5 Reasons sweating is really good for your body

5 Amazing benefits of sweating that will make exercise more appealing

huibing

12 Jun 2017

1/5
Helps with acne
Hold up— what? Did you know that sweating can actually help your pores out? Though it sounds like nothing but a lofty dream, it helps your skin in two prominent ways.

Firstly, it clears the pesky germs from your skin. As sweat is produced in the sweat glands under your skin and released through your pores, it flushes out the dirt and bacteria trapped within your skin when you perspire. But, more than that, a chemical called dermcidin is released when you sweat and it has been medically proven to reduce acne and prevent redness from your face. This natural antibiotic will make it hard for bacteria to enter and multiply. Clearing your skin while preventing acne— can it get any better than this?

Of course, it’s not all good. To ensure that your skin reaps the full benefit, get the sweat off your skin — pronto. While sweat may sound incredibly attractive, letting it dry on your skin may mean that the bacteria it just flushed out would re-enter your skin… again. This may irritate your skin, once again, possibly leading to even worse results, and no one wants that.
2/5
Reduces risk of kidney stones
Kidney stones have been known to happen to one in ten people but, what exactly is it? Basically, your kidney forms stones when minerals are unable to be dissolved due to a lack of water. So, it may sound ironic that sweating (the losing of water) may actually help your kidney stones, right?

Sweating is more than just the excretion of water. Sweating reduces the accumulation of sodium and calcium in your kidney, which may form into kidney stones. This means that the possibility of developing kidney stones is lowered. Further, when you are sweating, you get thirsty and you require adequate hydration before continuing. This makes it even harder for the minerals to accumulate as they are surrounded by more water to dissolve into.
3/5
Production of endorphins
We see it everywhere: exercising causes sweating, which releases endorphins, and makes you happy. But, how does it work?

When it comes to running, athletes often talk about the sense of euphoria after pushing through a treacherous kilometre or two (or ten). This elusive ‘runner’s high’ may seem impossible to achieve, as mysterious as El Dorado or the Fountain of Youth, but it may actually be attributed to the release of endorphins.

It’s been likened to morphine as the effects are similar. When you sweat, you get a sense of happiness and general well-being, to the point where the term ‘adrenaline junkie’ has become a go-to phrase for those who seek a little extra high in their lives.
4/5
Accelerates healing of wounds
They say that time heals all wounds, but did you know sweat does that too?

Research has shown that sweat glands contain stem cells that literally rises to the situation. When you get injured and your body rushes to heal itself, it begins from inside-out, growing cells that heals it from beneath. The original assumption was that wounds healed from the outside, covering up the surface before healing within, but a study by researchers from the University of Michigan has proved otherwise, by proving how essential our sweat glands are in the closing of wounds.

This recent revelation comes because sweat glands are uniquely human, and testing have been minimal. But the results have been promising and it shows the importance of sweat glands.
5/5
Regulates body temperature
When you are exercising, your heart rate increases and the energy your body needs result in an increase in body temperature. Sweating is the perfect way to ensure you don’t get too hot, too fast. By bringing out warm moisture, it reduces the temperature in your body, keeping it cool and making sure you don’t overheat. It’s kind of the same when you get a fever and begin sweating but it’s all good — your body is just trying to get back in-sync.

Number one: Your sweat can help you get rid of acne. Say what?

Call it what want: a natural glow, the glistening of the skin, or straight-up perspiration, the universal truth is that no one really likes sweating. Save for when they’re in the gym doing that cardio routine that makes your body quiver, sweating is the last thing people want or need, especially if they are all dressed up and ready to go. And even more so if you have a face full of makeup that is just threatening to slide off.

So we spray on our clinical-strength antiperspirant in hopes that it will help the problem, hide indoors where the mall’s air-conditioning unit is blasting at full power, and even occasionally consider surgical options to remove pesky sweat glands. But, before you continue down that road, did you know that sweating is more than just an indicator of how intense your workout went? Sweating has actually been shown to be good for the body, and we have 5 benefits that would make the sometimes-intolerable weather in Southeast Asia a lot less painful. Check them out in the gallery above!

At the end of the day, sweating definitely sounds amazing, and we are only just getting started on how sweating helps your body. But, what matters most is that you properly hydrate yourself before, during, and after perspiring. The universal recommendation is eight glasses per day, but drink as much as your body craves, and even more if the sun is unforgiving. And, even more importantly, embrace that sweat. So, go out and bask in the sun — but only with sunscreen on, of course!

Lee Hui Bing

Photos: Getty Images

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