I’ve talked before about the benefits of sweating it out in a sauna, but sweating in general offers some impressive benefits. Relief from hot flashes, lowered risk of heart attack, and better recovery times are just a few of the advantages.
True, some of us find sweating takes effort and is even a little unpleasant, but the health benefits of sweating are worth getting hot and sticky over!
What Is Sweat?
It seems like a basic question, but sweating is more complicated than it looks. Each of us has about 4 million sweat glands that excrete a mixture of water, salt, amino acids, proteins, and other substances. The exact composition varies based on our hormone balance, physiological changes, and what bacteria and viruses are in the body.Interestingly, sweat composition and how our glands function (or don’t) tell a lot about our health and are even used to diagnose certain conditions like cystic fibrosis.
Why Do We Sweat?
There are several reasons why we perspire. The body uses sweat to regulate temperature and cool the body during times of stress. This can be due to anxiety, elevated body temperature (like fever or in a sauna) or just the positive stress of working out. Sweat is also an effective detox pathway for heavy metals and toxins.The Health Benefits of Sweating
Here are 11 pretty incredible reasons why sweating is good for you… It can help:1. Detox Heavy Metals
One of the primary functions of sweat is to cool the body down, but the other is detoxification. Despite some claims that detoxing through sweat is dangerous nonsense, there’s a lot of evidence to back up this function of sweat. One study found that those with mercury toxicity had their levels return to a safe amount after sweating sessions, as it also excretes arsenic, cadmium, and lead.With China experiencing record level of industrial pollution, toxic heavy metal buildup is a major concern. A study of Chinese residents found that those who exercised more had fewer toxins in their body and that the elimination of heavy metals was more concentrated in sweat that urine. This seems to indicate that those who exercised had fewer toxins because they perspired more.
2. Help the Body Remove BPA, PCBs, and other Endocrine Disruptors
The endocrine disruptor BPA is commonly found in plastics and is one reason to avoid plastic as much as possible. Research shows BPA and its harmful effects are more effectively remedied through sweat than other detox routes.In addition, studies show PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) found in older building materials and PBDES (a flame retardant chemical) excrete through sweat, not urine. (Also, taking niacin along with sweating can increase the mobilization of stored toxins.)
3. Promote Healthier Skin
Like the gut, our skin has its own microbiome balance. Sweat may act as a prebiotic that contributes to healthy skin bacteria. Deep sweating can also improve skin cell turnover and remove pathogenic bacteria from the skin to help with acne.4. Defeat Harmful Microbes
International studies have shown that sweating can cut our chance of getting the flu by one third! It turns out sweat contains some of the same antimicrobial proteins that are known to bind with certain bacteria and viruses in the body, including H. pylori, E. coli and HIV. These antimicrobial substances help flush out toxins and attack germs.Research also shows that heat from a sauna helps to kill off infections and pathogenic viruses and quickens healing times.
What’s more, our sweat composition even changes depending on what toxins are in our body and if we have a specific condition or disease. In a study of people with tuberculosis, their sweat contained 26 unique proteins related to their immune function and transportation of proteins across membranes. This suggests our body intuitively knows what proteins to increase to get rid of the issue at hand.
5. Protect the Heart
Sweating through exercise or in the sauna increases circulation and strengthens the cardiovascular system. In a study of regular sauna goers, researchers found that those who had the most weekly sauna sessions were the least likely to have a negative cardiovascular event.Saunas are also known to promote relaxation and stress relief, which are also good for the heart.
6. Speed Recovery After Exercise
Sweating boosts blood flow to the skeletal muscles. This helps to increase recovery time from illness, injury and muscle strain. Studies show sweating even boosts growth hormone production, which is the body’s way of repairing itself.7. Lower Stress Hormones
Sweating activates the parasympathetic response in the body that allows us to relax, digest properly, and recover. Breaking a sweat in the sauna or through exercise helps to boost our happy hormone and relieve anxiety and depression. Cortisol and stress hormones reduce after sweating, while other adrenal hormones help maintain a proper electrolyte balance increase.8. Decrease Risk of Alzheimer’s
Sweating is known to detox heavy metals from the body, promote relaxation, improve focus, and strengthen blood flow to the brain, all of which have benefits for Alzheimer’s prevention. Frequent sauna use decreased the risk of Alzheimer’s in one study of Finnish men by 65% compared to the group that only used the sauna once a week.9. Boost Sexual Drive and Attraction
When sweat is excreted, it carries certain pheromones with it. While our noses may not be able to notice the scent, our brains do. One study found that when men excreted pheromones through sweat it improved both mood and focus as well as increased attraction from women. (Even though it seems like the opposite would be true!)10. Reduce Menopause Symptoms
Estrogen dominance is thought to be the culprit behind menopausal hot flashes in women, but sweating may be the answer. Researchers found that women who got their heart rate up and sweated during menopause had fewer episodes of hot flashes.11. Lower Risk of Kidney Stones
Interestingly, there’s another bonus to sweating more often. Although incidence of kidney stones in women over 50 has risen dramatically in recent years, researchers at the University of Washington found the benefits of sweating through consistent exercise reduces this risk. Excess salt and calcium can form kidney stones over time, but sweating boosts the body’s natural balance and directs calcium to our bones instead.After researching these benefits of sweating, I’m convinced … and vowing never to skip a workout again!
Why Some People Sweat More (Or Less)
Even though sweating is a free and easy way to boost health, we don’t all sweat the same. Here are some reasons why the amount we sweat might vary:- Men vs. Women – A study of both male and female athletes found that men tend to sweat more than their female counterparts. (I think we all knew that already!) The study found this is because the men had significantly more muscle mass, so their bodies had to work harder to cool.
- Weight – Similarly, people who carry extra weight around sweat more.
- Toxicity – People who have more of a toxic load tend to sweat more, since their body is working overtime to eliminate the toxins.
- Hyperhidrosis – Some people sweat 4-5 times what a normal person does. This condition is called hyperhidrosis and is thought to be primarily triggered by infection, medications, overactive nerves due to genetics, or hypothyroid.
- Tattoos – One side effect of getting inked? Losing more sodium and electrolytes in tattoo covered areas. This probably won’t affect someone with a small tattoo here or there, but suggests significant ink over large areas of the body impedes the health benefits of sweating significantly.
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