We all probably know that sweating is the body's way of cooling the body - when sweat reaches the surface of the skin, it evaporates, which has a cooling effect.
But few people understand exactly what goes on inside the body before those droplets appear on the skin — and few know that sweat itself doesn't smell either. Learn all about your body's cooling system and fun facts.
What happens when we start sweating
We have millions of sweat glands all over our body. There are three types of sweat glands: eccrine, apocrine, and apoecrine.
Ekrine sweat glands exist in almost every part of the body and they secrete sweat through ducts that open directly onto the surface of your skin.
Apocrine the glands are more concentrated in areas with many hair follicles, including the armpits, groin, and scalp. Apocrine glands secrete sweat through hair follicles into the skin.
Apoecritic glands share characteristics of both eccrine and apocrine glands.
When your body temperature rises, the sympathetic nervous system triggers the eccrine glands to secrete sweat. Apocrine glands, despite being located in sweaty areas associated with exercise, are actually activated in different scenarios. Apocrine glands can produce some sweat when you get hot, but not as much as eccrine glands.
Why do people sweat when they are nervous?
Sometimes sweat appears at the most inopportune time, for example, when you are on stage giving a presentation in front of an audience. Or when you go on a date or ask something from your manager at work.
It is normal to sweat in response to emotions such as nervousness, confusion or fear - but why?
Emotional sweating is a product of the body's fight-or-flight response, which is triggered when you are in a highly stressful situation. It's the same reason our heart starts beating fast, our breathing rate increases, and we get that weird feeling in our gut.
Basically, nervous sweating is the body's way of coping with an unpleasant situation. The body doesn't know the difference between the thrill of a first kiss and hiding from an enemy.
Profuse sweating and hyperhidrosis
According to specialists, hyperhidrosis is one of the most common causes of excessive sweating. In places on the body where sweat occurs naturally, such as the armpits, palms, and face. This usually manifests as a symmetrical excess of sweat on the body (for example, both palms, both soles of the feet, or both sides of the groin will produce excessive sweat). And really don't worry - this is not a sign of nervousness or a serious illness.
So why does this happen? Unfortunately, science has not fully answered this question. People who suffer from hyperhidrosis do not have more or larger sweat glands or anything else in the sweat production process that could cause this problem. The current theory is that it's a genetically inherited problem of the nervous system that causes a sweat response when it's not really needed.
Most often occurs in the armpits. Fortunately, there are treatments for this condition, including the use of very small electrical pulses, drugs, or even injectable neurotoxins to paralyze the sweat glands. However, many people simply do not seek help.
Pregnancy and sweating
During pregnancy, the skin glow may be at least partially due to the thin sheen of sweat that always covers it. It is common for pregnant women to notice an increased amount of sweat. This is because during pregnancy, women can experience hormonal changes, increased blood flow and a higher metabolic rate, all of which lead to slightly more sweat than usual. This is all perfectly normal, although perhaps a little unexpected.
Diabetes related to sweating
There are three ways that people with diabetes can experience excessive sweating: one is in response to low blood sugar, one is related to food, and the third is only at night. The first is such a symptom that diabetics are warned to check that they are not sweating.
Thyroid problems can cause sweating
This is another possible cause of excessive sweating among pregnant women: Pregnancy causes the thyroid gland to become more active in some women and this is associated with high sweat levels.
Hyperthyroidism, the medical term for an overactive thyroid gland, means that the thyroid gland, which plays an important role in manipulating your body's metabolic rate, goes into overdrive by producing an excess of the metabolic hormones thyroxine (T4) and tri-iodothyronine (T3). The body's response to these hormone levels will be such that all of your systems will be forced into incredibly hard mode.
Why do we sweat when we eat?
Spicy foods make some people sweat because the spiciness tricks the brain into thinking the body is overheating.
Eating heavy meals can also cause you to sweat, most likely because metabolizing food can raise your body temperature.
You can also sweat while drinking coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or other warm beverages. In this case, your body notices the increase in temperature and starts a cooling process to neutralize the warm drink.
Effective sweating
Fun fact: people who sweat more often actually tend to become more "efficient" sweaters.
Research shows that people who are used to sweating, such as those who exercise frequently and those who live in warm climates, begin to sweat earlier and more than people who are not used to sweating.
In other words, people who sweat habitually may sweat more quickly than people who don't sweat often. Because the body is more attuned to increases in body temperature, it can regulate body temperature and cool down much more efficiently as a result.
What makes sweat
Sweat is mostly water, but it also contains electrolytes and waste products. Your body loses potassium, sodium, and chloride through sweat. It is very important to restore electrolytes and fluids after sweating. More information on the most important minerals and vitamins when sweating: The most important vitamins and minerals in summer. Sweat is a pathway for the elimination of urea, a byproduct of the breakdown of protein and ammonia.
Quality electrolytes are presented in the category: Electrolytes
Why does sweat have a smell?
Sweat actually has no smell. Wet workout clothes ask to be washed because of the smell, but sweat doesn't smell. Sweat itself is almost odorless. But when sweat reaches the surface of the skin, it mixes with bacteria that break down the sweat into fragrant acids. So it's actually a chemical reaction that causes the bad smell.
Does sweating detoxify?
Although sweat contains waste products, including urea and ammonia, the amounts are not large and can hardly be called detoxification. The body has many other detoxification systems, so there is no need to worry. Your digestive system, lymphatic system, and urinary system remove waste from your body in different ways.
Let's summarize
Most of the time, sweating is completely normal during exercise, on hot summer days, or just before a big event that triggers strong emotions - but if you find that profuse sweating is getting in the way of your life, is really bothersome or makes you feel unsafe, talk to a health professional who can help you identify the cause. the cause of excessive sweating and suggest methods or procedures to help control it.
It is important to rememberthat everyone's health is individual and there is no common recipe for everyone!
So, if you want to know if your body is currently lacking in electrolytes, health professionals recommend the Test "Your Day".
- In time, pay attention to the signals sent by your well-being
- Replenish the body with natural minerals, vitamins and nutrients necessary for health.
- Enjoy energy and good mood every day!
