Why the Smell?
This brings us to an important question: What causes body odor in general?
One major factor of body odor can be simple stress. According to Prevention, stress causes the body to produce a greater amount of apocrine secretions. This is what happens when we sweat under our arms.
These secretions can smell, well, awful. “Without apocrine sweat or secretion, you cannot produce underarm odor. It’s not just bacteria and moisture; it’s that, plus this apocrine secretion,” George Preti, an organic chemist specializing in the nature and origin of human odors at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, tells Prevention. “Under stressful conditions, you produce more apocrine secretions.”
The next factor in body odor is an obvious one. That factor is hygiene. If you don’t cleanse regularly, you’re probably going to smell, right? This is why it’s better to shower than try to cover up body odor. After all, someone might be able to smell you when you least expect it.
Some medical conditions can cause body odor and increase sweating. One good example of this is hyperthyroidism, which occurs when the thyroid gland is overactive. Night sweats that occur with menopause can cause a funky smell because of all that perspiration. After all, night sweats can make you sweat as much as you would during a workout.