Sweating is a fundamental physiological fact for the body. Without noticing it, we sweat from half to a liter a dayand with profuse sweating in extreme conditions it can reach ten liters.

Some people associate perspiration with a biblical curse (you will earn your bread by the sweat of your brow), but more than a punishment it constitutes a hygienic precept.

Sweat is a liquid with a salty taste and urine-like composition. It is mainly segregated by eccrine sweat glandsformed by a secretory glomerulus and an excretory duct that opens into the skin.

There are some six hundred glands per square centimeter of skinand its concentration increases in the palm of the hands, the soles of the feet and the frontal region of the face.

1. It has a thermoregulatory effect

Sweat glands play important functions in the water metabolism and thermoregulation by the evaporation of sweat and moisture from the skin surface.

Perspiration is a body cooling medium. The inhabitants of very hot areas have been genetically adapted to these climates since time immemorial. His curly hair It makes it possible for sweat to last longer, as well as its cooling effect.

In the cases of fever Normally you sweat very little; When the fever has done its job, sweating appears and thermoregulatory balance occurs at a lower temperature. In ancient times it was said that in those moments the disease had lysed and it was resolved smoothly and favorably.

2. Releases pheromones to the outside

Sweating can also be caused by a physical response to excitement and fear, as these stimuli accelerate the heart rate and induce greater heat production.

The apocrine sweat glands They lead to a pilosebaceous follicle. We find them in the armpit, perineum, pubis and external auditory canal. The mammary gland is in fact a modified apocrine sweat gland.

These produce substances responsible for odor characteristic of areas such as the armpits and sexual organs. One of these substances is pheromonesa Greek word that can be translated as «vehicle of excitement.»

Many plants and animals use different aromas or chemical messages as a means of communicationwhose codes serve both to attract each other sexually and for other purposes. Depending on the individual and their genetics, a type of substances conducive to a certain type of bacterial flora will be secreted; in this way the smell will serve to get closer to related bacterial floras whether it is pleasant or reject those others that are perceived as unpleasant or dangerous.

3. Sweating while exercising makes you lose weight

Exercise and sweating before eating is highly recommended. It is proven that exercise before a meal improves and regulates appetite and metabolism. Not doing so can lead to metabolic problems such as obesity and diabetes.

The sweat produced by exercise is more concentrated in salts than other types of sweat. Therefore, the best option to sweat is exercise; and soaking in sweat can be very good, especially if it is followed by a bath.

Now, when we are practicing a sport or the heat makes us sweat, we often feel pain or discomfort. Even when we see someone sweating more than necessary is unpleasant for us.

We are accustomed to despising sweat, to avoid our own smell at all costs: We resort to a large number of deodorants, perfumes and even antiperspirants to hide or repress it. However, trying all the time to inhibit something as natural and necessary as sweat it is not good for health.

Does sweating lose weight? Sweat without doing physical workas occurs in the sauna and steam bath, leads to burning few calories and therefore helps little to lose weight. The weight that is lost by sweating, being liquid, will be regained soon. However, the sweat generated by physical exercise leads to the same calorie consumption as burn the reserve of carbohydrates, fats and proteinsmaking it a good ally to regulate weight.

Sweat is a body adaptation tool. Some use it minimally and others do it profusely, but does not denote a better state of form the fact of sweating more or less.

The cold shower It’s a good way to finish sweaty physical work, but it is necessary to be adapted to it and never feel cold before receiving it. If these circumstances do not exist, it will be more prudent to use the hot shower and finish with a brief cold application.

During the rest phase after sweating it is important to make a good adaptation of the thermoregulatory system. For this you have to dress wellin order not to go from a hot phase to a cold phase suddenly. The ideal thing is adapt to normal or ambient temperature.

Water is one of the best drinks. In this case, the waters rich in mineral salts than oligometallic ones. If the water we usually drink is weakly mineralized, it can be drink a vegetable broth or an infusion rich in salts; Fruit and vegetable juices are also suitable.

4. Eliminates toxins and prevents infections

Sweat helps regulate excess heat; at the same time, the increase in temperature stimulates the immune system. It has been discovered that sweat not only expels toxins from the body but also protects it from infections, thanks to a protein (demicidin) secreted by sweat glands that is capable of exterminating microbes.

The acidity and salt from sweat help demicidin to kill bacteria and even fungi. It is not surprising that saunas and sweat lodges were once used to treat infections.

Manuel Lezaeta and other pioneers of medical naturism have used various types of steam baths with good results in kidney patientssince the sweat gland performs a job very similar to that of the renal nephron, especially when it comes to eliminating toxins. People who urinate little tend to sweat a lot, and vice versa, which reinforces the fact that the skin is often called «the third kidney.»

Sweat can be a indicative of general health. A person who smells good to us is healthy, while bad body odor can indicate anything from a bacterial decompensation to an infection or great general discomfort.

Experienced doctors claim that they can smell the severity of a patient and even perceive a special smell when the patient is close to death.

Sweat contributes, along with the bacterial colonization that occurs from the moment of birth, to preserve the skin’s acid mantlewith a characteristic smell that varies depending on bacteria. Among the most common are:

• Micrococci: Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermis, Sacrolytic peptococcus.
• Coryneform bacteria: Corinebacterium sp., Brevibacterium sp. Propionibacteria: P. acnes, P. granulosum, P. avidum.

The washing frequent with soap brings the surface pH towards alkaline and promotes the growth of propionibacteria like those associated with acne. One way to control body odor is keep in balance these bacteria, with the predominance of those that give off the best smell.

It has been seen that maintaining an acidic pH is betterand that applying essential oils such as lemon peel eliminates the worst-smelling bacteria and helps maintain the balance of the usual non-pathogenic bacterial flora.

5. Sweating in the sauna is relaxing

In order to sweat, very healthy options have been created that have even been linked to rituals, such as the steam bath, the Turkish bath, the sauna and the temazcalwhich allow you to both sweat and relax.

A Finnish proverb says that in the sauna anger evaporates. Certainly, not only are sweat and toxins eliminated, but you also gain peace of mind. The most common mistakes when taking a sauna are:

• Do not dry beforehand (delays sweating).
• Enter exhaustedor (harms health).
• feel hungry (danger of collapse) or take it while fully digested.
• talk a lot (charges breathing and circulation and reduces relaxation).
• Drink in the sauna (attenuates its purifying effect).
• Disregard the exit. You have to cool off by breathing in the fresh air. Then you take a cold shower, starting with the areas far from the heart, and we immerse ourselves in cold water. It concludes with a hot foot bath up to ankle height.

6. Sweat during menopause balances

There are times of life such as menopause when sweat is produced as a way to rebalance the body. The hot flashes They constitute an important part of this balance and in many cultures they are well seen and valued as something physiological and healthy.

In our culture, hot flashes have even been considered a pathological reaction, and for a long time it has been recommended estrogenic medication to eliminate them.

Currently, it has been demonstrated how harmful this medication is and the importance of respecting hot flashes, supporting its detoxifying effect and also the antitumor effect that they exercise.