While the sweltering heat of summer looms above all our heads, we shouldn’t let our diets, fitness, or mental health get pushed around. Sweating is the body’s most natural response to the hot weather. Sweating aids in keeping our bodies cool when the temperatures around us increase. While sweating is a part of active living in summer, excessive sweating could be a problem in disguise, too.
Why do we sweat?
Sweating can be a sign that your body is cooling down. It could be prompted by the hot weather outside, an intense workout, hormonal fluctuations, or emotions. Sweating helps regulate body temperature through the evaporation of perspiration.
It is an electrolyte composition of 99 % water and contains certain traces of sodium chloride, bicarbonate, potassium, ammonia, magnesium, and urea. Two of the most prominent swat glands are eccrine and apocrine glands. The sweat produced by eccrine glands is mostly water and is described as due to the simultaneous excess release of salt and protein.
These glands almost cover most of our body, although sweat tends to be denser on the soles of the feet, palms, and foreheads.
The apocrine glands present in the groin, armpits, and chest areas are all responsible for body odour and the release of pheromones.
The apocrine glands secrete oily substances that are deposited in the hair canal, which is why they are found in the areas that grow most hair. Hair follicles lock bacteria and odour, so these areas are usually known to be the most prominently scented.
The sweat glands are fundamental to keeping our body temperature at a constant level between 36 and 37 degrees. However, our natural heat regulation can become overwhelming, leading to hyperthermia when the body feels too hot.
Tips to Control Excessive Sweating during the Summer Season
Wear breathable fabrics
Alleviating your sweat levels through clothing is by wearing light, breathable fabrics with good ventilation. Light colours aid in reflecting the sun rather than absorbing it, so wearing subtle colours like white could help keep you cool and reduce your sweat.
When light colours aren’t on the list, go for dark colours or distracting patterns that hide the sweat. You could also try to layer your outfits so that the sweat isn’t visible on the outer layer.
Summer Drinks
It’s essential to drink plenty of water in the summer to replace the water your body loses via sweat. Try sipping some summer desi coolers like buttermilk, sattu, and jaljeera instead of just sticking to water. Dieticians suggest these summer drinks to keep your body cool and prevent it from dehydrating.
Keep cool
Sweating is your body’s cue to cool you down. So, by staying cool, you could reduce the need to sweat. In this scorching hot weather, it could be really effective to place an ice bowl in front of a fan to circulate cool air around the room. Another idea is to keep your curtains and blinds drawn during the day to reduce overheating directly from the sun; if you’re outdoors, try to stay under some shade.
Eating smaller meals more regularly can also help to keep you cool, as metabolic heat is needed to break down food. If you are well hydrated, your body temperature could be down.
For a cooling effect when applying your moisturiser on the skin, you could try placing them on a refrigerator. Get a handheld fan and keep your head and feet cool by avoiding hats and wearing sliders or open shoes when the weather allows it.
Aloe vera gel
It is very useful for your skin care routine during summer as it reduces sweat and inflammation. This aids in avoiding rashes and skin irritation. A coffee scrub created with ground coffee beans and coconut oil also exfoliates the skin to stop you from sweating too much.
Lower your salt intake
Alleviating your salt intake could also mean avoiding foods with high sodium content. As your body tries to release any excess sodium you have consumed through sweat.
Apply antiperspirant before bed
Antiperspirants work on us by blocking the sweat ducts so that the sweat won’t be able to reach the surface of our skin. The gland still produces sweat but can’t reach the surface.
Deodorants don’t prevent sweating; instead, they mask the smell produced by bacteria when we sweat. Some antiperspirants contain deodorant. The majority of antiperspirants we buy at drugstores are made of aluminium chloride.
For some of the best results from your antiperspirant, you could make sure your underarms are clean and dry and then apply antiperspirant at night before going to bed. The ingredients might take time to create a block over the sweat duct, and most individuals sweat less, or not at all, during the night.
It might not work immediately, but stick to this routine for at least a few nights, and you might achieve the much-desired results. Once the antiperspirant starts taking effect, it could be applied according to our needs.
Avoid certain foods
There are a few food choices you might want to avoid if you’re out to a business lunch or a social occasion where you’d rather not sweat. Definitely avoid spicy food. Our bodies might react to spicy food in the same way they would to any heat—they would try to cool things down, which could lead to sweating.
Caffeine isn’t advisable either, as it would stimulate our adrenal glands and cause our feet, palms and underarms to sweat.
Medical treatments
If you feel that you sweat excessively, you might want to consult your doctor to see if you are suffering from hyperhidrosis. If you suffer from hyperhidrosis, then you could try the following medications.
- Prescription antiperspirant
Your doctor can prescribe you a high-strength prescription antiperspirant that might not be readily available at the market. Prescription creams are also available if your face and head are affected.
- Oral medication
There are some medications prescribed by your doctor that could block the chemicals that would allow particular nerves to communicate with each other, which could aid in alleviating sweating. There are some potential side effects, such as dry mouth, bladder problems, and blurred vision.
- Antidepressants
Anxiety and stress could lead to excessive sweating. Your doctor might prescribe antidepressants if they feel that this could be the major contributing reason to your issue.
- Botox injections
These injections can temporarily block the nerves that are causing you to sweat. They might last for 6 to 12 months, after which your treatment might need to be repeated. The injections might cause minor pain, and some individuals might temporarily experience muscle weakness in the area where they’ve been treated.
Surgery
In extreme cases, there are few surgical options open to you. These include sweat gland removal, microwave therapy, and nerve surgery. Surgery should only be considered when your doctor determines that you might be under serious condition causing you to sweat in an unusual amount.
FAQs
What foods help in reducing sweat?
- Water
- Bananas
- Almonds
- Whey
- Vegetables and fruits with water-rich content
