Sweating

Sweating

Sweating is a term which refers to the production and evaporation of a fluid that is secreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Sweat is made up of Water (H2O, HOH) and Sodium Chloride (NaCl), and also contains the chemicals odorants 2-methylphenol and 4-methylphenol. In humans, sweating is primarily a means of temperature regulation, although it has been proposed that components of male sweat can actually act as pheromonal cues.

There are two different types of sweat glands, the Eccrine sweat glands and the Apocrine sweat glands. The eccrine sweat glands are those which are distributed over the entire body, but which are primary abundant on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and on the forehead. These produce the sweat that is composed mainly of water with various salts.

Then there are the apocrine sweat glands, which are those which produce sweat that contains fatty materials. These glands are mainly present in the armpit area and as well the genital area and their activity is the main cause of sweat odor due to the bacteria that break down the organic compounds in the sweat itself from these glands.

Causes Sweating

There are actually a number of different causes which are considered as being responsible for sweating, and for instance sitting in the heat of the sun, working out at the gym, or giving a presentation at work and getting nervous, all of these actions can result in sweating. As a matter of fact, when you are exposed to heat or strenuous emotional stress, you may lose several quarts of fluid in perspiration. Sometimes however the complex mechanism of perspiration goes awry and this can result in either excessive perspiration or little to no perspiration.

Posted by Anupam Saini