Sweating is often associated with heat and exercise. And it’s true — you sweat when you’re hot or doing a brutal workout. It’s an essential bodily function that keeps us cool (and lets you know you got a good workout in!)
But why do some people sweat like a faucet while others seem to glisten (or barely sweat at all)? Let's dive in to learn more.
How Much Does the Average Person Sweat?
The human body has approximately 3 million sweat glands, and the average person sweats up to 1.5 gallons per day.Active or hard working adults can sweat a maximum of four gallons (or 15 liters) a day, depending on their activity level and temperature.
But temperature alone doesn’t influence how much you sweat or where. Here are six other factors that influence how much you sweat.
Your body temperature spikes when you're active, so the higher the intensity, the more you sweat. Still, two people of similar size can complete the same workout and sweat totallydifferently. As you build endurance, your body becomes more adept at sweating to keep you cool.Studies show athletes sweat sooner and more heavily than untrained people because they have a higher maximum oxygen uptake — a measure of high cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance.
2. DNA
Why do some people sweat more in certain areas than others? Much has to do with your DNA (or predisposition to sweating). Some people start sweating in a particular area — like their armpits or feet — because those glands react to the brain's signal first. Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) is also a hereditary condition influenced by your genes.
3. Body Weight
Leaner people tend to sweat more efficiently andhandle heat better than overweight individuals.Because fatacts as an insulator, people with excess fat mayfeel hotter, sweat more profusely and take longer to cool down than a leaner person .
4. Distribution of Sweat Glands
The placement of your sweat glands also influences how much you sweat. Your body contains roughly 2 to 5 million sweat glands located all across the body, which consist of two types: eccrine & apocrine. If you sweat in a certain area, you may have a higher concentration of sweat glands there.
5. Sex
Does being a man or woman really affect how much you sweat?Studies say yes. While women have more sweat glands, men’s sweat glands tend to be more active than women’s, so they sweat more. And physical endurance only intensifiesthe results, meaning fit men sweat significantly more than untrained or unfit women and dissipate heat better.
6. Acclimatization
Known as the process of adjusting to environmental temperatures, this mechanism largely influences how much you sweat. When you regularly spend time in the heat, you become more acclimated to the temperature and sweat more efficiently.
Managing How Much You Sweat
The ability to sweat is an advantageous trait that keeps you from overheating during a grueling workout. But sweating excessively and spontaneously — regardless of the temperature or physical activity —can takean enormous toll on your life.
Although how much you sweat hinges on biological factors such as DNA, sex and the location of your sweat glands, that doesn’t make you beholden to excessive sweating. There are steps you can take combat sweat and appear dry as a desert.
The Thompson Tee sweat proof shirt is designed to completely absorb armpit sweat while allowing it to evaporate. The result? No embarrassing underarm wet marks or yellow stains.
If you’re looking for a solution to underarm sweat, we encourage you to try a Thompson Tee, available formen andwomen, risk-free. Wear it, wash it, and if it doesn’t totally block your underarm sweat, we stand by our money-back guarantee.
FAQs
Factors like genetics, body weight, and even fitness level can play a part. Temperature and activity levels are major drivers. Naturally, you'll sweat more on a warm day or during a vigorous workout. But other factors, including hormones, emotions, and certain medications, can also come into play.
What factors may cause you to sweat? ›
You may sweat a lot when you exercise, when you are too hot, or when you are frightened. It's normal for teenagers to sweat more than they did when they were younger. A teen's sweat glands are growing along with the rest of his or her body. And menopause often causes women to have heavy sweating now and then.
What factors affect sweat rate? ›
Of course, our sweat rate depends on a few things, and it can change. “Your fitness, the type of exercise you're doing, the temperature outside, and the humidity all affect sweat rate,” says Vigil. It's important to keep tabs on these factors to hydrate appropriately.
What makes you sweat more or less? ›
How much we sweat depends upon myriad factors, such as age, body size, muscle mass, and state of health.
How does your body make you sweat? ›
Sweat is produced by glands in the deeper layer of the skin, the dermis. Sweat glands occur all over the body, but are most numerous on the forehead, the armpits, the palms and the soles of the feet. Sweat is mainly water, but it also contains some salts. Its main function is to control body temperature.
How much sweat is too much? ›
There are no guidelines to determine what “normal” sweating is, but if you feel you sweat too much and your sweating has started to interfere with your everyday daily life, you may have hyperhidrosis.
What is sweating triggered by? ›
Eccrine sweat glands primarily respond to thermal stimuli; particularly increased body core temperature [40], but skin temperature and associated increases in skin blood flow also play a role [9,46–49].
What body function controls sweating? ›
A person is born with about 2 to 4 million sweat glands, which begin to become fully active during puberty. Men's sweat glands tend to be more active. Sweating is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. This is the part of the nervous system that is not under your control.
Which factor has the greatest influence on sweat rate? ›
Hydration: Environmental Factors that Influence Sweat Rate
- Hydration Factor 1: Temperature. The hotter it is, the more you'll sweat. ...
- Hydration Factor 2: Humidity. ...
- Hydration Factor 3: Solar Radiation. ...
- Hydration Factor 4: Wind. ...
- Wet bulb globe temperature. ...
- How to adjust your hydration.
There may be certain triggers in your environment that can cause your sweat glands to produce more sweat including: Certain emotions like stress, anxiety, fear or nervousness. Warm temperatures or humidity. Exercise or physical activity.
As mentioned, eccrine sweat glands primarily respond to thermal stimuli, specifically increases in core body temperature. However, skin temperature and increases in skin blood flow are also involved. Central and skin thermoreceptors sense an increase in body temperature.
What things might make you sweat more? ›
Lots of things can get you sweating, such as hot weather, exercise, or even spicy foods. You might sweat in stressful situations or when you have fever. Most of the time, sweating serves its purpose rather quickly. We cool down, stop sweating, and give it no further thought.
What regulates how much you sweat? ›
Sweating is under the control of the sympathetic nervous system, which orchestrates the body's reaction to stressful situations and emergencies. The sympathetic nervous system activates the sweat glands through the chemical messenger acetylcholine.
What hormone makes you sweat more? ›
Sweat hormones are primarily a group of hormones known as catecholamines, released in response to physical activity or stress which cause sweating. The two primary catecholamines are epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline).
Why do I sweat so much more than other people? ›
Itsines notes additional factors that impact one's amount of sweat include "things like genetics, climate, age, gender, metabolism, sickness and clothing." Another cause of excessive sweating is a condition known as hyperhidrosis − when the body sweats more than it needs to and sometimes for no apparent reason.
Is it true the more fit you are the more you sweat? ›
Your body also increases the overall rate at which sweat can be produced. Put simply, as you get fitter, you can work harder and produce more heat, so the body responds to this by 'ramping up' its sweating response and by starting to sweat earlier in order to reduce the risk of overheating.
Why do I sweat profusely with little exertion? ›
In people with hyperhidrosis, the body's 2 to 4 million sweat glands are overactive, causing profuse perspiration at times when others would sweat lightly (if at all). They sweat a lot even when weather or physical activity don't warrant it.
Is it true that the more you sweat the more you burn? ›
Does Sweating Help You Burn More Calories? Sweating doesn't burn a measurable amount of calories. However, sweating out enough liquid may help you temporarily lose water weight. Sweating is the body's natural way of regulating body temperature.
