On Sweating

What does Sweating mean?

Sweating is a problem that causes a lot of us embarrassment – whether it’s sweaty pits at work or the sweat dripping off your face on the subway. Many of us load up on antiperspirants to ensure we maintain a crispy and clean appearance throughout the day. Despite the unsavory nature of sweating, it is actually extremely beneficial for our skin and overall health. 

Sweating is basically the body’s air conditioning system. The evaporation of sweat from the surface of the skin keeps your body from overheating and regulates your core temperature when the weather is hot. It also provides cosmetic benefits to your skin in the form of glowing and dewy skin. It keeps your skin hydrated and healthy. 

Sweating cleanses

Sweating also helps open up your pores and releases the grime and buildup that sits just under your skin. This gunk contains bacteria which causes acne and breakouts. This enables your skin to naturally cleanse itself and helps avoid unsightly breakouts and blemishes. Sweating also helps keep your skin clear of infections. It contains an antimicrobial peptide called dermcidin which works like a natural antibiotic. 

Sweating rejuvenates

Sweating also implies an increase in blood circulation with oxygen flowing more freely into our lungs and our cells getting rejuvenated. This sweating doesn’t just purify your skin; it also keeps your skin looking young and firm. It prevents the thinning of skin by boosting the metabolism of cellular mitochondria in addition to purifying, protecting, and rejuvenating the skin. This helps in collagen production and improved skin elasticity. 

Sweating detoxes

There is an additional benefit to sweating. Our environment is loaded with toxins like BPA and DEHP. We are regularly in contact with these harmful chemicals that can wreak havoc on our internal health. Thankfully, this is a problem that can easily be dealt with if we can make our peace with sweating. Our sweat glands can work powerfully to rid our body of these chemicals as well as other dangerous pollutants. 

It also has a host of other benefits including the prevention of kidney stones, heavy metal detox, and helping increase the endorphin release in the brain when combined with working out. So while sweating may be unpleasant, it plays an important role in ensuring great skin and health. This is evident in the importance of sweating in traditional cultures in the form of Turkish hammams, Native American sweat lodges, to our modern day saunas and steam rooms.