13 Fun Facts About Sweat

 In Uncategorized

Everyone sweats. Everyone should sweat. It is an important regulating function of the body and it is a necessary process. With so many different myths and stories about sweat, it is oftentimes hard to know what is true and what is false. 

Our team at The Center for Hyperhidrosis is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to all things sweat. That is why we have compiled a list of 13 fun facts about sweat that you may not know! 

1. The fitter you are, the more easily you sweat. What exactly does that mean? Well, for those who work out often and, as a result, sweat often, their bodies begin to recognize and familiarize themselves with the sweating process more than the average person’s body would. When they begin to work out, their body is queued and remembers the important role it must play to cool down the body and it begins producing sweat sooner.  

2. More age equals less sweat. In other words, the older you get, the less you sweat. It is as simple as that. This is a result of sweat glands shrinking and becoming less sensitive over time. 

3. Sweat is like a fingerprint- it’s unique. Like a fingerprint, sweat is unique to everyone. Its composition is a combination of compounds that is uniquely yours. So while everyone sweats, no two people sweat the same.  

4. Sweat is odorless and colorless. You may smelt stinky sweat before. You may have also experienced sweat staining a shirt you were wearing. While both of these scenarios are entirely possible, sweat is actually colorless and odorless. It is bacteria on your skin or reactions with chemicals on your skin that actually create the odor or color that you may associate with sweat. 

5. Sweat glands are not evenly distributed. The most concentrated area of sweat glands is at the bottom of your feet. On the flip side, the least concentrated area of sweat glands is on your back. Both areas of the body have an abundance of active sweat glands- the feet just happen to have more. 

6. We sweat a lot. In fact, the average human has been proven to sweat approximately 278 gallons of sweat every year! Now that’s a lot of sweating. 

7. There is no such thing as a new sweat gland. The sweat glands that you are born with as a baby are the same sweat glands that you will have for the rest of your life. We are born with the sweat glands that we will carry with us forever- and no new ones are ever formed after birth.

8. Sweat does a lot of good. In addition to regulating our body’s temperature and cooling us down when needed, sweat provides a lot of other benefits that help to maintain our body’s wellbeing. Dermcidin, for example, is an antibiotic peptide found in sweat that regulates bacterial growth on the skin and even helps to fight certain infections. Thanks, sweat! 

9. Stress sweat is not the same as regular sweat. For one, they are triggered by totally different things. Plus, these two types of sweat are not even comprised of the same chemicals. Regular sweat is a composition of water, salt, and potassium. Stress sweat, on the other hand, is made up of fatty acids and proteins. 

10. The amount we sweat and body weight can actually correlate. During intense exercise, for example, athletes can sweat 2-6% of their body weight. That means you can literally sweat pounds of your body! Don’t get too excited though, this doesn’t mean that you are going to lose weight every time you sweat. While you may lose a lot during your workout, our bodies will work quickly to replenish whatever you burn, if needed. 

11. Sweat glands differ between the sexes. Women are found to commonly have more sweat glands with men. The sweat glands of men, however, have been found to produce more sweat overall. Some studies suggest that this is due to weight. Either way though, the sweat gland composition between men and women is simply not the same. 

12. Sweat can get pretty crazy. Some people can sweat blood. Other people have been found to sweat various colors like green, blue, black, and more. Both of these instances are due to the conditions of those individuals. So sweat is colorless and odorless…except for a few out-of-the-box instances. 

13. There really is such a thing as sweating too much. Hyperhidrosis. It is a condition that at least 3% of the population has been known to have and it is characterized by extreme or excessive sweating. As we mentioned, sweating is a necessary and important process of the body, but to an appropriate degree. After so much, it is excessive in nature and can actually do more harm than good. Hyperhidrosis can be embarrassing, annoying, bacteria-causing, and more. If you are experiencing excessive sweating or frequent unwanted sweating, you may be suffering from hyperhidrosis– and we are here to help fix that! 

While these 13 fun facts about sweating may be unique and interesting to know, it is important to remember how significant sweating really is and how important it is to make sure your body’s sweating process is in check. If you are experiencing problems with sweating too much or other irregularities, contact us today at The Center for Hyperhidrosis. We look forward to seeing how we can help you! 

 

Recent Posts

Leave a Comment

Start typing and press Enter to search

dealing with hyperhidrosis and stressHome Remedies for Hyperhidrosis (Photo Credit: https://fuzzyrescue.org)