10 Essential Facts About Heat, Sweat, and Your Health
Are you at risk for heat-related illness or already showing signs of one? Read this list so you know how to take action.
In all weather conditions, the body works hard to maintain a normal temperature of 98.6 degrees. When temperatures are drastic, whether it’s a scorching summer day or a frigid winter morning, it can be even more difficult for your body to maintain this ideal temperature.
“Even at rest, the human body produces a lot of heat energy,” says Eric Buete, MD, the medical director of AFC Urgent Care in Sarasota, Florida. When it’s cool, your body will expel this heat through radiation. “The heat simply radiates from the body to the surrounding air,” explains Dr. Buete.
When it’s hot, your body sweats to keep you cool. Perspiration comes to the surface of your skin. As it evaporates, you begin to feel cooler, according to Houston Methodist. When it’s humid outside, it’s harder for the perspiration on the surface of your skin to evaporate because the air is already saturated with moisture. That’s why people often say it’s not the heat but the humidity that makes it unbearable to be outside on a hot day — though both play a role in your body’s overheating.
In other cases, sweat may occur without an external trigger at all.
Knowing whether you’re at a higher-than-usual risk for heat-related illness, as well as what may be behind your symptoms, can help you know what action to take.
This list of fast facts is a good place to start.
In a typical year, more than 600 Americans die from extreme heat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Seniors, young children, and people with mental illness and chronic conditions like heart disease are at highest risk, the CDC says, and athletes, outdoor workers, and people in the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities are particularly vulnerable.
Men’s sweat glands are more active than women’s, according to MedlinePlus, which means they sweat more than women. The more you sweat, the more easily you can become dehydrated, which can lead to other health issues, Buete says.
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That’s according to the International Hyperhidrosis Society. There are two types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine. Both produce fluids. The area of the brain known as the hypothalamus controls your body temperature by regulating sweat output and blood flow to the skin. The odor associated with sweat comes from the apocrine glands found in the armpits and genital region; the sweat from these glands produces a smell when it comes in contact with bacteria on the skin.
Warning signs of heat exhaustion include: dizziness, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, heavy sweating, and headache, notes the CDC. To treat heat exhaustion, move to a cool location, drink lots of water, and soak in a cool bath or use cool compresses.
Heatstroke can occur when your body temperature reaches at least 104 degrees; at this point, your body loses the ability to regulate temperature on its own, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Signs of heatstroke include muscle cramping, a fast heartbeat, vomiting, flushed skin, headache, mental confusion, and seizures, per the CDC. Call 911 if you see someone experience these symptoms. As with heat exhaustion, someone experiencing heatstroke should be moved to a cooler place and given a bath of cool water or compresses.
“Drink before you are thirsty,” Buete says. In extreme heat, it’s best to avoid caffeine and alcohol, the AAFP advises. Wear loose clothing that allows the air to circulate around you as you exercise, and avoid exercising outdoors during the hottest part of the day, which is often from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Instead, schedule your workout as close to sunrise or sunset as possible.
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This is true for several reasons, Buete says. They can’t control their environment (if they’re left in a room that is hot, for example); they have a high metabolic rate, which means their bodies are producing heat constantly; and they aren’t able to perspire as much as adults, Buete says. Never leave a child in a parked car, even with the windows open.
That includes those who are morbidly obese, the elderly, and people who are immobile, Buete says. People with diabetes can be heat sensitive, too, says Matthew Corcoran, MD, CDCES, with Shore Physicians Group in Somers Point, New Jersey. “If you have diabetes and you become dehydrated from the heat, it can affect your blood-sugar levels,” says Dr. Corcoran. Be sure to keep insulin and other diabetes medications out of the heat, as hot temperatures can ruin them, he adds. People with multiple sclerosis may find that their symptoms worsen when they’re hot. When heat raises a person’s body temperature, it becomes harder for the central nervous system to work properly.
These include some kinds of allergy medicines and antihistamines, blood pressure and heart medications, diuretics, laxatives, antidepressants, and other medications, according to Jefferson Health. Talk to your doctor about what precautions are important if you’re taking any of these.
Called hyperhidrosis, this condition is characterized by overactive sweat glands, which cause profuse sweating. This health condition can be inherited or caused by other health conditions or medications, and can occur without a trigger from heat. Treatments for hyperhidrosis include oral and topical medications, Botox injections, and a procedure that uses electricity to turn off the sweat glands. If these treatments are not effective, you may discuss surgical options with your doctor.
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Additional reporting by Angela Haupt.
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