Salty liquid beads trickling down your forehead, your shirt sticking to your chest, grey patches under those armpit sleeves.
Let’s face it, being all hot, sticky and sweaty is not exactly sexy.
Maybe you think it’s gross, or find it embarrassing, especially if you tend to sweat in weird places (sweaty palms, sweaty feet, inner thighs, behind your ears, around the ankles and the list goes on…)
But what you probably don’t realise is that sweat is physical evidence of your body’s own superpower as a ventilating machine. What’s more, sweating too much at inappropriate times, or not sweating at all, can also be indicators of various health conditions.
Good things come to those who sweat
According to Healthline, besides for preventing you from overheating, (which is the main function of the eccrine and apocrine glands that produce sweat in specific regions of the body), there are many other benefits we get from sweating.
To list a few, these include:
- Releasing toxins; such as heavy metals (mercury, lead and arsenic) from the body, as well as alcohol and other waste products.
- Boosting energy and mood; by increasing endorphin levels that act as natural painkillers.
- Preventing infections; sweat contains an antimicrobial agent, called dermcidin, which acts as an antibiotic, and helps heal wounds.
- Preventing kidney stones; sweating makes us drink more water, which helps to flush the kidneys.
- Lowering heart disease; by improving circulation.
What about weight loss?
Sadly, despite the saying that “sweat is fat crying”, sweating will not help you to burn fat, nor will reduce body mass (which is different to overall weight).
A study published in the Scientific World Journal which evaluated changes in Body Mass Index (BMI) by subjecting a group of young, sedentary men and women to a “sauna induced body mass loss” experiment, which involved two sauna treatments per day over a period of a few weeks, found that any weight loss results were impermanent, and directly attributed to fluid loss. Furthermore, those that had a higher BMI were more susceptible toward dehydration.
Forget “don’t sweat the small stuff”
Whilst we may joke about it, there are certain instances when sweating (more or less than usual) might be a cause for concern.
Some people who sweat excessively have a condition called hyperhidrosis. Explained by Healthline, this is when the sweat glands are overactive and produce more sweat than necessary. Although it can be embarrassing, the condition itself is not harmful. On the other hand, hypohidrosis, which is the absence of sweat, is more dangerous as it can lead to heatstroke.
According to Mayo Clinic, sometimes sweating excessively can be also a sign of an underlying medical condition, such as menopause, overactive thyroid, fever linked to infection, diabetes and even certain cancers.
Should you have abnormal sweating in conjunction with other symptoms, it’s important to bring this to the attention of your doctor. Nonetheless, with all due respect for sweat, try not to use the word gross!
References
Delgado. A. (2020) Hyperhidrosis Disorder (Excessive Sweating). Available at Healthline [online] https://www.healthline.com/health/hyperhidrosis#:~:text=Hyperhidrosis%20disorder%20is%20a%20condition,such%20as%20menopause%20or%20hyperthyroidism.
Frothingham. S. (2019) Health Benefits of Sweating. Available at Healthline [online] https://www.healthline.com/health/sweating-benefits
International Hyperhidrosis Society. Understanding Sweating. https://www.sweathelp.org/home/understanding-hyperhidrosis.html
Klein. S. (2017) 9 Things Your Sweat Is Trying To Tell You. Available at Everyday Health [online] https://www.prevention.com/health/a20452855/what-your-sweat-can-tell-you/
Mayo Clinic. Sweat glands. Available [online] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyperhidrosis/multimedia/sweat-glands/img-20007980
Mayo Clinic. Excessive sweating. Available [online] https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/excessive-sweating/basics/causes/sym-20050780
Podstawski. R. et. al. Sauna-Induced Body Mass Loss in Young Sedentary Women and Men. Available at The Scientific World Journal [online] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4295591/
Roth. E. Sweating (Normal Amounts): Causes, Adjustments, and Complications. Available at Healthline [online] https://www.healthline.com/health/sweating#How-to-Manage-Hyperhidrosis