What makes us sweat?

When the temperature rises, our 2.6 million sweat glands start to produce perspiration. Sweating is the body’s natural way of reducing our internal body temperature. Some sweat evaporates from the skin, taking heat with it. The rest runs down the face and body.

In high humidity the rate at which sweat evaporates is reduced because the air cannot absorb any more moisture. This means our bodies won’t cool as efficiently.

When performing under pressure, the body releases stress hormones that increase heart rate and blood pressure, raising the body temperature which leads to sweating. The sweat by itself is virtually odourless, but when microscopic bacteria that live naturally on the skin mix with sweat, they multiply quickly.

Excessive sweating is also known as hyperhidrosis. This is when the body’s cooling system is so overactive that it produces four or five times the amount of sweat that is needed. About 3% of the population has excessive sweating.

While doctors don’t know why hyperhidrosis starts, they have successfully linked it to over-activity in the sympathetic nervous system; specifically the Thoracic Sympathetic Ganglion chain. This chain controls the glands, known a the apocrine and eccrine glands, responsible for perspiration throughout the entire body. Depending on which part of the chain becomes overactive, different parts of the body become affected.

Moisture Wicking Process

When clothing gets wet from perspiration it sticks to the skin and hinders the evaporation process. Some baselayers on the market are designed to wick as much moisture away as possible however; some experts see this as interfering with the sweating process too much and that it can be very dangerous. Losing too much sweat can lead to circulatory problems, kidney failure and heat stroke. The best baselayers on the market only wick away the excess sweat on your skin, keeping you dry and comfortable throughout exercise.