Is it better to sweat more or less during exercise?

During exercise, our body will sweat. Do you think it is better to sweat more during exercise? Actually, it’s not. Proper sweating can speed up our metabolism and help the body excrete some waste and toxins through sweat glands. However, if the amount of sweating is large, some nutrients such as proteins, minerals, amino acids, etc. will also be lost with sweating.

Excessive sweating reduces exercise capacity

Some people believe that sweat can excrete metabolic waste from the body and has a detoxifying effect, so they think the more they sweat, the better.

Sweat actually comes from blood and contains certain blood components. When you sweat, some water evaporates, but solid substances such as protein and amino acids remain on the surface of the skin. Through the action of microorganisms on the skin surface, some substances with a sweat acid smell can be produced, so some people think that sweat is not clean.

In fact, in addition to some metabolic waste, sweat also contains many substances that are useful to the body, such as minerals, proteins, amino acids, vitamins, etc. As you lose these nutrients in sweat, they are also lost.

The benefits of sweating during exercise: Is it better to sweat more during exercise?

Therefore, we don’t need to worry too much about a small amount of sweating, but we should not take a large amount of sweating lightly.

Because excessive sweating reduces body fluids, if fluids are not replenished in time, it can lead to a decrease in blood volume, an increase in heart rate, a decrease in sweating rate, a decrease in heat dissipation ability, an increase in body temperature, and an imbalance of the body's electrolytes and acid-base balance, causing dehydration and even heat stroke in severe cases.

Dehydration affects the physiological functions of some major organs of the body, such as increased burden on the heart and damage to the kidneys.

A large loss of electrolytes such as sodium and potassium can lead to neuromuscular system disorders, causing symptoms such as muscle weakness and muscle cramps. Dehydration can also reduce athletic ability and cause fatigue.

There is a science to replenishing water after sweating

When we know the possible harm that excessive sweating can cause to the body's health, we will naturally come to the answer: we should replenish fluids after sweating. So, how should we make up for it?

What to supplement? Generally speaking, if the amount of sweating is not large, common beverages such as mineral water, boiled water, tea, carbonated drinks, juice, mung bean soup, milk, sports drinks, etc. can be supplemented.

If you sweat a lot, it is best to supplement with sports drinks, salt water, vegetable soup, etc. containing a certain amount of electrolytes. Do not drink plain water alone when sweating heavily to avoid hyponatremia.