Sweating profusely during exercise is harming yourself
Profuse sweating reduces exercise capacity
Some people believe that sweating can expel metabolic waste from the body, having a detoxifying effect, so they think the more you sweat, the better. Sweat actually comes from blood and contains certain components of blood. When you sweat, some of the water evaporates, while solid substances such as proteins and amino acids are left on the skin's surface. Under the action of skin surface microorganisms, these substances can produce some smelly compounds, which is why some people think sweat is unclean. In fact, in addition to some metabolic waste, sweat also contains many substances useful to the body, such as minerals, proteins, amino acids, vitamins, etc. As sweat is lost, these nutrients are also lost.
Therefore, for light sweating, you don't need to pay too much attention; but for heavy sweating, we should not take it lightly. Because heavy sweating reduces body fluid, if not replenished in time, it can lead to a decrease in blood volume, increased heart rate, decreased sweating rate, decreased heat dissipation capacity, elevated body temperature, and disturbances in the body's electrolyte and acid-base balance, causing dehydration. In severe cases, it can even lead to heatstroke. Dehydration affects the physiological function of some major organs, such as increased burden on the heart and kidney damage. The large loss of electrolytes such as sodium and potassium can lead to neuromuscular disorders, causing symptoms such as muscle weakness and muscle cramps. Dehydration also reduces exercise capacity and causes fatigue.
Replenishing fluids after sweating is an art
After understanding the potential health hazards of profuse sweating, we can naturally come to the conclusion: you should replenish fluids after sweating. So, how should you do it?
What to replenish Generally speaking, if the amount of sweat is not large, you can replenish with common drinks such as mineral water, plain boiled water, tea, carbonated drinks, juice, mung bean soup, milk, sports drinks, etc. If you sweat a lot, it is best to replenish with drinks containing a certain amount of electrolytes, such as sports drinks, salt water, or vegetable soup. When sweating heavily, do not just drink plain water excessively, as it may cause hyponatremia.
How much to replenish The principle for replenishment is: replace what you lose. So, how do you know how much sweat you have lost? Generally, you can roughly estimate the amount of fluid lost by the decrease in body weight after sweating. Ordinary people can also supplement according to the degree of thirst. Fluid replenishment should be done in small, frequent amounts, that is, 100-200 ml each time, not binge drinking.
When to replenish Fluids should be replenished before, during, and after exercise. People are often used to replenishing fluids during or after exercise, while often neglecting to replenish before exercise. If you want to maintain your best physical condition, you should always maintain fluid balance and not become dehydrated, not even mildly dehydrated. Therefore, you should replenish fluids before, during, and after exercise according to the specific situation.
How different people should replenish fluids
Adolescents If they sweat a lot during exercise, for example, 0.5~1 liter, they can replenish with sports drinks containing electrolytes and sugar.
Elderly The elderly generally have low exercise volume and don't sweat much. Some also suffer from chronic diseases. There is no need to supplement with sports drinks; they can moderately supplement with mineral water, plain boiled water, tea, mung bean soup, milk, etc.
Obese individuals For obese individuals, one of the goals of exercise is to lose weight and consume excess energy reserves in the body. Therefore, do not supplement with drinks containing energy substances. If you sweat a lot, you can replenish with sugar-free drinks containing electrolytes.
Hypertensive patients Hypertensive patients should avoid high-intensity exercise during exercise to prevent large fluctuations in blood pressure; if they sweat a lot, they should supplement with drinks with a lower sodium ion concentration to prevent the negative impact of excessive sodium intake on blood pressure.
Diabetic patients Diabetic patients should engage in regular, long-duration, low-intensity exercise to help control blood sugar; at the same time, avoid high-intensity exercise to prevent large fluctuations in blood sugar. If they sweat a lot, they can supplement with low-sugar or sugar-free drinks to avoid damage caused by a rapid increase in blood sugar.