Sweating is an important human function. But why do people sweat at all and what can you do if excessive sweating is unpleasant?
Some people sweat at work, while others hardly sweat at all, even in the blazing sun. We humans are individualists - also when it comes to sweating. Basically, it serves to cool down our bodies when necessary. We are conditioned to the intensity of sweating in our first years of life. First of all, every person is born with around two to three million sweat glands. These take on their functions primarily in the first two years of life. They develop depending on the strain - that is, how warm or cool does the child grow up, or how active/passive is the toddler? Because how our sweat glands develop generally depends on these two circumstances. And the "result" shapes us for life. However, over the course of our lives, other factors come into play, such as physical resilience, activity status or the general constitution of our body and organism. And of course external temperatures, humidity or location and clothing also play a role, to name just a few criteria.
Our body has to react – so we sweat
In the broadest sense, our body functions like a built-in air conditioning system. It is vital for us to survive. Too much heat damages or threatens our organism and its vital functionality - for example, in the case of heat stroke. But what exactly happens when we sweat? It's simple: when it gets too warm, our sweat glands form a moist film on our skin. This protective film ensures that our body is cooled across the board. This happens through the evaporating liquid, which draws heat from the body and water from us at the same time. (That's why it's important to drink a lot - plain water is enough.) Depending on the intensity of our sweating, we lose half a litre to three litres of water - every day. In extreme situations, even more - then our sweat literally flows "in streams".
What helps against excessive sweating?
Just go out into the fresh air more often, whatever the season! Avoid artificially air-conditioned areas. This will help your body get used to fluctuating temperatures. Regular sauna visits or sweating during exercise can also train our organism in this regard. With regard to our diet, the following applies: lots of fresh fruit, preferably steamed vegetables, and low-fat and only lightly seasoned dishes ensure easy digestion and put less strain on our bodies on hot days. Spicy foods, on the other hand, really "heat us up" and we automatically start to sweat. Lukewarm tea based on sage or linden blossom also helps. When it comes to clothing, light and airy fabrics allow our skin to breathe more easily. It is better to take a warm shower than a cold one: the heat causes our blood vessels to expand and thus creates more surface area to dissipate any heat.
Animals can also sweat
By the way, sweating is human nature - but animals can sweat too. But given the impressive diversity of species, only a few species can sweat. These include horses, monkeys, camels, big cats and bears. For all the others, nature has found various solutions to regulate the body's heat balance. For example, through a panting tongue like a dog or through the long ears of a rabbit. Storks, on the other hand, smear their moist excrement around their stilts to cool them down. But evolution has probably given the ground squirrel in South Africa the most interesting method. These animals look where the sun is, raise their bushy tails high and cool themselves in their own shadow, so to speak.
