# Why is half of my body sweaty and the other half dry?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-half-of-my-body-sweaty-and-the-other-half-dry/134687>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 31, 2002, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-half-of-my-body-sweaty-and-the-other-half-dry/134687 "2002-10-31T11:13:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mr.Mannerly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@Mr.Mannerly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Mannerly)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-half-of-my-body-sweaty-and-the-other-half-dry/134687/1 "2002-10-31T11:13:59Z")

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There’s a strange feeling I’ve been experiencing every now and then over the past couple of months. I’ll be sitting at home, reading a book or watching a movie or what have you, when I suddenly notice that one of my hands (usually the left) is fairly clammy while the other one is completely dry. And the day before yesterday, I noticed for the first time that this condition seems to apply to my whole body. It was almost as if someone had taken an invisible marker and split my body down the exact middle, designating the left side the “sweaty zone” and the right side the “dry zone”. My left thigh, left hand, even the left side of my head and neck were clammy, while the exact opposite applied to the right sides.

Does anyone know if this is a symptom of something bigger, or is it just one of those weird physical idiosyncrasies the human body likes to throw at us sometimes? Is my body telling me I’m doing something wrong and should stop?

Basically, wtf? 😕

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**Author:** ![Bob\_Scene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bob\_Scene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Scene)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2002, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-half-of-my-body-sweaty-and-the-other-half-dry/134687/2 "2002-11-06T03:00:50Z")

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I’m surprised no one’s answered this yet. I think you should see a doctor about this because there are some serious conditions that could cause this. I can’t answer the question any better than that, but maybe if I bump your thread one of the doctors around here will see it and tell you how much of a hurry to be in when you get this checked out.

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**Author:** ![Eidolon909](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce7236/32.png) [@Eidolon909](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eidolon909)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2002, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-half-of-my-body-sweaty-and-the-other-half-dry/134687/3 "2002-11-06T06:44:59Z")

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Having watched National Geographic last night…

That is one of the symptoms for Fysteria, could you have been exposed?

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**Author:** ![choosybeggar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@choosybeggar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choosybeggar)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2002, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-half-of-my-body-sweaty-and-the-other-half-dry/134687/4 "2002-11-06T08:57:09Z")

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Maybe [this](http://www.pediatric-emergency.com/pow7.htm) is what’s going on?

Well, I doubt it’s unilateral epilepsy but if you’re reporting symptoms accurately, you may have a structural lesion of your autonomic nervous system. You should see an MD. Especially since by your description, the symptoms are worsening.

> [@](#):
>
> _Originally posted by Eidolon909_  
> \*\*Having watched National Geographic last night…
> 
> That is one of the symptoms for Fysteria, could you have been exposed?

\*\*

I think you mean [**pfiesteria**](http://www.pfiesteria.org/pfiesteria/)