Your body is equipped with an average of three million sweat glands. There are two types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine. The eccrine sweat glands are located all over your body and produce a lightweight, odorless sweat. The apocrine sweat glands are concentrated in the hair follicles of the following parts of your body:. These glands release a heavier, fat-laden sweat that carries a distinct odor. The smell, referred to as body odor, occurs when apocrine sweat breaks down and mixes with the bacteria on your skin.
Your autonomic nervous system controls your sweating function. This is the part of your nervous system that functions on its own, without your conscious control. When the weather is hot or your body temperature rises due to exercise or fever, sweat is released through ducts in your skin. It moistens the surface of your body and cools you down as it evaporates.
Sweating is normal and occurs regularly in your daily living. However, a variety of causes can stimulate increased sweating. Sweating may be a response to the foods you eat as well. This type of perspiration is called gustatory sweating. It can be provoked by:. The hormonal fluctuations associated with menopause can also trigger sweating.
Menopausal women often experience night sweats and sweating during hot flashes. You can take steps to make yourself more comfortable and minimize your sweating:. If illness or medications cause uncomfortable sweating, talk to your doctor about alternative treatments.
Sweating may indicate a medical problem if it occurs with other symptoms. Let your doctor know if you experience these as well:. Kevin Kregel is a professor and the associate provost for faculty at the University of Iowa. His extramurally funded research has focused on physiological adjustments to exercise, aging and environmental challenges.
He has also been very active at the national level, serving as the chair of committees addressing science policy issues for the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology and the American Physiological Society.
Body Temperature One key challenge we face as humans is to maintain our internal body temperature in the range of In hot conditions, our bodies increase skin blood flow to dissipate heat—but this ability declines as we age. Sweating is a key way for the body to cool itself—but our sweat glands become less effective as we age. TIPS: How can you deal with hot or cold conditions as you age? Wear layers of loose-fitting clothes around the house, and warm clothes when you are sleeping.
Drink warm beverages, but avoid alcohol, which can increase heat loss from your body. Avoid going outside when temperatures are very cold, but if you do venture out, wear appropriate clothing including a hat, gloves and scarf.
Remember that people with some underlying chronic health conditions like diabetes, hypothyroidism and cardiovascular diseases are more susceptible to hypothermia and should be especially cautious in cold conditions. Here are some helpful recommendations: Living in a space with air conditioning in hot conditions is important.
If it is necessary to venture outdoors, pick a cooler time of the day early morning or evening are the best options. Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day, as dehydration can have serious consequences. Get Email Updates. Recent Posts:. It gets your body ready to act, but this adrenaline rush also activates your apocrine glands — and with that comes sweat.
We've probably all been there. You just feel like something spicy! While you know your mouth isn't actually on fire, what you may not know is that your brain is actually getting tricked into thinking you're overheating.
It's why, pretty soon, you'll probably be sweating bullets. As it turns out, the culprit of this so called "gustatory sweating" is capsaicin, the active ingredient that makes many spicy foods spicy. Capsaicin interacts with temperature-sensitive nerves responsible for detecting warmth in your mouth. This interaction tricks your body into thinking your mouth is literally hot, even though it's not.
Regardless, your body tries to cool you down the best way it knows how — sweating! But since this sweat may not feel like it's actually helping tame the fire drill in your mouth, you may be temped to turn to a beverage or other food item to help cool your mouth down instead. It's also important to mention here that the process of metabolizing food, in general, can increase your body temperature.
So, even if you're not eating something spicy and even if you're not hot, you may find that eating a particularly heavy meal might induce a light sweat — hence the term "meat sweats. How sweat cools you down Sweating gets a bad rap, and, sure, it is sort of gross.
But, none of this explains why we sweat even when we're not hot. Why we sweat when we're nervous Whether it's your first day of work, a first date or a stressfully close sporting event , I'm sure we've all experienced the sweaty palms and underarms that come along with being stressed, scared or nervous. Why we sweat while eating spicy food We've probably all been there. A few bites in, you can't feel your mouth anymore.
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