Sweating is the body's natural way of regulating body temperature. Sweating is achieved by releasing water and salts, which evaporate to help cool the body. Sweating on its own doesn't burn a measurable number of calories, but dehydrating enough will cause your body to lose water weight. Once you rehydrate by drinking water or eating, you will quickly regain the weight you lost. So does sweating burn calories? Check out the answer in the following article!
How many calories are burned by sweat?
Women burn an average of 330 calories and men burn 460 calories when they walk briskly at 3.5 miles per hour for 90 minutes. Yet you also burn calories during activities where you don't sweat much or not much. For example, you can still burn calories while swimming, lifting light weights, or exercising when it's cold outside in winter.
However, sweating can be a way of measuring the intensity of your workout, or how hard you are trying to do certain types of exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that healthy adults exercise for 30 minutes of moderate intensity five days a week. A sign that the exercise is being done at a moderate intensity is sweating while still having a conversation.
Why do some people sweat more than others?
How much you sweat is based on several factors, including genetics, environmental factors, age, fitness level, and weight. Of these factors, weight and fitness have the most influence on how much sweat you produce during exercise. This is because it needs more energy to function at a higher weight. Because there is more body mass to cool down, the body will produce more sweat.
However, the better your body shape, the faster you sweat. This is because the body becomes more efficient at regulating temperature. Sweating earlier also causes the body to cool down faster. This allows you to exercise for longer and at a higher intensity.
What are the benefits of sweat?
The main benefit of sweat is to regulate body temperature. Some of the other benefits of sweating can include:
- Healthier skin.
Intense exercise causes blood to circulate throughout the body. This circulates oxygen and nutrients and nourishes the skin cells.
- Challenge yourself.
If you sweat while exercising, it means you may be doing an exercise that is challenging enough for your fitness level. However, if you feel dizzy, very tired, or in pain, you are putting too much pressure on yourself.
Is there a risk of sweating?
If you sweat excessively, you can become dehydrated. This can be caused by hot or humid weather, making you sweat more. So make sure you drink a liter of water for every pound of sweat you lose. Don't wait until you're thirsty to hydrate your body. You should also regularly take a bottle of water with you during exercise to drink.
Severe dehydration can harm the body. Therefore, seek medical attention if you experience symptoms such as extreme tiredness or confusion, dizziness on standing that does not go away after a few seconds, no urination for eight hours, weak pulse, rapid pulse, arrest, loss of consciousness, and hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis is a condition of excessive sweating of frequent intensity.
Consult a doctor if sweating interferes with your daily routine. Also see your doctor if you sweat at night for no known reason, or if you suddenly sweat excessively. Finally, you need immediate medical attention if you are perspiring with a fever of 40°C or higher, chest pain, shortness of breath, and rapid heartbeat.
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Sources:
Breitowich, A. (2022). Does Sweating More Mean You Burned More Calories? What To Know Per Experts. Women’s Health. [online]. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a19932907/sweating-during-exercise/
Chertoff, D. & Bubnis, J. (2018). Does Sweating Help You Burn More Calories? Healthline. [online]. https://www.healthline.com/health/does-sweating-burn-calories