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Whys
and Wherefores of Sweat
We sweat because
our bodies are actually living, breathing
heat motors. Heat is constantly created
due to the exothermic reactions necessary
for metabolism -- in other words, turning
what you eat into what keeps your body going,
and then getting rid of the waste products
that are left over. When the body's
temperature rises, the brain signals certain
cells to release liquid onto the surface
of the skin or into the hair follicles,
so that it will evaporate and cool the body.
- Approximately
70,000 sweat
glands are concentrated
on the underside of each foot!
- The average
adult loses about 0.7
liters of sweat per day.
- Extreme
activity can boost those losses
to as much as 2.5 liters (think of your
2-liter soda bottle for comparison) per
hour.
It is vitally important
that we do, indeed, sweat -- and that we
replace the liquid that is lost through
sweating and other bodily reactions.
Our bodies are
sensitively balanced, and an imbalance of
just 1-2% can cause serious illness and
even death. Though
no "minimum daily requirement" has been
established for water, the suggested intake
is 8 glasses of water (8 ounces each) per
day.
All
sweat is not created equal.
There are two kinds
of sweat, because there are two kinds of
sweat glands. (Don't worry, there
won't be a test after this!)
- Eccrine
Glands produce secretions
without destroying the cells of the glands.
These are on your palms, the soles of
your feet, your forehead. There
is little or no odor produced by these
secretions. (Odor is caused by bacteria
or fungus -- especially in athletic shoes
-- not the actual sweat.)
- Apocrine
Glands release part of
the cell that contains the secretions,
along with the liquid. Because of
this, protein and carbohydrates are released
with this sweat, and bacteria can act
on it to make an odor. These glands
open into the hair follicles, and are
found under the arms, in the groin area,
etc.
Heat isn't the
only thing to cause sweating, of course.
Stress can do it, or activity, and also
eating spicy foods.
Sweat
Stoppers
We
spend an incredible amount of money trying
to smell good. The top five or six
brands of Deodorants and Antiperspirants
soaked up well over half a Billion dollars
of our income last year -- and there are
dozens of brands.
- Deodorants
are agents that cover up an odor, or work
to absorb the odor, but don't limit perspiration.
- Antiperspirants
do just what they say they do -- they
keep an area of the body from emitting
perspiration. They do that by either
reducing the pore size or clogging the
pores to slow down excretions. Aluminum
Chlorhydrate is the most popular ingredient
in these products, though some also use
baking soda or talc to absorb moisture
and odor.
Sweat
and your Clothes
Obviously, clothes
absorb a lot of the sweat that you produce
during the day. This is called "wicking"
-- drawing the sweat away from the body,
and helping it to cool off. That's
a great feature of lots of outdoor gear,
but not really very pleasant for your nice
wools, silks and cottons. Natural
fibers tend to retain the moisture longer,
and then when it evaporates it leaves behind
salts and other fiber-weakening chemicals.
Everyday
Clothes
The best advice
is frequent cleaning. If an item is
washable, wash it promptly each time you
wear it. If it must be dry cleaned,
build that trip into your schedule -- or
you'll be building in a shopping trip, instead,
to replace items that are no longer serviceable.
Exercise
Clothes
Buy good exercise
clothes in the first place, that will wick
moisture away from you and keep you comfortable.
Layer clothes so that you have a wicking
layer next to your skin, then an insulating
layer to trap air (for keeping you warm)
and finally a water-proof outer shell if
needed for inclement weather. (Not
all layers are needed all the time.)
- Rub light stains
with a liquid detergent and then launder.
- Pretreat heavy
stains with prewash stain remover and
allow to stand 5-10 minutes.
- If fabric has
discolored under the arms or other sweat-heavy
areas, you might try treating fresh stains
with ammonia, and old stains with WHITE
vinegar.
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more about it...
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