Sweaty hands while gaming can happen to anyone. However, if you don’t do something to stop sweaty hands when gaming, it may negatively impact your progress. In extreme cases, the sweat can sip into the controller and cause it to malfunction. Also, it can leave messy imprints on your pad which can be embarrassing when you are playing locally with friends.
Sweaty hands while gaming can be due to anxiety, weather conditions, or a health condition called palmar hyperhidrosis. While gaming is fun, it can also be challenging and build up your anxiety. When you are anxious, the brain sends signals that prepare the body for an emergency.
Part of the emergency preparations includes an increase in heart rate, causing the blood to pump faster around the body. This series of events lead to a rise in internal temperature. As your internal temperature rises, sweating follows. If the cause of your sweaty hands while gaming is due to anxiety, consider playing less challenging games.
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Sweaty hands when gaming can also be your body reacting to the environment. When the environmental humidity drops significantly, you are likely to experience sweaty hands while gaming. According to doctor Rene Joachim Henri Dutrochet’s theory of osmosis, solvent molecules will move from a solution of low solute concentration to a solution of high solute concentration through a semi-permeable membrane.
In simple terms, during low humidity, the environmental air is very dry and moisture will escape through your skin (considered a semi-permeable membrane) to try to restore the balance. That is why you can easily develop sweaty hands when gaming in an environment with low humidity.
Regardless of the cause of your sweaty hands while gaming, there are ways to prevent it from happening and we will share all the tricks with you.
How to prevent sweaty hands while gaming
Why should anyone even bother to prevent sweaty hands while gaming? Well, sweaty hands when gaming can make the pad more slippery which can make you unintentionally press other buttons. This can make the difference between acing a level or starting all over.
In the worst-case scenario, the pad can slip from your grip and clatter on a hard floor. Depending on the height, it may shatter, crack, or begin to malfunction. That can be both costly and embarrassing if you are playing locally with friends.
If you are fighting to beat a level, you shouldn’t be fighting to hold onto your pads too. Below are tips to avoid sweaty hands while gaming.
1. Wear gaming gloves
Gaming gloves are just like your regular gloves except that they are made with moisture-wicking materials that literally suck the moisture out of your hands. Over the years, more designs of gaming gloves have emerged and further customized how gamers interact with their game controllers. They are also made with all sorts of materials including cotton and synthetic materials like nylon.
Some gloves cover the entire hand while others leave bare knuckles. People experience sweaty hands when gaming differently. Those who experience sweating on their fingers can opt for finger sleeves. These sleeves cover the fingers and leave the rest of the hand bare, allowing the gamer to experience the full grip of the controller.
In addition to helping the player control sweaty hands when gaming, a glove or finger sleeves can also prevent blistering of the fingers. This is particularly important for those who spend long hours in their gaming sessions or those controllers with hard buttons, like the controllers of some old-gen consoles.
2. Use gaming lotion
Rubbing a generous quantity of gaming lotion on your hand before gaming can be a good way to prevent sweaty hands while gaming. Some gaming lotions can prevent sweaty hands while gaming for up to 4 hours. This method is particularly great for those who love the feel of gaming pads within their grip.
On the downside, it can be a distraction for those who spend long hours in front of the screen. Unlike gaming gloves that continue to prevent sweaty hands during the entire gaming session, the effect of gaming lotion wears off after some time. Therefore, the player may have to pause and reapply the lotion after a few hours.
3. Apply gaming spray
Gaming spray works just like gaming lotion to avoid sweaty hands while gaming. The only difference is the mode of application. When you use the spray on your hands, its action will set in when your hands start to sweat.
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Pay attention to your hands when using gaming spray. Once you notice any irritation, it is advised that you stop the use of the spray and consult your physician. Most antiperspirants can be used to prevent sweaty hands while gaming. However, avoid using the one that will make your hands sticky.
4. Coat your hands with baby powder
Baby powder is used to prevent nappy rash in babies but it can also be used to avoid sweaty hands while gaming. Rosin powder used by tennis and baseball players will also serve the same purpose. When rubbed on the hand, the powder will soak up the sweat.
When choosing a powder, make sure you go for talcum-free powder which has been implicated with cancer. In the absence of powder, you can coat your hand with cornstarch. Rub cornstarch between your hands and shake off the excess.
5. Use an anti-slip cover for your game controller
Console developers spend a lot of time on aesthetics and functionality when creating their controllers that grip often feels like an afterthought. While Sony developed the PS5 controller with the PlayStation symbols embossed on the controller handle, it may not be enough to stop the controllers from slipping for people with sweaty hands when gaming.
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One way to avoid some of the ugly outcomes of sweaty hands when gaming is to wrap the controller in a silicone anti-slip cover. There is a silicone anti-slip rubber case for Xbox and PlayStation. Silicone will continue to stick to your hands even when it becomes sweaty.
6. Wipe your hands with a napkin or clean cloth
This is not a way to avoid sweaty hands while gaming, rather, it is a way to stop sweaty hands when they occur. Therefore, it will be most useful for players who don’t experience excessively sweaty hands when gaming. If you are one of those who experience excessive sweating, this may not help.
Keep an acrylic tissue box close to you when playing and simply pull out one to wipe your hand whenever it becomes sweaty. For the sake of not polluting the environment, you can substitute tissues with mini sweat towels which are reusable.
7. Keep hands dry with a fan
If the reason for your sweaty hands is because of a hot environment, keeping yourself cool while playing games can be the solution to your problem. A fan should keep you cool. Also, if your sweaty hands while gaming are due to other causes, the fan will help to dry the sweat as soon as they are produced.
8. Get a Botox injection
Botox injections have been approved by the FDA to treat excessive sweating. It is a longer-term solution to stop sweaty hands when gaming. When injected, Botox will selectively deactivate sweat glands leading to reduced sweating. Interestingly, this procedure is selectively invasive and no special care is needed afterward.
The duration of Botox effects varies anywhere from 6 to 12 months. Unfortunately, unlike the other tricks to stop sweaty hands when gaming, Botox injection is not something you can accomplish on your own. You must work with your physicians to know if it is right for you. Also, it may be a more expensive fix compared to the other options. However, the duration of the effect makes it feel worthwhile.
9. Take frequent breaks
Most triple-A games like Dead Space and The Last of Us will test the limit of your anxiety. The more anxious you become the higher your chance of getting sweatier palms. One thing you can do to stop sweaty hands when gaming is to take frequent breaks.
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Breaking up your gaming hours will give you the chance to attend to your sweaty hands as well as help you to ease the building tension causing the rise in your anxiety level. Taking a 20-minute break—to take a stroll or do some squats—for every hour played may just be enough to stop your hands from going into sweat overdrive.
Final thoughts
Anyone can get sweaty hands when gaming. However, the chance of this happening is higher among those who play for longer hours, those who play horror or challenging titles, and those who live in tropical climate regions or experience hot summers.
The condition can be tackled physically using gloves, antiperspirant cream or spray, powder, regularly whipping your hand on a clean towel and covering your controller with anti-slip silicon. Mechanically, it can be fought using fans. Finally, if every other tip fails, take the medical route and get a Botox shot.
Are there any other means to stop sweaty hands when gaming that we failed to mention? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comment box below.
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