We’ve all had that feeling when you think to yourself, “nobody on earth could possibly sweat as much as I am right now.” I for one am always astonished at how much sweat my body can produce. Then there are those people who can do hot yoga and remain perfectly dry. Everybody’s body works differently, which means that some sweat more than others. And if you’re a mega sweater, you’re not alone.
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Sweating is natural since it’s really just your body trying to cool down, so you shouldn’t be embarrassed about getting the back of your shirt all wet from an intense workout. Everyone knows that sweating can be an indicator of how hard you’re working, but many factors could be affecting how much you sweat. Just because you’re sweating buckets doesn’t mean you’re working harder than everybody else.
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Everybody has between 2-4 million sweat glands all over their body. Women tend to get less sweaty than men because their glands simply produce less sweat. Women actually have more of these glands than men but their bodies don’t use them as efficiently. Heavier people tend to perspire more because their bodies need to cool down more often and they need more sweat to cool off.
Physically fit people start sweating at lower temperatures, which allows them to perform longer because the body is not overheating. Researchers studied men and women biking and found that physically fit men could bike longer than physically fit women because they could sweat more efficiently. It might seem kind of backwards, but if you find yourself sweating a lot in a workout, you’re in good shape.
Photo by Armin Nayak
If you’re really sweating bullets during everyday activities you might want to look into a medical condition called hyperhidrosis. It basically just means that you’re over sweating but it is diagnosed when the amount you are sweating exceeds the amount your body needs to cool off.
Professor Mark Whiteley at The Whiteley Clinic in London says that many people think they have hyperhidrosis when in fact they are just drinking excessive amounts of water. According to him, “If you drink more, your kidneys have to work extra hard to get rid of this fluid load. Then you sweat it out, which makes people sweat even more.”
Photo by Lila Seeley
Other reasons for excessive sweating could be as a result of other medical conditions, medications, drinking, or smoking. So, take a look at some of the factors that could be affecting your levels of perspiration. Caffeine, alcohol, and smoking increase your body temperature, which increases the body’s need to cool off.
And what about people who can’t sweat? Yup, that exists too and it’s called anhidrosis or hypohidrosis. It might seem like a blessing to those of us who sweat constantly, but it can be life-threatening and puts people at a higher risk of heat stroke. People with anhidrosis have to be careful about exercising in high temperatures or simply working too hard. Remember that everybody perspires in their own unique way so you should never be ashamed of sweat stains. And hey, it’s better than never being able to break a sweat.