You’ve probably heard that sweating is essential to get results at the gym. In other words, the greater the effort, the better.
However, experts say this assumption is not always valid. The amount of sweat you produce at the gym can often indicate a problem.
There are several reasons why you’re sweating so much during exercise. If you’re sweating more than necessary, for example, this could be a signal for you to pay more attention to what your body is trying to tell you.
Sweating is an essential body function. Our bodies are made up of eccrine and apocrine sweat glands. The eccrine glands are located throughout the body, concentrated in the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.
When the body’s internal temperature starts to rise, the eccrine glands release water onto the skin’s surface. This water, which is sweat, evaporates. Consequently, the skin ends up cooling down. The sweat from these glands has no odour, according to experts.
On the other hand, apocrine glands are mainly located in areas such as the armpit and groin area and tend to produce odorous sweat.
Understand the factors that influence sweating at the gym
First, you need to understand that sweating is essential to our physiology. It’s sweat that allows our temperature to remain regulated.
As such, many factors can influence the amount of sweat you produce during exercise. Among them, age, sex, body composition, physical conditioning, genetics and the environment.
Then, of course, there’s the amount and how you exercise. Therefore, the amount of sweat varies from person to person.
Leading causes and triggering factors of sweating
The skin contains several types of glands, some of which produce sweat. When the sweat glands receive signals from the brain, they release perspiration through the pores.
As soon as the brain detects that the body temperature has risen above 37°C/ 98.6°F, it sends signals to the sweat glands to produce and release a liquid: this liquid – sweat – cools the surface of the skin by evaporation. When we are hot, active, nervous or stressed, the sweat glands produce more sweat.
Each person has between 25,000 and 50,000 sweat glands in the armpits.
It is only a tiny percentage of the total sweat gland value (approximately 1.6 to 4 million sweat glands in the entire body). They are denser under the arms, on the palms of the hands and the palms of the feet.
As underarm sweat is “trapped” – also due to clothing – and cannot escape, this is where it tends to become more visible.
Fresh sweat has no smell; it is odourless. It can cause wet spots and thus become visible to others. The undesirable and unpleasant body odour occurs only when bacteria feed on proteins and lipids (contained in sweat).
Know what may be causing excessive sweating
Despite being completely normal, excessive sweating during exercise can be uncomfortable.
Excess sweating can mean a more severe condition. In some cases, there may be conditions such as hyperhidrosis, excessive sweat production that occurs due to increased stimulation of the sympathetic nerve, regardless of conditioning or the physical environment.
Some causes that lead to sweating can be:
- Anxiety;
- Carcinoid syndrome;
- Certain drugs and substances of abuse;
- Glucose control disorders;
- Heart disease;
- Hyperthyroidism;
- Lung disease;
- Menopause.
So if you’re sweating a lot, whether at the gym or outside, it’s essential to see a doctor.
Academy environment can also influence
As with other factors, the environment in which you exercise also contributes to sweating.
So you might sweat more in a hot yoga class than in a kickboxing class, for example. This is not because of the intensity of the workout but merely because of the environment that requires your body to cool down more.
On the other hand, your sweating will also depend on the amount of exercise you do.
So if you’ve increased your routine and noticed a difference, this may be completely normal. However, if there are any other symptoms, it may be a good idea to see a doctor.
Know how to treat excessive sweating
While sweating during training can be uncomfortable, some things can help ease the situation.
You can use antiperspirants prescribed by a dermatologist, for example. At the same time, clothes that absorb sweat can also be a great idea.
How to treat sweating
Although there is no “cure” for sweating, a completely natural bodily function, underarm sweat and its unpleasant effects such as body odour, can be reduced.
Aesthetically, there are two ways to deal with underarm sweating:
- Deodorants
- Antiperspirants
How Deodorants Work
Deodorants can effectively prevent body odour and its development. To achieve this, several action principles and combinations of ingredients are used:
Deodorants contain substances that either absorb odour-producing bacteria (called bacteriostasis) or slow their reproduction: antiseptics reduce the number of bacteria, and creating an acidic pH on the skin’s surface slows down the growth of bacteria. Through these effective substances, deodorants minimise the formation of body odour.
How Antiperspirants Work
All antiperspirants contain aluminium salts such as Aluminum Chlorohydrate (ACH) or Aluminum.
Chloride (AC). They act on the eccrine and apocrine sweat glands, partially obstructing the sweat gland duct, thus reducing the amount of sweat produced. Due to reduced sweat formation, there is less moisture and visibly less odour.
Aluminium chloride works more effectively: as AC complexes are smaller and have a lower pH value than ACH complexes, they penetrate deep into the sweat ducts, keeping them closed longer.
Attention
You must find a deodorant or antiperspirant to suit your skin type and needs.
In addition, it is recommended to avoid hot environments for those who are suffering from excessive sweating during training.
So don’t worry so much the next time your workout leaves you dripping. Just make sure you take time to cool off and drink lots of water!