What is sweat?

Sweating is a natural, essential body process designed to help your body stay cool. You have two different types of sweat glands: eccrine sweat glands, which are distributed over your entire body, and apocrine sweat glands, located on your scalp, armpits, and genital area. While abhorred by many, sweating actually has numerous health- and beauty-related benefits. Your skin is the largest organ of your body and serves important roles just like any other bodily organ. For example, sweating helps your body:

• Maintain proper temperature and keep you from overheating
• Expel toxins, which supports proper immune function and helps prevent diseases related to toxic overload
• Kill viruses and bacteria that cannot survive in temperatures above 36°C
• Clean the pores, which will help eliminate blackheads and acne.

Why do I sweat a lot?

You are born with between 2 million and 4 million sweat glands, and the number of such glands you have will determine, in part, how much you sweat. Women generally have more sweat glands than men. As your body temperature rises, your body will automatically perspire to release salty liquid from your sweat glands to help cool you down. This is controlled by your autonomic nervous system, which you cannot consciously control. However, certain emotions, such as anxiety, anger, embarrassment, or fear, can prompt you to sweat more. Since exercise raises your body temperature, sweating associated with exercise is a sign that you’re exerting yourself and gaining the many benefits that exercise has to offer.

How can I prevent sweating?

Your body is always sweating, even if you don’t notice it. When sweat evaporates, it cools the body, dissipating the heat generated by your metabolism. Visible beads of perspiration only appear on the skin when the output of sweat exceeds the rate of evaporation — something that most often occurs when it’s hot and humid, during periods of exercise or as a response to stress. Sweating excessively under these conditions is not uncommon and is usually not indicative of a health problem. If you are sweating all of the time below are some tips to help.

• Avoid Spicy Foods
• Avoid Caffeine
• Wear cotton or silk Did you know wearing polyester and acrylic will induce sweat
• Don’t add Salt to food
• Reapply deodorants throughout the day
• Start using lemon juice. Squeeze one lemon into a bowl and rub underneath your armpits before bed. It will absorb into your body.
• Stop stressing Stress can increase sweat, so try meditation, practice your breathing and relax.

Does Sweating more mean I’m losing more calories?

“No! Sweat is not a gauge of how hard you are working,” Scott says. Our bodies produce sweat as a way to cool down, so if anything, it’s an indicator of how hot your body is. And hotter core temperatures don’t equal more calories burned. In fact, the fitter you are, the less you probably sweat. “As your body becomes more conditioned, it takes more intense exercise to increase your core body temperature and produce sweat,” she says.

Still, if you’re a hot, sweaty mess 10 minutes into your workout, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not fit. Different people have different numbers of sweat glands, so even a brisk walk to the mailbox can trigger sweat production in some women. On the flip side, if you’re working hard and hardly sweating, you might be super-fit, blessed with minimal sweat glands, or dehydrated. After all, sweating depends on having water to spare.

See a Doctor if sweating is excessive as you may be able to get some help! Thanks Heather