Is Sweating Healthy For You? Top 4 Reasons

As embarrassing as sweating can be, the question remains: “Is sweating healthy?”.  Indeed, there are some awesome health benefits that I will share with you.

I think sweating is something that has not yet been understood completely. Although I have suffered from hyperhidrosis for more than half my lifetime, I seem to learn new things all the time about sweating.  And sometimes I have asked questions for which I have not found an answer yet.

You’re not alone in dealing with sweat-related problems. I have been managing and dealing with hyperhidrosis for over 2 decades now so I do know how hard it is. Read my story here.

It is only in recent years that more and more research has been done and amazing things have been found about sweating.

For instance, research claims that sweat helps you get rid of toxins.  Then there are studies that show how sweating does not help you detoxify your body.  That shows how sweating is still a field that is constantly updated and researched.

However, there are benefits to your health when you sweat, so you do not want to stop your sweating completely.  Even though sweating can become uncomfortable and embarrassing, you still want to sweat.

But first off, it is important to clarify why we sweat anyway.

Why Do We Sweat?

Most people are born with sweat glands all over the body, which start to work properly from right when we are born.  We have two types of sweat glands, but only the eccrine are developed when we are born.  The other sweat glands, the apocrine glands, develop during puberty.

I remember how my sons started sweating from the first day they were born.  The oldest got a rash on his face the first week because the sweat glands are adjusting.

But why do we sweat?  The eccrine glands have one function: Regulate body temperature.  If we did not have this cool system installed in our bodies from the beginning, we would most likely have issues, including severe ones, like heat strokes.

Can you imagine those little babies that are all cuddled up in warm blankets and not being able to cool down? This is why it is very important that we sweat.

Yes, sweating is our cool-down system that keeps our body temperature around 98 degrees Fahrenheit.  It’s a natural and pretty normal bodily function that you shouldn’t be disgusted about.

Each time our bodies get warmer due to exercise, working, or being in the sun, sitting in our car, or even being dehydrated, our brain triggers the eccrine sweat glands to produce sweat. This sweat, when evaporated through our pores takes heat along, thus keeping our bodies cool.

As we grow up, in our early puberty, the apocrine sweat glands develop.  They are located in our armpits, feet, palms, and groin.  These glands are deeper down under the layers of skin.

These glands get active when our body is being stimulated, which could be by anxiety, depression, precarious situations, sexual stimulation, among others.  This is the sweat that smells different from sweat caused by heat.

In short, sweating is a necessary body function that you do not want to stop completely.  It is a very important body function.  However, if sweating becomes unbearable, there are great remedies that can help you take care of it.

So, now that you know that sweating is very important, let’s see if there are some health benefits to it.

Is Sweating Healthy?

Indeed, there is the saying “sweat it out”.  There is something to this saying that is true because are surprising health benefits to sweating.  Therefore, not letting our bodies do what it was meant to do by using different methods to stop sweating is not the best thing.

Also, if you do not sweat very much, you’d want to start sweating more to benefit from it.

Reduces Stress Hormones

Sweating always occurs, except when suffering from hyperhidrosis, because of physical activity or exposure to heat.  So, while your body gets warmer, your body has to work really hard to cool down and to protect all the inner organs.  This process is known to reduce cortisol and stress hormone levels.

In fact, exercising or enjoying a sauna are both good to relax and get the stress out.  Although this does not apply to sweat through the apocrine sweat glands, it is true for the eccrine sweat glands.

Endorphines or the feel-good hormones are released when you sweat.  And who has not experienced the feeling after sweating for a good 45 minutes?

I have to think about my students in school when they come in from physical education.  They got rid of all their energy levels, and they come back into the class very relaxed, and their brains are fresh to learn and absorb new things.  A perfect example of how sweating helps reduces stress hormones.

Detox Your Body

Although there is debate about whether you can really detox your body through sweating, there is research that has proven that sweating helps you get rid of certain toxins that your body cannot release through urine, which is the medium of detoxification.

By making your body sweat every single day for many hours, you are not guaranteed a large number of toxins coming out.  However, even if it is just a few toxins that you can get rid of, it is well worth it.

For example, studies have shown that BPA, which is found in plastics, and PCBs and other harmful chemicals are remedied effectively through sweating.

As stated, sweating is not effective for getting rid of lots of other junk in your body, but it sure is a medium of transportation that carries things out that are in your body.

Keeps Your Skin Healthy

Sweating keeps your skin healthy because it exfoliates your skin.  Over time, our pores get clogged because of use of body care products, and other substances that build up.

So, by sweating regularly all over your body will help you get those pores unclogged and clean.  However, notice that in order for that to happen, you need to wash off sweat shortly after you sweat.  If you leave sweat on your skin to dry, these substances that came out, go back into the pores as the sweat dries.

Also, new studies have found that sweat contains dermcidin, a highly effective natural antibiotic that fights off bacteria and protects our body.

It is known that this antibiotic is strong enough to kill E-coli, which is a very dangerous bacteria.  So, if it can kill these bacteria, sweating protects us from the flu and other diseases.

Strengthens Your Heart

A surprising new study has found that people who go to the sauna regularly are known to have a stronger and healthier heart.

An interesting fact about Finland is that this North European country has over three million saunas, which makes over one sauna per household. However, there are not just that many saunas, but the Finish is known to make use of saunas regularly.

A Finnish town actually went on a “diet” including proper exercise and usage of saunas as many of the middle-aged individuals were dropping dead from heart problems. After quite some time of implementing this health routine, the overall health in the area improved.

This town became the focus of studies and became a model town for many cities and villages around the world who are all trying to reduce deaths coming from heart problems.

Conclusion

I’d like to thank you for taking the time to learn all about sweating and how it really is not so bad after all. Now that you know more about it, I think it would be best to incorporate a healthy amount of exercise into your daily routine so that you can improve your overall health.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please leave them below so that I can answer them right away. Share this article with friends and loved ones by clicking the social media buttons you’ll see on the left or below as they can learn a lot from reading this.