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For many people, sweat is a term with negative connotations, associated primarily with a foul odor and unpleasant stains. Although sweat is often perceived as unpleasant, sweating is very healthy. It’s a natural process of the body that helps it regulate heat. But that’s not all: sweating is not only a function of the body to protect it from overheating, but also has many other positive effects on our immune system and overall health.
The body constantly produces heat, and when it becomes too much, the evaporation of sweat on the skin causes it and thus the body to cool down. This cooling is a simple mechanism of the body. When we move, we need energy. We burn glycogen or fatty acids, and heat is generated as a waste product.
Even if we exhaust ourselves during sports activities, our body temperature remains constant at about 37 degrees and doesn’t exceed this temperature. In order not to overheat, we produce sweat. The skin is moistened with fluid by excretion through the sweat glands, and contact with the air creates what is known as evaporative cooling. The body is cooled in a natural way, so to speak with the body’s own air conditioning system.
Sweat consists of approx. 98 percent water. The remaining two percent are composed of electrolytes, various enzymes and trace elements. Each person has between 2 and 4 million sweat glands. When sweat comes out of these glands, it’s still odorless and colorless. It only begins to smell when it’s decomposed by bacteria.
Permeable apparel is important
Especially during sports, the body must be able to transport sweat to the outside. It’s recommended to wear breathable apparel that transports sweat from the skin to the surface of the sportswear. If you wear airtight clothing, your body runs hot like under foil. Under this layer, bacteria are formed that feed on sweat. They transform the originally odorless sweat and thus cause the unpleasant smell. This cannot happen with high-quality, breathable anti-stink apparel.
6 reasons why sweating is so healthy
1. Sweating promotes blood circulation
Once a day, everyone should sweat, because this stimulates the circulation. The body becomes vital and well supplied with blood through this sweating. The increased blood circulation ensures that dead skin cells are removed more easily and the pores are unclogged. So, if you exercise and sweat regularly, you not only strengthen your cardiovascular system and muscles, but also keep your skin fit and young.
2. Sweating makes beautiful
Many people know the symptom: In winter, the skin is often itchy, dry and tight. This is widely attributed to the cold air outside and the dry heating air inside. The large temperature differences are pure stress for the skin. As soon as the sun shines and the temperatures rise, the sandpaper turns into radiant summer skin. One reason for this is sweat, because the body’s own lipids act like a moisturizing cream on the skin. The sweat glands distributed all over the body additionally ensure an even release and distribution on the skin surface. So, if you sweat a lot, you can safely omit the body lotion.
3. Sweating gets the organism going
With advanced age, the connective tissue becomes weaker and water retention increases. This in turn causes weight to increase. As long as there is no medical problem, in addition to exercise and a high-water intake, regular sauna sessions can help to remove excess fluid from the tissue. Old tissue water is removed via sweat and the organism is revitalized.
4. Sweating makes happy
One of the reasons why we feel balanced and flooded with feelings of happiness after a strenuous exercise session is partly due to the fact that sweating releases lots of endorphins. And these are known to make people happy. Even if it sometimes takes some effort: Exercise can improve our mood enormously.
5. Sweating protects the skin
There are countless bacteria on our skin – both good and bad. If the latter multiply too much, skin infections can occur more quickly. And this is where sweat plays a decisive role: The sweat glands produce antimicrobial peptides – so-called dermcidins. On the skin, they act like an antibiotic and help fight harmful bacteria.
6. Sweating prolongs endurance
The body can learn to sweat properly. People who exercise regularly train their sweat glands by teaching them to kick in more selectively and become more efficient. That’s why athletic people sweat significantly faster than untrained people, but more efficiently. Trained sweat glands are better able to regulate the amount of water available and don’t release too much fluid at once. The sporting effect: Because you sweat faster, the body is cooled faster and you have better endurance.
What are your thoughts on sweating? Feel free to express your views and opinions in the comments below.
