SUMMER OF SWEAT
Surviving the heat and humidity takes an extra degree of determination
It’s summertime in the city, and everyone has the same accessory. Sadly, it’s not the fashionable caftan or a new pair of hiking sandals — it’s sweat. If you’re in Houston right now, there’s a good chance you’re sweating while reading this article. If you’re not, you will be because it’s 87-90 percent humidity and a high in the 90s every day for the rest of the month.
Wearing a mask? Yeah, you’re sweating.
With coronavirus cases spiking in Houston, doctors recommend people avoid spending any time indoors with others who do not live in the same household unless it’s an essential errand like going to the doctor’s office, grocery store or pharmacy. Typical hot weather escapes, like air-conditioned movie theaters, bowling alleys or shopping malls, are a major risk even if you wear a mask the whole time.
If you want to socialize, it’s best to take it outside.
We’ve got the guide for you to
survive the Summer of Sweat.
Science of sweat
Sweat is mainly sodium chloride and water, said Dr. Rajani Katta, clinical assistant professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and a board certified dermatologist.
And it is definitely good for us, regardless of 100plus degree days.
“The main reason that humans sweat is we need to regulate our body temperature; it’s actually a really beautiful system,” Katta said. “When we overheat, our sweat glands produce more sweat. When it evaporates, it cools off our temperature.”
Humidity does not make us sweat more, she said, but it does raise our body temperatures, which causes us to sweat more. Some bodies acclimate better to the heat and don’t sweat as much as others.
Older people sweat less than younger people, which puts them at an increased risk for heat exhaustion and heat stroke, Katta said.
Sweat gets a bad wrap as the cause of body odor, but that’s not the case either. The reason we smell it is because of bacteria that combines with the moisture to create odor.
People have sweat glands all over the body, but the main ones are in the armpits, palms and soles of our feet. Typically, there is no health problem for people who sweat “too much” from their underarms or palms, she said. It’s more of a social issue than a physical one.
“There’s no evidence that sweat provides anything helpful, but some studies suggest that sweat does help your skin barrier stay functioning well and helps deliver moisturizing factors to your skin,” Katta said.
But if you exercise hard enough to sweat, you are increasing blood flow to your skin, which is a good thing.
Staying safe
The universal tip for staying alive and well? Drink water.
Since sweat is 90 percent water and 10 percent sodium, we need to replenish it as quickly as we lose it. This means drinking lots of water before going outside and especially before exercising.
If you’re not sweating, that’s a danger sign.
“It’s a sign your body is trying to conserve its hydration,” Katta said. “Your body needs to sweat — in Houston especially.”
Avoid the hottest hours of the day (between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.) when exercising outdoors, said Shelby Saylor, association director of healthy living at the YMCA of Greater Houston. Most of the Y’s group exercise classes have been moved outside since reopening in June.
Drink water the entire time if you can, and add in electrolytes via sports drinks like Gatorade or Powerade, or Pedialyte, which was initially created for sick children but is now marketed to active adults.
Saylor makes Pedialyte popsicles at home.
When exercising outside, watch out for signs of heatrelated illness: headache, skin that is cool to the touch and a lack of sweat. If you experience these, stop what you’re doing, find shade and drink water.
“A good rule for hydration is drink half of your body weight in ounces of water each day,” Saylor said.
You can also eat your water by upping your intake of vegetables (cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes) and fruit (watermelon, pineapple, blueberries, cantaloupe, grapefruit and pears).
Avoid overheating by keeping a cold, wet towel with you to put on your neck or forehead.
“It’s really not just about sweat but hydration and how you motivate yourself to stay hydrated,” Saylor said. “Sweat all you want, just replenish it.”
What to wear
All it takes is 10 minutes in the sun to sweat through your shirt, and then you smell for the rest of the day.
When Megan and Kyle Eddings exercise, they do more than glisten — it’s a sweat fest. Which is why Megan Eddings developed the Accel Lifestyle brand with a new fabric called Prema that does not smell.
“When washing his clothes, I noticed I couldn’t get the funk and smell of sweat out; it was like a sweaty locker room,” Eddings said about her husband. “I used to think that sweat is full of gross stuff, but it’s really not. It’s the bacteria mixed with sweat’s nutrients and the fabric you’re wearing.”
Bacteria loves polyester synthetic fabrics and will cling to them even after several washes.
Eddings learned which materials and fabrics invited bacteria — the common denominator in the stink problem. Prema is a combination of supima cotton, which gets softer the more times it is washed, and high-end silver-polyester threads.
In addition to clothing, Accel Lifestyle has sold and shipped 400,000 face masks made with either Prema or another bacterialresistant fabric, Eddings said. She has contracted with Houston Methodist and the U.S. military.
“It’s breathable and safe, with a double layer of nonbacteria fabric, which makes you less apt to get rashes,” she said. “When you wash your mask, you’re not washing out all the bacteria. But with ours, the bacteria isn’t clinging to the fabric.”
There are plenty of sweat-wicking products on the market from familiar brands.
Nike’s sweat-wicking brand, Dri-FIT, includes shirts, shorts, pants, jackets and sports bras. The fabric is polyester designed to wick away sweat and “disperse it evenly throughout the surface of the garment, so that it evaporates quickly,” according to the company.
Magellan, BCBG and Adidas have similar offerings, including caps, socks and underwear.