Feeling HOT, HOT, HOT

We do it when we’re warm, when we work out and also when we’re anxious or embarrassed. Yes, we’re talking about sweating. It’s something we all do but usually try hard to avoid. Here, we answer your burning questions about sweating

It’s safe to say we have a complicated relationship with sweat. We love relaxing in the summer heat, view a damp brow as the sign of a good workout and sweat out our stresses in saunas and steam rooms.

Yet perspiring is also a source of shame. You may have fretted about yellow-coloured patches sabotaging professional outfits or revealing your nerves. Not to mention worrying about body odour, which often goes hand-in-hand with the dampness.

So, ‘Wouldn’t it be better to find serenity in all the sweating we do?’ asks Sarah Everts, author of The Joy Of Sweat: The Strange Science Of Perspiration. After all, perspiration is vital for our health. But what is sweat? What purpose does it serve? And how sweaty is too sweaty?

Q Why do we sweat?

A Our core temperature needs to be kept at around 37.5°C and sweating is the body’s main thermostat-regulating mechanism, says Sarah. As sweat evaporates from our skin, it has a cooling effect. We are born with 3-4m sweat glands all over our bodies that we’ll have for life. These eccrine glands work by releasing salty water when we get too hot. Our apocrine glands are found in areas with hair follicles, such as armpits, and only become active in puberty. Anxiety, stress or fear trigger the fight-or-flight hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline, which activate both these sets of glands. More pleasurably, sexual arousal triggers a similar response.

Q Can deodorant stop you from sweating?

A No. Deodorants mask odour. Antiperspirants are different; they temporarily block sweat pores, preventing wetness as well as odour. Although aluminium is used in a variety of cosmetic products, including antiperspirants, there have been questions over its safety in recent years, with some believing it causes cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. However, two years ago, the European Union’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) gave it the green light at specified levels. Plus, Cancer Research UK and Alzheimer’s Society say there are no convincing links with these diseases.

Q Does more sweat mean more smelliness?

A While sweat from the apocrine glands doesn’t smell itself, Sarah explains that it does contain fatty acids, lipids and other substances that the naturally-occurring bacteria present on our skin feed on. It’s this process that is responsible for body odour. So it’s not the sweat that’s at fault and you can remove any smelliness when you wash or by using deodorant that contains antiseptic, killing bacteria.

Q Is it true that you can ‘sweat out the toxins’ in a sauna?

A ‘Calling a sauna session a “detox strategy” reveals a misunderstanding about how the human body works,’ says Sarah. ‘Your kidneys are responsible for detoxification; they are the organ devoted to ridding your blood of chemical contaminants.’ That’s not to say a sauna session isn’t beneficial, though. ‘Having a good sweat can certainly rid you of toxic emotions, thanks to the release of feelgood hormones,’ says Sarah.

Q Why do some people seem drier than others in the same temperature?

A Some of us sweat more than others – and this difference is largely thought to be genetic. Plus, sweat glands acclimatise to different environments, which explains why Brits might sweat when we are in hotter climates. ‘After we relocate from a cool environment to a hot one, our bodies begin to adapt by increasing our volume of blood plasma – in effect, storing more internal fluid that can be expelled as sweat,’ explains Sarah. Our sweat rates begin to increase so that we become sweaty sooner and faster than before. ‘People who seem cool, collected and dry in hot weather are still sweating, but their bodies are doing so very efficiently, releasing just enough sweat for optimum cooling evaporation but not so much as to drip.’

Q What can help my severe sweating?

A Hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, is thought to affect 1% of the population. But Dr Adil Sheraz, consultant dermatologist at Zappedskin clinic in London, says the true figure is likely double that, as many people don’t seek help. It’s thought to be genetic, although the cause isn’t known. ‘About 90% of people with the condition have primary hyperhidrosis, which usually develops during childhood or soon after puberty and often affects one or more areas, for example, face and head, feet, hands or underarms,’ says Dr Sheraz. The condition can cause hands to become so sweaty it’s hard to hold a pen. Secondary hyperhidrosis is more generalised and occurs as a reaction to medication or another underlying medical condition. Antiperspirants can be used on specific areas and stronger versions can be prescribed. See your GP if it lasts more than six months, interferes with daily life, you have a family history of excessive sweating or you are taking medication.

Q Do men sweat more than women?

A The old adage is that men sweat and women only gently glow. But, ‘There’s little evidence to support major

sex differences in sweating,’ says Sarah. ‘Many of those reported can be attributed to other factors, such as body size, aerobic capacity or exercise intensity.’

Q Why do I sweat more during menopause, and will this continue?

A If you’re ever drenched in sweat during a hot flush, this is due to low oestrogen disrupting the body’s temperature control. About 80% of menopausal women experience these flushes to some degree, but they usually disappear within a few years of menopause. In fact, as we get older we tend to sweat less in general, as our sweat glands shrink.