Everybody sweats — some a little, some a lot. You probably already know that your body sweats as a way to cool down when you’re hot or exerting yourself. But do you know what’s in sweat? And can you really sweat out toxins? Here’s everything you need to know about sweat and sweating.
What Causes Sweating?
Your body’s ideal temperature is around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The number can vary a bit from person to person, but this is the average core temperature. If your body gets too hot, your brain sends a message that your body needs to cool down. This message comes from the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls your body’s temperature. To cool down, your body begins to release sweat.
Sweat comes from glands in your skin that can be found all over your body. You have higher numbers of sweat glands on your forehead, armpits, the palms of your hands, and the soles of your feet. These glands release sweat so that, as it evaporates, your body temperature falls.
Some normal sweating causes include:
- Exerting yourself while exercising
- Heat, like hot temperatures in the summer
- Eating spicy foods
- Stress, anxiety, or nervousness
- Feeling sick and having a fever
Overheating is dangerous, so if we didn’t sweat, we’d die.
Sweating when you’re stressed or anxious is thought to be an ancestral trait in early humans. The theory is that fighting or fleeing during a stressful time would raise your body temperature and keeping cool is a good way of helping you to carry on.
What Is in Sweat?
Sweat is made up of mostly water. A small portion of your sweat contains other things, including:
- Electrolytes like sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Electrolytes help to trigger different necessary responses in your body, so it’s important to replace them after periods of heavy sweating.
- Small amounts of pheromones, which are chemicals that act like hormones outside of your body
- Bacteria that grow in the sweat that you release; this bacteria can cause body odor.
- Tiny amounts of toxins
Is Sweating Good for You?
Sweating is an important function when it comes to your health. Sweat cools down your body by changing from a liquid into a gas as it leaves your sweat glands and evaporates from your skin. It’s highly effective. But sweating also causes you to lose water. Your body is made mostly of water, so we need to replace it after periods of heavy sweating.
Dehydration can happen after intense exercise or from being out in hot, sunny weather. Both children and adults who don’t drink enough water to replace the liquid that they are sweating out may get dehydrated.
Sweating dehydration can be tricky because you might not feel thirsty until you’re already too low on fluids. When you’re exercising or out in hot weather, it’s important to keep drinking water, even if you don’t feel especially thirsty, to avoid dehydration.
Not drinking enough water after sweating a lot can also lead to heat injury. This type of injury can range from mild cramps to heatstroke, which can be deadly.
Can I Sweat Out Toxins That Are in My Body?
Your sweat is 99% water. Trace amounts of metals and other chemicals can be present in your sweat, but your kidneys and liver do most of the work when it comes to getting rid of toxins in the body. You may have heard that sitting in a sauna or going to a hot yoga class will help your body sweat out dangerous toxins. While in most cases, there have been no definitive connection, some studies show that mercury levels normalized with repeated saunas
What you eat has a bigger impact when it comes to getting rid of toxins in the body. Good nutrition helps your organs to function well. Organs and systems like the urinary, fecal, and respiratory routes do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to detoxification, so these systems need proper fuel to get the job done.
You might notice that your sweat has a strange smell after you eat certain foods. Some sulfuric vegetables, like cauliflower, cabbage, and garlic, can change the smell of your sweat.
What to Do After Sweating a Lot
To cool down after sweating, you should:
- Drink plenty of water. Sports drinks are OK if you've been working out hard and need to replace electrolytes. Otherwise, avoid them because they usually have a lot of sugar. Don't drink fruit juices or soft drinks to rehydrate as they have lots of sugar.
- Lower the temperature in the room by turning on a fan or air conditioning.
- Wash your face or take a shower.
- Change into loose, breathable clothing.
- Move less or just sit and rest.
How to Control Sweat
Sweating is actually good for you. But too much sweating can lead to dehydration. Here are some ways to prevent excessive sweating:
- Wear an antiperspirant. This prevents your sweat glands from producing sweat. The most effective antiperspirants have aluminum in them. Some products are both antiperspirant and deodorant. The deodorant masks the smell of sweat, usually with a fragrance.
- Shower or bathe more often.
- Wear breathable clothing, preferably made of cotton. Clothes blended with polyester can trap sweat.
- Avoid foods that make you sweat. You may want to stay away from processed foods and alcohol (which have high fat content) and caffeine, sugary foods, and spicy foods (which have low-fiber content). These cause the digestive system to work harder to break them down, thus raising your core body temperature.
- Eat more of foods that don't overtax your digestive system. These include leafy green vegetables, fruits, milk, and almonds. Foods with a high water content are good too.
- Drink more water.
- Consider medical treatments like Botox injections or pills like glycopyrrolate and oxybutynin. These treatments are used if you have a condition called hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating.
When to See a Doctor About Sweating
You may need to see a doctor about your sweating if:
- You've begun to sweat a lot more than usual
- You're sweating at night (night sweats) for no reason.
- Sweating is disrupting your daily routine or causing you anxiety.
Seek medical attention immediately if your sweating is accompanied by chills, chest pain, nausea, fever, or lightheadedness. These could signs of an emergency situation.
Takeaways
Sweating is your body's way of keeping you from overheating. But it may not feel very good. If you've been sweating a lot, for instance from exercise, cool yourself down by drinking lots of water, moving less, and going into a cool room. If you keep sweating excessively for no good reason, you may have a condition called hyperhidrosis and should see a doctor.
Sweating FAQs
What are the common causes of excessive sweating?
Causes include diseases (like overactive thyroid, leukemia, and diabetes, to name a few); menopause; and anxiety. Sweating can also be a side effect of taking certain medications, like antidepressants and opioids.
What treatments are available for hyperhidrosis?
Hyperhidrosis treatments may include: a topical cream containing aluminum chloride; pills called anticholinergics; botulinum toxin (Botox) injections; destroying underarm sweat glands via microwave thermolysis; and performing a surgery that cuts the sympathetic nerve that controls how much you sweat (a last resort). Your doctor may also recommend lifestyle changes like learning to control stress and anxiety or adopting a vegetarian diet.
Can diet affect how much I sweat?
Yes. Although we mainly think of spicy foods like curries as making us sweat, these are not the only ones. Any food that requires more energy to digest (steaks, for instance) can raise your body temperature. That's where the term "meat sweats" comes from. A study found that postmenopausal women who ate a low-fat vegan diet reduced hot flashes by 84%. Symptoms of hot flashes include sweating. Some people even sweat from thinking or talking about food. This is called gustatory sweating.
