Hey there, viewers! Nobody likes to show up to a work meeting sweaty. The only problem is that we
have to sweat. It’s the cooling system of our body, and one of our most important functions.
Your sweat can also say a lot about you! Today, let’s talk about things
your sweat is trying to tell you. Do you know what fish-odor syndrome is?
Can your sweat actually help you find love? We’re talking all that AND more…
You are not eating the right food
Your sweat is a bodily fluid, just like blood and urine. If there’s something wrong
with your body, your sweat also changes. Fish odor syndrome is a
health disorder that makes your sweat smell like rotten fish.
That’s because your body can’t break down trimethylamine (try-meth-uh-luh-mean), or TMA, the
compound responsible for the gross smell. It’s one of the byproducts when digesting eggs and fish.
Your body gets rid of this compound not just through sweat, but also your urine and breath.
This condition is called trimethylaminuria, or TMAU, a rare metabolic disorder.
There is no cure for TMAU. But you can reduce its effects by avoiding certain
foods and supplements containing lecithin. Some of those foods include cow milk, shellfish, eggs,
peas, peanuts, chicken liver, etc.
To reduce symptoms, you need to avoid sweating too much, which is often not possible.
Antiperspirants can help, but you should always be cautious while choosing them. Most antiperspirants
contain aluminum and other heavy metals that could be dangerous if you use them long term.
You can mask TMA with deodorants. Using antiperspirants all the time can clog your
sweat glands. While it doesn’t sound like a problem requiring urgent medical attention,
it could be socially and emotionally devastating. Understandably,
people with TMAU need emotional support.
You have hypoglycemia
Are you sweating without heavy lifting? You might be running low on sugar. Hypoglycemia can have
many effects on your body. These include fatigue, lightheadedness, dry mouth, tingly lips, etc.
When your sugar level drops, your adrenaline level rises.
Higher adrenaline activates your sweat glands, making you sweat a lot.
Your blood sugar level should be between 70 to 100 milligrams per deciliter while fasting.
If it drops below 70, you start sweating, especially at the back of your neck.
It happens for several reasons. You may have worked a little too hard in the gym, or you might
be on insulin supplements. In either case, your symptom goes away once you eat or drink something.
Sweating while sleeping is called night sweat. This happens for a few reasons as
well. One of them is low blood glucose levels. You can deal with night sweats
brought on by hypoglycemia pretty quickly. Have a before-bed snack,
or simply adjust the exercise timings to prevent night sweat.
You are not sweating enough
If you notice reduced sweating and more dizziness during your summer walks,
it could be something called anhidrosis (ann-high-drosis).
Anhidrosis is the inability to sweat normally. This can be very dangerous.
When you’re not sweating, your body can’t cool off naturally. If you continue without rehydrating,
you risk illnesses like heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Move to a shady or air-conditioned space
and have something cool to drink. This should be something without caffeine or alcohol.
If you’re not feeling any better after a while, call for emergency medical attention.
Longer-lasting anhidrosis may be due to nerve damage, medications,
or an inherited condition, increasing the risk for heat illness and heart problems.
Just because you don’t feel moist and clammy doesn't mean you're genuinely not sweating.
Most of us produce 43 grams of sweat every day, not counting those puddles you make when you
work out. Bring it up with your doctor if you notice an actual drop in your sweat production.
Your sweat has feelings
Believe it or not, your sweat can be a superpower. It can affect your mood. You can spread happiness,
fear, and perhaps arousal through sweat. In a study, 12 men were shown video clips that
made them either happy or fearful. Their sweat samples were collected,
and women were made to smell them. The researchers monitored the facial expressions
of women. They found that women who smelled the sweat of a frightened man expressed fear,
and those who smelled the sweat of a happy man appeared happy themselves.
So, it is possible to spread happiness at the
gym. Go ahead and watch some funny videos before doing your workout.
This might be because any change in your body affects the composition
of your bodily fluids. Sweat is one of them. When you’re happy,
your sweat has happy hormones. The same goes for when you’re scared.
You’re stressed out
A smelly, sweaty, and itchy underarm can indicate you're stressed.
Your body produces sweat from eccrine (eck-rinn) glands, which is mostly water with a little bit
of salt. It doesn’t have an odor. But when you work out, your apocrine (apo-krin) glands
become active. Your body reacts the same way when you’re stressed. Apocrine glands produce
proteins and fats along with water and salt. It could provide a lovely home to bacteria,
allowing them to feed and reproduce. In the process, they create odor-producing acids.
Now that you know what’s ruining your date,
you can always mask your stress-induced stink with deodorants or antiperspirants.
You're pregnant
A proactive nostril is a sign of pregnancy. This means you’re going to be more sensitive to the
sweaty people around you. But did you know that you also sweat a lot more when you’re pregnant?
Think about it… You’re carrying a lot more weight than you’re used to.
Anything that messes with your endocrine (en-do-krinn) system can leave you sweatier.
The endocrine system is the network of glands that release various hormones.
You get hot flashes when you’re pregnant or about to hit menopause. About 85% of women
experience hot flashes due to menopause. Pregnancy also has similar effects.
Your hormonal changes will mess around with the thermostat of
your body. It makes you think you’re overheating. Your body starts sweating,
which doesn’t go away, even when sitting right in front of the air conditioner.
Many women start feeling sweaty early in their pregnancies. The changing hormones
and increased blood flow raise the body temperature soon after becoming pregnant.
Just this tiny increase will make you sweat a lot more than you used to.
You need more electrolytes!
You know what electrolytes are, right? Electrolytes are those minerals in your
body that give you an electric charge. They’re located in your urine, blood,
tissues and other various fluids. Let me explain it in a little more detail.
Have you ever been on your morning run and started sweating like crazy? As your sweat dries,
your skin feels tight and uncomfortable. This is similar to how you would feel an hour after
swimming in the ocean. You will also notice white patches on your clothes. These are signs
that your sweat is salty. In extreme cases, you see salt crystals along your hairline.
You would get this when doing some extreme exercise for longer hours in
a hot environment. People with higher sweat rates also get these patches.
Normally you sweat from eccrine glands that release mostly water. But your sweat
also contains some essential minerals and salts. If you have salty sweat,
you are losing really important salts a lot faster. Sodium is one
of these vital minerals you lose, causing Hyponatremia (hypo-nay-treem-ee-uh). This
is a condition where you lack an extreme amount of sodium in your blood.
Usually, salty sweat is not a problem, but losing too much sodium can create an imbalance in your
electrolyte levels. It messes with nerve conduction and also causes muscle cramps.
Getting hydrated with dissolved electrolytes is one of the solutions.
Drinking too much plain water can add more to the injury.
Hyponatremia can also be caused by drinking way too much plain water during
long workout sessions. It can cause nausea, headaches and confusion.
Primary Focal Hyperhidrosis
If you’re sweating way too much without any explanation, you may have PFH
(primary focal hyperhidrosis). PFH is typically marked by unexplained sweating,
which interferes with your daily activities.
You’re supposed to sweat when you’re physically hot, active, or stressed. But, people with
hyperhidrosis can have dripping sweat even when sitting still in a cold room watching Netflix.
So far, nobody knows what causes it. Most of us believe that it runs in the family.
It comes from too much stimulation of sweat glands by the nerves. It has
various triggers that include certain odors and foods, including citric acid, coffee,
chocolate, peanut butter, and spices. It also gets triggered by emotional stimuli
like anxiety. In some cases, even spinal cord injuries can cause PFH.
If you have PFH, you need to identify the triggers and limit your exposure to them.
Even if you can’t, you should always go for a strong antiperspirant. In extreme cases,
your doctor may prescribe botox or even surgery.
You may have lymphoma
Hyperhidrosis may also be an indicator of an underlying disease.
People suffering from gout, hyperthyroidism,
and Parkinson's may also experience a ton of sweating. Sometimes medications
can also make you sweat a lot. These include painkillers, psychiatric drugs, hormonal pills,
skin medications, and antibiotics. This kind of sweating is called secondary hyperhidrosis.
You should always be careful when you’re sweating too much. It can be an indicator of lymphoma or
cancer of the lymph cells. The lymphatic system is an essential part of your body’s germ-fighting
system. When your lymphatic system is in trouble, you get night sweats and fever. In fact, how
much you sweat at night is how doctors can stage lymphoma. It doesn’t mean you need to get stressed
out if you sweat more than you should. Before panicking, you need to look for other symptoms
like high fever, painless swelling lymph nodes, unexplained weight loss, pain in lymph nodes, etc.
Your body can be a scary thing. That’s why it’s so important to take care of your health. Let’s
keep the conversation going with a couple related videos, shall we? Here’s what you need to know…
Check out “5 Exercises That Will Transform Your Body In Just 4 Weeks”.
You can also watch “16 Signs Your Blood Sugar Is High & 8 Diabetes Symptoms”.
Go ahead, click one. Or better yet, watch both, and learn more about how your body works.
Have you been sweating like crazy? Let us know in the comments below!