Why do we sweat?

Whenever we work hard or we are nervous or sick, we start sweating. The heart begins to beat faster. Why do we sweat? Where does the sweat suddenly come from?

Sweating can be stinky but it is also a natural cooling process of your body. Our bodies can sweat for various reasons. When your body temperature rises from exercise, heat, stress, or hormone shifts, sweating helps keep your internal temperature at a comfortable 96.6 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Sweat is made up mostly of water but contains sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. What your sweat is made up of depends on which gland is producing the sweat. There are different types of glands in the human body, but only two are generally recognized:

Eccrine glands:

The eccrine glands produce most of your sweat, especially watery. Acrine sweat, however, does not taste like water, as it contains a small amount of salt, protein, urea, and ammonia. These glands are most dense on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, forehead, and armpits but surround your entire body.

Apocrine glands:

The apocrine glands are larger. They are mostly found in the armpits, groin, and breast area. These are often associated with BO and are produced more frequently after puberty. Since they are close to the hair follicles, they typically smell the worst. This is why it is said that stress sweat smells worst than other sweat.

 A person who is not very healthy loses more sodium in his sweat than a healthy person. But everyone's sweat is a bit different. The amount of sweat you produce depends on several factors Body size, Age, Muscle mass, Health status, Fitness level, etc. 

In addition to just cooling down, there are various reasons why our bodies start producing sweat. The nervous system regulates sweating related to exercise and body temperature. It triggers the Eccrine gland to sweat. Spicy foods can stimulate our sweat glands.

Another thing that can increase sweating is consuming large amounts of alcohol. Haimovich explains that alcohol can speed up your heartbeat and dilate blood vessels, which also occurs during physical activity. This reaction, in turn, creates thoughts in your body that it needs to cool itself by sweating.