How does sweating help the body

It is called idiopathic because no cause can be found for it. It can develop during childhood or later in life and can affect any part of the body, but the palms and soles or the armpits are the most commonly affected areas.

The excessive sweating may occur even during cool weather, but it is worse during warm weather and when a person is under emotional stress. Some known causes include:. In most cases, no investigations are required to diagnose hyperhidrosis.

Occasionally, a blood test for thyroid disease is recommended. Reduced sweating is called hypohidrosis if there is partial loss of sweating, or anhidrosis if there is complete lack of sweating. This can occur for a number of reasons, which include:. Lack of sweating may create problems of temperature control and lead to steep rises in body temperature during hot weather. Occasionally, this can be life threatening. Heat stroke or sun stroke can occur in hot weather when not enough sweat is produced to keep the body cool.

Symptoms can include:. Excessive loss of body salts and water can lead to a life-threatening complication known as heat exhaustion. Heat stroke can be managed, and heat exhaustion prevented, by seeking a cool, shaded place, drinking plenty of fluids and sponging the body with water, if necessary.

This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. Bedbugs have highly developed mouth parts that can pierce skin. In most cases, we do not know what causes birthmarks. Most are harmless, happen by chance and are not caused by anything the mother did wrong in pregnancy.

If you are bitten or stung by an insect or animal, apply first aid and seek medical treatment as soon as possible. Finally, a woman comes to my rescue, signaling that my 55 minutes are up. I emerge from my bed to relax with water, orange slices, and—counterintuitively—hot tea. As ludicrous as it sounds, sipping on a hot beverage can help you cool down by signaling the body to kick-start internal cooling mechanisms, like sweating, that lower your body temperature.

Over the course of the past hour, I've burned somewhere in the ballpark of to calories, according to Chiche, although there are many factors that could make this number different for everyone, she notes. While you might be quick to assume that burning so many calories in such an intense setting can't be good for you trust me, I was skeptical, too , Chiche assures that it's no more dangerous than any other cardio workout.

Although your heartbeat quickens, your face turns red, and your body burns calories, a sweat session differs from a regular workout in that it does not allow you to build muscle. So why do it? According to Chiche, there are many benefits to sweating that may sway you to embrace the practice.

Curious to learn more, I also tapped Dr. Here are all the ways sweating it out can be beneficial to your physical and mental well-being. First and foremost, sweating is thought to boost weight loss.

Yes, you may lose water weight during a session that will inevitably come right back, but because your body is working so hard to cool you down, you're also using energy and burning calories, which contributes to more permanent weight loss, Chiche explains. While the ability of sweat to simply detoxify the body is often debated, Axe explains that the skin can remove toxic compounds from the body.

In fact, a study found that sweating plays an important role in expelling heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic from the body because they dissolve readily in water. As Chiche explains, putting the body in a situation where it needs to cool itself down by sweating can get your heart pumping similar to a cardio workout.

Additionally, Axe points out that sweating, whether it be from physical exercise or from sitting in a sauna environment, can reduce the risk of cardiovascular health problems. He cites a study published in that followed Finnish men for 20 years, finding that those who sweat in a sauna more frequently were less likely to develop a fatal disease over the course of the study. Although a sweat session won't help you build muscle, it can aid in muscle recovery.

This can alleviate soreness and speed up the recovery process. Axe explains that the skin is considered a vital part of the immune system, which makes sense considering it's often the first line of defense against everything you come in contact with each day. Additionally, human sweat contains a natural germ-killing protein called dermcidin, which can protect again strains of germs that cause diseases like MRSA and tuberculosis.

Just as sweat can flush out certain toxins, it can also expel impurities like pollutants, dirt, and makeup embedded in the skin, according to Shape House's website. It's thought to improve the tone, clarity, and texture of the skin and is known to improve circulation, which can benefit the skin as well.

Like any other workout, sweating can release endorphins, which are hormones that trigger positive feelings in the body. This can do wonders for your mood and overall well-being. While you certainly don't have to venture to an urban sweat lodge on a hot summer's day to experience the benefits of sweating, you can find a practice that works for you in order to get in on the feel-good effects of this natural bodily function.

Just be sure to recover from any cardio workout or sweat session with plenty of water to keep your body hydrated. J Environ Public Health. Baker LB. Temperature Austin. Clin Exp Dermatol. Hussain J, Cohen M. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. This is true regardless of whether we are sick in bed or relaxing in a sauna.

From a physiological perspective, sweating is absolutely a good thing. Our body would overheat if we did not sweat. But some of the activities that cause sweating excessive time in the heat, being nervous or sick is associated with other problems, such as heat exhaustion, anxiety and illness. In contrast, activities such as exercise and controlled time in a sauna are healthy.

This would suggest that it is not the sweating itself, but the activity behind it, which defines whether sweating is healthy or not. Sweating during exercise usually means you are reaching a level of exercise that promotes cardiovascular health. Some evidence suggests sweatier people are getting a more intense workout , and more fit individuals sweat sooner and more profusely , but tremendous variation in the timing and amount of sweat across individuals makes those claims unreliable.

Instead, focus on reaching a level of exercise or sauna time in which sweat actually shows up, rather than measuring the timing or amount. Just because it is summer and hot outside, do not assume it means you should not work out. On those days, exercise in air-conditioned environments, choose the cooler times of the day, and keep hydrated.

Stop exercising if you experience unusual symptoms, such as dizziness and nausea. As for saunas, research is confirming some of the long-standing beliefs of Finnish people that sweating in saunas is beneficial to health. Heat-induced stress relief and possible positive effects on heart health may be the actual benefits.

Similar to exercise, the activity behind the sweating not the sweating itself is what is actually making us healthy. To help people be healthy at every stage of life, Michigan State University Extension delivers affordable, relevant, evidence-based education to serve the needs of adults, youth and families in urban and rural communities. Our programs cover all areas of health, from buying and preparing nutritious, budget-friendly food to managing stress, preventing or living well with diabetes and optimal aging — MSU Extension has the information you need in a format you can use, in-person and online.

Contact your local MSU Extension county office to find a class near you. This article was published by Michigan State University Extension.