it’s the season for sweat. temperatures are so high across the country you can work up a sweat just getting the mail. sweating — also known as perspiring — just from standing outdoors for any length of time can be sticky and gross, and while we blame sweat for everything from body odour to armpit stains, it is an important part of our physiology.
why we sweat the process of sweating is the body’s natural cooling system. when your body heats up through exercise, outside temperature, certain foods, stress or fever, your brain responds by pumping liquid through two to four million little holes called
eccrine glands. this liquid
is 99 per cent water and one per cent salt and fat. when that sweat evaporates off the surface of your skin, your body cools down.eccrine glands are found over almost the entire surface of the body and produce the most sweat of the
two main types of sweat glands. the other type, apocrine glands, are
found in the armpits and groin and have more to do with scent and pheromone production than regular sweat.pure sweat from either gland is odourless, but when the
sweat secreted by apocrine glands is released, it mixes with bacteria on the surface of the skin — giving off a bad smell.
sweating that occurs when we are nervous, stressed or emotional is also the work of the apocrine sweat glands. in those situations, we sweat in preparation for a challenge or fight, not for the purpose of temperature control. sweating can also be triggered by certain
foods, such those that are spicy foods or caffeine which ‘trick’ the body into thinking its internal temperature is rising, triggering sweat production.
sweat-related health conditions the two main conditions commonly associated with sweat glands are hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) and anhidrosis or hypohydrosis (not sweating enough).hyperhydrosis occurs when people produce much more sweat than they need to keep their bodies cool.“patients affected by this condition could just be sweating for no reason when other people in the same environment, same conditions, do not,” dr. youwen zhou, a dermatology professor at the university of british columbia,
told global news. the
canadian dermatology association estimates around three per cent of canadians, or about 950,000 people, have hyperhidrosis.hyperhidrosis can show up as one of two
types. focal hyperhidrosis is genetic and usually affects the hands, feet, head and armpits while generalized hyperhidrosis (far more common) is often a sign of another underlying health issue. according to the
canadian dermatology association, menopause,
obesity, endocrine disorders and nerve damage can all cause generalized hyperhidrosis. using some prescription drugs can also result in hyperhidrosis.treating hyperhidrosis usually starts with addressing the underlying health condition causing it, but there are some topical treatments and medications that can help, as well as weight reduction or hormone replacement therapy for some people.anhidrosis is the inability to produce an appropriate amount of sweat, and can also be a symptom for several other underlying conditions.according to
the mayo clinic, anhidrosis can be genetic, like
fabry’s disease, or the result of underdeveloped sweat glands, connective tissue disorders, like
sjogren’s syndrome, skin conditions (such as burns or clogged ducts),
diabetes, alcoholism and guillain-barre syndrome. anhidrosis can also be a sign of dehydration, heat stroke or heat exhaustion. a lack of sweating — and therefore temperature control — can be life threatening in these situations.as with hyperhidrosis, anhidrosis is usually treated by addressing the underlying health conditions. talk to your doctor if you find you are not sweating during strenuous physical exercise or when it is hot outside.
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