Why do we sweat?
Posted on 10. Mar, 2010 by JohnM in Health
Nature has set up an excellent system of keeping our body’s temperature normal through the process of sweating. So the reason behind “why do we sweat” is just to maintain the homeostasis of the body and its normal temperature that is 98.6 degree Fahrenheit or 37 degree Celsius. This normal temperature level rises due to internal and external factors including food digestion, metabolism, exercise and warm environmental conditions etc and to get rid of this extra heat body has to perspire regularly. Sweat basically comprises water and sodium which makes it a salty secretion.
Sweating is not as simple process as it seems to be. A whole system of sweat producing glands is there in our body and to keep the sweating process functioning about two million sweat glands are present in our body. These sweating glands are categorized into two groups including Eccrine and Apocrine. Now you were thinking that why these glands are divided into categories if both secrete water and salt. The reason is that both types are different from each other on the basis of their location, smell production and salt proportion in secreted form of body waste.
Eccrine is basically present in forehead region, palms of the hands and soles of the feet etc. The sweat produced by Eccrine is composed of 90% water with less percentage of sodium. Because of having higher percentage of water sweating through Eccrine does not produce ill smelling effect. While Apocrine is found in armpits and root of hair follicle produces sweat with high salt concentration. When sweat produces by Apocrine is broken down by bacteria it causes bad smelling sensation which can be felt easily particularly during high sweat production.
Sweating is one of the best ways to replenish body wastes and heat in the form of watery mixture of salts. If this excretory system is disturbed or sweat production lowered down due to any reason then it can lead to complicated physical problems including heat stoke and faints which are common problems during severe hot weather condition. If people want to keep their natural sweating process normal to avoid physical complication and to get rid of body extra heat then they must maintain their water intake level at two gallons per day. Otherwise inadequate perspiration could lead to undesirable physiological conditions and mental disturbance. So these are the factors and whole physiological process that explains why do we sweat.
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Joshua Emmanuel Mendoza
Mar 10th, 2010
Hi. I am a Filipino who lives in the hot country of the Philippines. I am male, 20 years old, and currently has a height of 5′11″ and a weight of 220 pounds. I always sweat a lot. My question is this: Do weight and height has something to do with the sweating of a person? I am tall and has a large body mass. I mean my arms are big; my tummy is also big; my torso is also big; everything is big compared to other people. In short, hunky but with a sizable tummy. Also, I would like to ask if being too nervous contributes to the sweating process of a person? I am considered as a nervous person by myself and other people. Lastly, is there a thing called “very open pores” of the skin? I noticed that on my arms, I really sweat extremely even if some people do not have that kind of condition (arm sweating). That is all and I hope you can help me on my problem and understand the complex nature why people sweat.