Sweating While Exercising
Athletes are often seen wiping their faces during major competitions. We too sometimes sweat more or less profusely during exercise. Why sweating while exercising?
Sweating is a natural mechanism theat the human body orchestrates very well. The sweat or sweat glands are organs that secrete sweat and, for some of them, hormones or pheromones. The human body contains between 2 and 4 million sweat glands present under the deep layer of the skin, the dermis.
When we make an effort, we produce heat and the hypothalamus (the region of the brain which is among other things the center of temperature regulation) will trigger the process of sweating to ensure thermoregulation. As perspiration has a direct action on the cooling of the body, if one did not perspire, one would risk hyperthermia, that is to say heatstroke, which, in the most serious cases, can turn out to be deadly!
If you sweat a lot, you get dehydrated. So you have to drink when you exercise!
Dehydration also has significant effects that can appear quite quickly! In addition to the heatstroke already mentioned, there are risks related to dehydration:
- In the case of dehydration, the volume of water contained in the blood plasma decreases, thus making the blood thicker. The heart must therefore provide more effort to propel it through the vessels. Blood circulation in the small capillaries then becomes more difficult, the rate of oxygen and nutrients supplying the muscle will be reduced as well as the capacities for eliminating toxins. This drop in blood volume will also force the heart to beat faster to maintain blood pressure. Under these conditions, performance will drop: a loss of 1% of its weight in water implies a 10% drop in its physical capacities!
- Pain in the muscles (cramps), tendons may also appear.
- Fainting is also possible, a feeling of thirst, increased heart rate and a drop in blood pressure;
- Kidney stones can also form, following the reduction of the irrigation of the kidneys.
It is therefore important to maintain your cooling system. For it to work optimally: drink! Especially during sports.
How much should you drink?
Two examples:
- For moderate walking at 50% humidity and 23°C, the human body needs an average of 1/4 liter per hour.
- For a race at a pace of 15km/h in 30°C and 50% humidity, the needs become extremely high: up to 3 liters of water per hour!
You should drink before, during and after exercise. During the effort, do not wait to be thirsty to drink. The feeling of thirst indicates significant dehydration (20% of body needs) that is almost impossible to recover from during the outing. So drink regularly and in small quantities.
Drink your drink cold, if possible, but never ice cold. A drink that is too cold can upset digestion and cause intestinal upset. The ideal temperature is 15°C.
Hydrate after exercise and until bedtime!.
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