SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sweating when it is hot out can make a tough day a little more challenging. But did you know that sweating is the human body’s way to fight the heat and keep your temperature from rising?
The trick to understanding the benefit of sweating is understanding evaporation. Evaporation is when liquid water transforms into a gas (water vapor) and drifts back into the air above your skin.
The heat near your skin and in the air is absorbed by the liquid water in sweat and begins a cooling process. That cooling keeps you from overheating and can stave off other health issues like heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
So while sweat may not be everybody’s favorite byproduct of the heat, it’s what keeps humans just a little more comfortable on a hot day.
You can do two things to help this process. Wearing pre-wet items like a scarf will provide the liquid water needed for evaporation and cooling and help your body from becoming dehydrated by producing a lot of sweat.
Wind also helps the efficiency of the evaporative process, so staying in a breeze or using a fan will help you stay cooler.
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