Sweating is a normal response of the body to heat, exertion and mentally stressful situations. The most important task of the sweat glands is to regulate the body’s temperature. As with all other organs, dysfunction can occur. What it is about sweating and which disorders of the sweat glands there are, you can learn here.
Task of the sweat glands
The most important task of the sweat glands is to stabilize the body temperature even in fluctuating ambient temperatures – indispensable for the regular functioning of various organs. Heat is released with sweat; it coats the skin with a film of moisture that provides cooling on the surface.
Other functions of sweating are the elimination of toxic metabolic waste products and the maintenance of the acid mantle of the skin.
What is sweating?
Sweating is controlled by the heat center in the brain, which is part of the unconscious (autonomic) nervous system. It receives information about temperature from about 30,000 heat sensors on the skin, checks it, and, if necessary, relays signals to secrete sweat (i.e., to sweat) to the three million sweat glands on the skin.
These glands are located all over the body, especially numerous:
- On the palms of the hands and feet
- In the armpits
- On the head
- On the neck
- On the forehead
On average, they produce 200 to 700 milliliters of a salty secretion daily, and more than a liter per hour during extreme exertion.
When we sweat, we lose electrolytes
Through sweat, not only fluid is withdrawn from the body, but also salts and minerals are lost. Excessive salt loss through excessive sweating – for example, in a hot summer – can lead to significant problems in the electrolyte balance of the body. If you sweat, you definitely need to drink a lot – and if you sweat a lot, you also need to think about your salt intake.
What is sweat made of?
Sweat consists mainly of water, enriched with:
- Minerals
- Trace elements
- Urea
- Proteins
- Fatty acids
- Cholesterol
It is initially odorless. Only when the bacteria present on the skin get on him, are formed strong-smelling substances such as butyric acid, which cause the unpleasant body odor when evaporating.
Sweating: Not only in the heat
Sweat production is closely interlocked with other parts of the autonomic nervous system – everyone knows the sweat of fear or the sweating of taste caused by the consumption of particularly spicy foods.
In addition to these “eccrine” sweat glands, so-called “apocrine” sweat glands, also known as scent glands, are found at the hair roots in the pubic and anal regions and in the armpits. They are activated by emotional stimuli such as sexual desire, anger and pain and are under the control of the sex hormones. These glands contribute little to temperature regulation.
Dysfunction of the sweat glands
As with other cells and parts of the body, the sweat glands can malfunction. Depending on whether too much or too little sweat is produced, one speaks of hyperhidrosis or hypohidrosis; if the sweat smells particularly unpleasant, of bromhidrosis.
In the past, disorders of sweat production were summarized under the generic term dyshidrosis. Today, however, this term is used almost exclusively for a particular type of eczema, the cause of which was formerly erroneously thought to be disorders of sweat production.
