Sweating is a bodily function that happens to all of us, everyday, so you’d think that we’d all know a lot about it, right? But in actual fact the pool of knowledge doesn’t often extend past knowing that it’s wet, sometimes smelly, and can help to regulate your body temperature. And believe it or not, there’s actually a lot more to sweating than you may realise, in fact there are ten things you probably didn’t know about sweat…
FACTS ABOUT SWEAT #1
Humans have between 2-4 million sweat glands and less than one per cent of those are under your arms. Therefore, it’s ok to stop the sweat under your arms as the rest of your sweat glands will do the job of regulating your body temperature if need be.
FACTS ABOUT SWEAT #2
Sweat itself is odourless. It’s the bacteria on the skin that mingles with it that produces body odour.
FACTS ABOUT SWEAT #3
Sweating from exercise and heat and sweating from stress are very different. When it’s hot or you’re exerting yourself physically your body reacts to your rising temperature and tries to cool you down by perspiring. Stress sweat, on the other hand, is caused by a rush of adrenaline and cortisol to the blood stream, resulting in a raised heartbeat, tensed muscles and instantaneous sweating in the armpits and pubic region.
FACTS ABOUT SWEAT #4
Stress sweat smells the worst. Stress sweat is produced by the apocrine glands, which are usually in the areas with lots of hair, like the armpits, groin and scalp. These areas are quite oxygen deprived, which means they house more bacteria, making the sweat more prone to smelling.
FACTS ABOUT SWEAT #5
Sweat actually prevents deodorants from being absorbed into the skin. That’s why it’s recommended that you apply deodorants at night when your sweat glands are less active and your skin is drier, instead of in the morning when you may have already started sweating.
FACTS ABOUT SWEAT #6
An average person sweats approximately six litres per day. People with a strenuous job can sweat up to 10 litres, whereas others may only sweat up to one litre.
FACTS ABOUT SWEAT #7
Men sweat 40 per cent more than women, but women have more sweat glands. Men’s sweat is also saltier than women’s.
FACTS ABOUT SWEAT #8
The saying ‘sweating like a pig’ is actually a pointless way to describe a sweaty state. Pigs don’t sweat that much at all – they bathe their body in mud to cool down, that’s why they smell!
FACTS ABOUT SWEAT #9
During his life, King Louis XII of France only took two baths. Back in those days, people covered their sweat and smells using perfumes, oils and spices.
FACTS ABOUT SWEAT #10
Hippo sweat is red and cows can only sweat through their noses. Gross!
Did you know there was so many interesting facts about sweat? Have you ever tried Mitchum Clinical Deodorant?
