Sweaty, sticky with odor, dirtying clothes, and uncomfortable when sweating, so many people try every possible way to avoid sweating or reduce sweating, like using air conditioning, avoiding exercise, using antiperspirants…
In fact, these practices completely go against the physiological laws of the human body. Trying hard to avoid sweating for health preservation is also a mistake.
Sweating less regularly leads to inadequate toxin elimination, decreased immunity; sweating less in summer leads to colds, arthritis, insomnia finding you, and the incidence of chronic diseases like hypertension increasing significantly…
Not sweating makes people uneasy.
01
9 Amazing Benefits of Sweating
Sweating is the body’s way of excreting and regulating body temperature. When we feel hot or during physical activity, sweating is a normal occurrence.
Normal sweating is beneficial for health, as it mobilizes all body organs and improves circulation.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, appropriate sweating helps in expelling dampness and heat-toxins from the body, making individuals more energetic. When counted carefully, sweating has the following nine major benefits:
Detoxification
Detoxification
Experts state that active sweating can accelerate the body’s fluid circulation and metabolic processes, expelling accumulated toxins like lactic acid, urea, and ammonia from the body, ensuring smooth functioning of the respiratory system, skin, lungs, and large intestine, and to some extent alleviating the metabolic burden on the kidneys.
Blood Pressure Control
Blood Pressure Control
Hypertension is a condition where the narrowing and hardening of blood vessels restrict the flow of blood. Exercising and sweating expands capillaries, accelerates blood circulation, increases the elasticity of blood vessel walls, and helps in lowering blood pressure.
Promotes Digestion and Sleep
Promotes Digestion and Sleep
Sweating promotes digestion and sleep. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balance between exertion and rest, as overexertion can deplete vital energy, and excessive rest can lead to slow blood and energy circulation. Not sweating enough and slow blood circulation can affect digestion, leading to poor eating habits; it can also impact nerve activity, causing sleep disturbances.
Prevents Osteoporosis
Prevents Osteoporosis
Many people believe that sweating leads to the loss of calcium with sweat. However, experts point out that only water-soluble vitamins are lost in sweat, while calcium, although soluble in water, has low solubility and is not typically lost through sweating. On the contrary, sweating helps in retaining calcium effectively, preventing osteoporosis.
Enhances Memory
Enhances Memory
An extensive educational experiment involving 20,000 high school students in the United States revealed that sweating due to active exercise has positive effects on students, significantly enhancing memory and focus.
Skincare and Beauty
Skincare and Beauty
Sweat is the best natural skincare solution. Sweat on the skin surface, combined with the sebum secreted by sebaceous glands, forms an emulsion film that prevents water loss from the skin, making it appear smooth and radiant.
Individuals who rarely sweat have slow skin metabolism, making it difficult to eliminate waste. Sweating helps cleanse pores, achieving the desired skincare benefits.
Weight Loss
Weight Loss
During physical activity, as the body exercises vigorously, fats are burnt and converted into heat, which is then expelled through sweat.
Boosts Immunity
Boosts Immunity
In summer, sweating more offers another amazing benefit – boosting the body’s immunity. The primary function of sweating is to regulate body temperature. “A little cold in winter, a little sweat in summer maintains the body’s temperature regulation mechanism.” Many people often take health supplements to boost immunity, but some of these supplements contain unknown components, with some even containing hormones that can suppress the immune system.
Prevents Colds
Prevents Colds
Sweating actually helps in resisting tuberculosis bacilli and other dangerous pathogens. Sweat contains antimicrobial peptides that effectively resist viruses, bacteria, and fungi; these peptides penetrate the bacterial cell membrane and break it down.
02
6 Tips for Healthy Sweating
Traditional Chinese medicine regards sweat as the fluid of the heart. Sweat glands are found all over the body except on mucous membranes. Sweating occurs in two ways: active sweating and passive sweating.
Passive Sweating
Passive Sweating
Passive sweating refers to sweating below 30 degrees Celsius where sweat beads aren’t visible. Passive sweating is usually minimal, and if there is excessive sweating even at rest, it is considered abnormal and in traditional Chinese medicine is often referred to as “self-sweating” (qi deficiency) or “sweating out of turn” (yin deficiency).
Active Sweating
Active Sweating
When the temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius and conscious movement causes sweating, it is considered active sweating, which is beneficial. Traditional Chinese medicine stresses the importance of “valuing active sweating”; meaning, sweating during exercise is the most beneficial as it is deep sweating.
Normal practices like sauna sessions or sweating due to high temperatures are considered superficial sweating. Deep sweating, compared to superficial sweating, is more effective in expelling toxins and relaxing positive energy in the body. Therefore, in summer, it is advisable to engage in some physical activity to induce moderate sweating.
Active sweating not only makes one feel comfortable but is truly the body’s natural healing remedy.
The following six methods help you actively sweat every day and enhance your health:
1. Drink Hot Water or Porridge Before Exercise
1. Drink Hot Water or Porridge Before Exercise
Before exercising, drink a cup of warm water or porridge to prepare your pores for opening; then, after working out, your pores will be fully open, leading to profuse sweating. After exercise, do not rush to turn on the air conditioning, fan, or take a cold shower. Patience is required until the sweat subsides.
2. Use Ginger to Promote Sweating
2. Use Ginger to Promote Sweating
Ginger is beneficial in the summer as it disperses moisture, warms the stomach, and opens sweat pores. People who need to work in air-conditioned environments can drink ginger water regularly. For example, brew tea with ginger slices, ginger red dates tea, etc., which promote sweating.
3. Self-Induced Heating Starting from the Knees
3. Self-Induced Heating Starting from the Knees
For those who sit still for long periods, using hot water bottles or heated pads can help promote sweating. After work every day, place a heated pad on your knees to induce self-heating, reaching deep into the skin. Bathing or foot soaking can also achieve the same effects. Bathing or soaking your feet in water around 40 degrees Celsius is beneficial for sweating, relieving fatigue.
4. Remain Still for an Hour
4. Remain Still for an Hour
In the summer, set a routine to turn off the air conditioning every day and sit quietly for an hour to enhance the body’s ability to sweat actively.
5. Sunbathe for 15 Minutes
5. Sunbathe for 15 Minutes
In the summer, sunlight is the best motivator for active sweating. Sunbathe for around 15 minutes in the morning from 9-10 AM and in the afternoon from 4-5 PM, perform some simple stretches, gradually activating the body’s energy.
6. Avoid Prolonged Stays in Air-Conditioned Rooms
6. Avoid Prolonged Stays in Air-Conditioned Rooms
Long periods in air-conditioned rooms dull the pores, affecting the normal physiological function of the sweating system. In summer, try to engage in outdoor activities before 10 AM or after 5 PM to induce slight sweating.
For those who must stay in air-conditioned rooms for long periods, drinking warm water can effectively promote sweating and provide relief from heat. In conclusion, except for individuals with severe conditions like heart failure, most individuals are suitable for active sweating. However, it is essential to choose the most appropriate sweating method based on individual body conditions and prevent excessive exercise leading to excessive fluid loss, which may be detrimental.
Sweating is better than taking supplements every day! Why not take advantage of this great season for health preservation?
