No Sweat About Sweat
How to stay cool and stink free all round the year?
Sweat related tales and the present day
There was a time when sweat was touted as an aphrodisiac ( hard to believe but true !). Apparently, during good old days Elizabethan lovers exchanged peeled apples that they had wrapped under their ( hold your nostrils !!!) armpits. And there is also mention of a letter written by Napolean to his wife Josephine announcing his anticipation regarding the aroma bequeathed to her by mother nature - ' I will be arriving in Paris tomorrow, don't wash !!!' But this is no longer the case now. Coming to the present, things have changed drastically and although sweating is a natural process , you somehow try and hide it from public nose and view !
Today, society and advertising raises a stink about sweat and anything related to it. I remember a few years ago the magazines and tabloids sniggering at the image of Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi during a election rally lifting their hands and waving to the crowd with their perspiration filled armpits for all the world to see. The question is , isn’t it but natural that people sweat when they are outdoors all day long in the heat , so why make much of it ? It is all to do with what the fashion world dictates and what the media feeds us and the general public lap it up blindly !
You see the fashion conscious girls, on a sultry summer day , walking like soldiers with their arms firmly by their side so that there are no embarrassing tell tale sights for others to see or some even go to the extent of carrying a deo and spraying themselves several times in a day. This is true of both men and women. I read somewhere that while shooting outdoors a popular star takes no less than 5 baths a day to keep sweat and related body odor at bay , which is probably the wisest thing to do instead of pouring perfume over her sweaty body ! One can imagine how it must be shooting at close quarters with your co-star and sweating away to glory!
But the fact of the matter is that instead of turning up our nose at sweat, we should be grateful for it.There is no need to be ashamed of sweat. It is pretty wholesome stuff - 99% pure water, spiked with traces of salt and potassium ! We should also remember that our habits and life style has to do a lot with the way it smells.
The different ways it helps us keep cool
1, Eliminates waste products from our body – It is amazing to know that there are nearly 215 million microscopic glands within our body scattered under the surface of the skin and producing waste every micro second as they work to maintain the body temperature. Just imagine if we have to keep it within our system for days and months together. Sweating is a natural process by which the waste material gets thrown out of the system.
2, Evaporation – The conversion of a liquid, in this case perspiration into a gas unlocks heat and cools the body. One droplet of sweat can chill a whole liter of blood by a degree. Unfortunately , this does not work in sultry and humid weather because warm moist air hinders quick evaporation. The result? Heat gets imprisoned in the body which gets sticky and uncomfortable !
3, More sweat means you are in better shape - A fit person sweats at lower temperatures and about twice as much as a couch potato. Similarly, athletes and those who sweat profusely working in hot environments , can lose upto 5 liters of liquid a day. Men sweat more than women. A woman's body temperature will normally climb a full degree higher before she begins to glow with sweat !
The Sweat siblings
Not many of us would know that there are two different kinds of sweat glands known as Eccrine and Aprocrine
Eccrine - There are around 2 million eccrine glands found all over our body including the sexual organs.The sweat from them is a clear salty fluid containing various waste chemicals, which is what evaporates on the skin’s surface to reduce body temperature. There are many of these glands in thick skinned areas such as palms of hands, soles of feet – and their activity is controlled by both the nervous system and some hormones. Probably this is the reason why these glands broadcast our inner turmoil to the world by producing soggy evidence when we are anxious, fearful, shy etc, on the palms and the forehead !
Apocrine – These glands are fewer in number but they cause the maximum amount of discomfort. They come alive during adolescence, mainly concentrated in the armpits, the groin, and around the nipples. Hairy persons sweat more because their numerous hair folicles provide havens for the Apocrine glands.
The fluid from them is normally thickish that contains fats and proteins and is at its peak when sexually aroused or when you are working out or doing some hard physical labor. Sweat by itself has no noticeable odour, it begins to smell offensive if it remains on the skin for more than a few hours. This is because certain bacteria that flourish in the sweat produced by the Apocrine glands cause chemical change which decomposes to produce the unpleasant smell.
What is Hyperhydrosis?
Excessive sweating is medically termed as hyperhydrosis. It is an annoying but a harmless condition in which the body produces more sweat than usual. This condition starts normally during teen years and disappears later on. So far reserchers still not clear as to what causes this but feel that it is hereditory. They say that factors like heat, obesity, physical exertion or exercise and negative emotions can trigger the condition.
Sometimes, it appears after an attack of some disease or a disorder of the nervous system, because of the lack of glucose in the blood stream. So, if you feel that you are prespiring far too much for comfort it is advisable to check it out with your doctor just so that you are reassured that things are normal.
Heat exhaustion is normally caused during summer months when we go out in the sun for a long period of time and indulge in some activity outdoors. In such a case we tend to sweat profusely losing fluid and electrolytes and the sweating and evoporation instead of cooling the system tends to increase the body temperature. Other signs include a pale and clammy skin, weakness, nauses and muscle cramps. If unchecked this can lead to heat strokes which can be a life threatening situation, where there is no sweating, a rapid pulse, flushed skin accompanied y a very high temperature.
When the above occurs it is advisable to move the person to a cool breezy place immediately and cover the face , forehead, neck,back and hands with wet towels. Sips of cool lightly salted water should be given or electral water that is available in most chemists is ideal. Individually we can only take certain amount of precautions after which medical aid should be considered.
Sweat Related woes
Boils - Boils can be set off by humidity. Sweat and bacteria team up to cause an infection in the hair folicles and before you know it you have a boil on your skin. Mild cases can be treated with hot fomentation which normally ripens the boil. It is also advisable to take over the counter medication like a tablet or a skin cream that is helpful in reducing the pain and discomfort. Sometimes boils can become serious affairs when we may need to take antobiotics .
Fungal Infections - These can thrive mostly in the damp moist areas of the body - like for example , in the groin and genitals, between the toes,in the scalp, in the beard, even behind the ears when care is not taken and hygeine is neglected. Basically what is required is cleanliness and keeping the area and dry .When the infection is bad it can cause itchiness and a lot of discomfort and local application of zinc based powder can clear it.
Prickly Heat - This something that we experience during summer months when the heat is intense and no amunt of sweating cools your system. You end up breaking into rashes and tiny itchy bumps all over your back, upper arms, etc...The best prevention is to keep clean,cool and dry . Bathing at least twice a day and dusting the body with a prickly heat powder helps a lot.
Smelly feet - How to avoid them ?
There are some people who have feet that stink so much so that one can smell them from a distance. The soles of our feet have the second largest number of sweat glands after the palms and so become sweaty, smelly and prone to fungal infections. With some preventive measures you can take care of this problem.
1, Wash your feet twice a day , with soap and warm water. Dry them thoroughly especially between the toes, dust with talcum powder .
2, If the odor is strong try this – Heat water and add some vinegar and a handful of salt to it. Immerse your feet in the hot water and clean the foot thoroughly and pat dry.
3, Try to avoid synthetic shoes as far as possible, Canvas and leather shoes are better than plastic and other synthetic material.
4, Kick off your shoes whenever possible – like for example once you reach your work spot, if yours is a desk job then it is better to take off your shoes and let the feet breathe.
5, Sprinkle the inside of your shoes with talcum powder if you are unable to take them off at your work place.
6, As far as possible try and wear open toed sandals during summer months which lets he free circulation of fresh air
Cleanse your entire system
There are certain habits and postures that make you sweat more . Unless you take care it becomes a part of your personality that becomes difficult to get rid of once established .
a, Control tension and stress which causes excessive sweating which in turn makes you uncomfortable. Remember yourself that you don’t need to feel stressed at anything in life, there are ways to cope with it. Breathe deeply and evenly when you feel stressed and relax your muscles one by one. Always make it a point to sit comfortably on a chair instead of perching on the edge.
b, It is a good idea to practice medication, yoga and other relaxation techniques. Being philosophical about distress and loss helps you get into the right frame of mind. I have seen scores of people come out of depression just by attending discourses that made them think deeply about issues.
c, It is also wise to remember that with age stress and tension normally comes down since by then you have become mature and able to handle stress related issues.
How to get rid of body odor mostly related to sweat
There are a few dozen things you can do to get rid of body odor but here I will only mention the ones that are most relevant and practical.
1, When you are prone to body odor make it a point to have two baths a day so that there is less chance of stale sweat remaining on your body and causing the problem. Take extra care to thoroughly clean your under arms and genital parts. A bath is most essential after exercise. So also during menstrual cycle when you need to clean up thoroughly including taking bath regularly.
2, Make sure that each time after you take bath you dry yourself thoroughly. Use a liberal spray of talcum powder to trefresh you. However, talcum powder can do only so much in controlling body odor since it loses its effect when you sweat profusely especially in the underarm area. So what is important is that you maintain cleanliness all the time.
3, You get deodorants made specially for underarms which are quite effective in masking body odor. After bath use it on your underarms before you begin to sweat...Sprays are much more effective than roll ons , since they spread uniformly and don't become sticky after a while.
4, Wear clothes made of natural fabrics during summer months and make sure that they are not tight fitting which is one reason why some people sweat profusely and when they are wearing synthetic clothes the skkin is unable to breathe which makes matters worse. So wear light cotton clothes while going out in the sun and if possible change your clothes twice a day. Make sure that your nightwear and bed linen is also made of cotton . Wash them thoroughly with clean water and let them dry out completely before using it again.
5, Wear cotton underwear and preferably change your underwear twice a day . Synthetic clothes and under clothing promote sweating and stale odor. In the good old days men wore Vests under their shirts and ladies wore a cotton tunic under their dress , which was normally made of pure cotton that was absorbent and kept them cool . The practice is slowly vanishing now with most youngsters prefering to wear their synthetic , even wollen shirts and t shirts straight on their bodies.This can cause irritation as well as excessive sweating.
6, Never try to camouflage an unwashed body with scented talc, perfume or deodorant, which when combined with tsweat and bacteris brings out nauseating stale odor. The best option is to at least wash your underarms and private parts every now and then to keep them clean.
7, Underarms are best kept clean shaven or waxed to prevent excessive perspiration and bacteria pile ups on the hair shafts which is what normally causes the stale odor.
8, Try and avoid highly perfumed soaps which can cause allergies. Even medicated soaps are not advisable since some people are allergic to certain substances used in them as well. It is better to go for Carbolic soaps and ones with natural perfume like floral, lemon , aloe vera etc..
9, Last but not least drink plenty of water and fluids. This helps you keep cool and your sweat too doesnt give out strong odor. Before you go out in the hot sun, drink at least two glasses of water to ward of the heat that you would be facing.
Conclusions
A healthy life style takes care of all ills. Once you eat healthy, do some daily exercise and keep clean , your system too gets regulated. When you have less worries you tend to feel more relaxed which means you sweat only a healthy amount that is required for the system and is natural.
It is in our interest that we remain positive and lead a healthy llife style. Keep smiling and the less you worry and tense up the less yoou will sweat.
(images - personal)
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