Excessive sweating can pose many problems for people, but monitoring those sweat levels can be just as important.
Exercise obviously has tremendous benefits for people, but too much exercise resulting in too much perspiration can be detrimental. Dr. Jordan Metzel, a sports medicine specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, says that although too much sodium is dangerous, it’s important for those who sweat a lot to make sure they’re not getting too little sodium.
As the Financial Times reports, when people are exercising in hot and humid temperatures, they sweat a lot, and much of that sweat is salt being sweat out of the body. Too much sweat leaving the body can result in hyponatremia, which can cause nausea, headache, fatigue, and hospitalization for the worst cases.
According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, those who sweat a lot are encouraged to get enough salt and have to be careful about the amount of electrolyte liquids they take in.
“Electrolyte replacement,” the journal added, “will slow but not prevent the development of hyponotremia if fluid intake is in gross excess of sweating rate.”
Simply just drinking more water can actually make matters worse. The water dilutes the salt in blood, making the sweat and salt leave the body even faster.
Along with the necessary liquids, the clothes that athletes choose to wear can prevent too much sweat from leaving the body as well. An athlete wearing viscose clothing produces 1.5 times more sweat than someone wearing linen clothes.
Additionally, many people who remain active have to monitor their blood pressure more frequently than others. According to HealthDay, a new invention that can monitor blood levels via sweat is in development.
Published this week in Nature Nanotechnology, a study was done at Seoul National University where two humans wore a wrist band that secured tightly around their skin and successfully determined their blood sugar levels.
The researchers hope this new device will be available in a few years.
People with heart conditions should consult their doctor before increasing their salt intake.
