in your sweat, however, it is best to consult a doctor to have a better picture of the situation.
- Kidney disease
The story behind kidney disease and ammonia smell is that if you are suffering from kidney disease, then it becomes difficult to convert ammonia to urine and filter it out of the body. In that case, the excess ammonia is excreted out of the body with sweat. This condition is called uremia and is a symptom of kidney disease.
- Diabetes
Diabetes is a complex condition that can affect the functioning of many different processes and organs. One such example is diabetic ketoacidosis which occurs when your body lacks enough insulin to digest glucose and instead starts digesting fats to keep the life processes going and burning large amounts of fat releases by-products such as ketones which can make your sweat smell like ammonia or your breath fruity. If the level of ketones increases excessively, it can cause acidic blood which can be life-threatening as minor changes in pH can cause severe consequences in the body.
- Hyperhidrosis
It is a condition where a person sweats too much after physical activity or in hot temperatures. It has two types, including primary hyperhidrosis which affect sweat areas like underarms, feet, and hands but it is not due to an underlying health condition. However, secondary hyperhidrosis is due to another health condition and is a symptom of medicine’s side effects or disease. Excessive sweating comes from eccrine glands and the excess gathers on the skin to cause the smell because of bacterial growth in that buildup. Bacteria release that foul vinegar-like odor. If the condition worsens or is accompanied by other symptoms like nausea, itching, muscle cramps or weight loss then get a consultation from a doctor.
- Liver Disease
In liver disease, the ammonia smell in sweat, breath, stool, and urine is familiar because the liver plays a role in toxin detoxification, and in liver failure conditions the toxins are unable to be filtered and release an ammonia smell instead. Consult your healthcare provider to have a clear picture.
- Trichomycosis
Another cause of the ammonia-like smell in sweat is Trichomycosis which affects pubic hairs, including underarms due to bacterial (Corynebacterium) growth. Trichomycosis causes red, black, or yellow nodules to stick to hairs.
- Trimethylaminuria
It is a rare genetic disease in which, due to faulty genes from one of the parents, the individual cannot break down bad smell-causing compounds i.e., trimethylamine (TMA). This compound smells fish-like and is released in sweat, urine, or breath. TMA is released by gut microbiota and so treatment includes taking activated charcoal supplements that break down TMA
Stress and Anxiety
You might have noticed sweating heavily when you’re anxious, right? It’s normal to experience that often but continuous stress for prolonged periods can activate apocrine glands present in your underarms or private parts. These glands release a thick sweat with higher levels of proteins and lipids which upon release, mixes with bacteria and that’s why the smell is like ammonia.
Hormonal Changes
During hormonal changes for both men and women, an ammonia-like solid smell can develop in sweat, like during menstruation, puberty, menopause, or pregnancy. In menopause, due to decreased estrogen levels, hot flashes can also occur, which is accompanied by heavy sweating and body odor smell like ammonia.
How Do I Get Rid of The Ammonia Smell In My Sweat?
Enough of the causes. Let’s move toward the potential solutions to getting rid of the ammonia smell in sweat. Here are some of the options you can try:
Have a Balanced Diet
While everybody is hopping on the ketogenic diet bandwagon, we want you to pause and try adding essential carbohydrates if your sweat smells like ammonia. Try adding some cereals, whole grains, vegetables, beans, and fruits instead of just taking in a protein-rich diet.
Filter out bad smells with Water.
Yes, when it comes to detoxification even of bad smells, water is the best filtering solution. Drink a lot of water to regularly remove any lousy smell-causing toxins or bacteria from your body. Water also helps fight body odor that comes off after a protein-rich diet. The more water there will be the more ammonia will be excreted via urine and less in sweat. So fill up your water bottles and get rid of sweaty smells. Also, even if sweat comes, it will be diluted and odorless due to more hydration.
Personal Hygiene
It is very important to cater to your hygiene needs daily to feel and smell good. It includes daily bathing, using an antibacterial body wash or soap that is the cherry on top, keeping your underarms and pubic hair shaved to prevent bacterial growth, in hot weather especially wearing loose cotton clothing so that your skin doesn’t feel suffocated and remains dry. Wash your clothes regularly to remain bacteria-free. Use after-bath antifungal creams or powders to smell good and remain healthy.
Deodorants and Antiperspirants
They work as an additional layer to avoid ammonia-like sweat as deo helps solve the odor problem and antiperspirants minimize sweating by blocking sweat glands. This ultimately limits bacterial growth and foul odor. These products contain aluminum salts that prevent sweating, like aluminum chloride hexahydrate.
Say Goodbye to Stress
Stop stressing and stop sweating. High stress increases the amount of toxins in your body and thus increases ammonia which leaches out in sweat. Live in the present and break free from the worries of the past and future to keep your body healthy and happy.
When to Consult a Doctor?
If you experience persistent signs and symptoms like a strong ammonia smell in urine, blood or foam in the urine, rashes, sores, or blisters, it indicates an underlying health condition like diabetes, kidney disease, or fungal infection.
FAQs
It is a sign that your body is under stress and the amount of ammonia in your body has exceeded the average threshold thus, your urine is smelling strong and your groin is too. Try drinking a lot of water to avoid concentrated urine and eat a balanced diet to detoxify your body.
No, it is not normal. It is an indication of a high internal toxin level. Either you are eating a diet rich in proteins and deficient to no carbs or you might have an underlying health condition.
It indicates that your body is burning fats or proteins excessively and thus ammonia is released as a by-product which when in excess excreted out via sweat or urine.
Ketosis is a process in which your body consumes fats as an energy source instead of glucose, thus releasing ketones as a by-product. One such ketone is acetone which gives off a fruity smell more like nail polish remover with a hint of ammonia. However, the intensity of the ammonia-like smell depends upon diet, hydration levels, and health conditions that vary from person to person.
Post-workout smell might be annoying for some people if the smell is extreme and is ammonia-like. It can happen when you are on a ketogenic diet where the body utilizes proteins and fats as fuel or energy sources instead of carbohydrates, thus releasing ammonia as a side product which leaches out in urine and sweat.
Stinky sweat is a sign that your body is under stress. Body odor tells a lot about your internal body health. So whether the stress is due to dehydration, restricted diet, health condition, excessive workout, or anxiety and stress you have on your mind, your sweat might tell a tale via its smell.
It happens when your sweat mixes up with the bacteria on your skin, which causes an onion-like smell due to a chemical reaction between toxins in your sweat and bacteria releasing a sulfur smell due to the generation of thioalcohol.
Try using an antibacterial detergent or make one at home yourself. So what you can do is mix 1:4 vinegar with a water solution and pre-soak your clothes in it. Or you can use ½ cup of baking soda in half a bucket of water. Both baking soda and vinegar break down uric acid by increasing pH and removing the ammonia-like smell from clothes.
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