A person can sweat when he is exercising, in the heat, or in times of stress. Sweat is produced by the sweat glands to maintain a normal body temperature. But not only for that, sweat glands also have many other functions.
Sweat is a natural body fluid that contains water, salt and fat. The human body has three to four million sweat glands scattered all over the body. However, sweat glands are more abundant in certain body parts, namely the armpits and the palms of the hands and feet.
There are two types of sweat-producing glands, namely eccrine and apocrine glands. Eccrine glands produce sweat that is watery and odorless. These sweat gland ducts are connected directly to the surface of the skin and are most abundant on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and forehead.
In contrast to eccrine glands, apocrine sweat glands are located in areas of the body where there are many hair follicles, such as the scalp, armpits, and groin. These sweat glands produce sweat that is more concentrated and contains fat.
This is the function of the sweat glands in the body
Sweat glands have several important functions for the body, namely:
Maintain body temperature
One of the main functions of the sweat glands is to maintain a normal body temperature and not rise too high. This is because when a person's body temperature increases above normal (hyperthermia), then he or she can experience nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, headaches, and even fainting.
Melubricate skin and hair
Sweat glands are closely related to the oil glands in the skin (sebaceous glands). Together with sebum or the skin's natural oil, the sweat produced by the sweat glands serves to lubricate and moisturize the skin and hair to prevent dryness and damage.
Throwing poison from body
Toxins in the body will generally be excreted through feces and urine. However, there is an assumption that sweat glands also play a role in removing toxins from the body through sweat. However, this theory is still controversial and needs to be proven further.
Although beneficial, sweat is often accused of causing body odor and foot odor. In fact, however, this is not true.
Sweat is basically odorless. Body odor or bad odor on the body is the result of sweat mixed with bacteria on the skin.
Luckily, body odor is not a difficult thing to deal with. Some simple ways, such as regularly cleaning the body at least once a day, using deodorant, and wearing clean clothes, can be applied to reduce body odor.
Gdisturbance pthere is Sweat glands
The body will generally sweat a lot when exercising or doing strenuous physical activity. In addition to physical activity, there are several other conditions that can also cause the body to sweat, including:
- Fever.
- Being in a hot or humid environment.
- Emotional conditions, such as anger, anxiety, restlessness, or even stress.
- Eat spicy food.
- Side effects of drugs, such as fever-reducing drugs.
Disorders of the sweat glands are usually characterized by sweating too much or not sweating at all. Some conditions or problems that can cause the body to sweat a lot include:
- Hyperhidrosis.
- Hyperthyroidism or increased thyroid hormone.
- Nerve disorders, such as spinal cord injury, stroke, and Parkinson's disease.
- Disorders of the heart and lungs.
- Infections, such as tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS
- strokes.
- Menopause.
- Diabetes.
In addition, frequent sweating can also be caused by pregnancy. While the body sweats less often or can't sweat at all, it may be a sign of certain health problems, such as dehydration, hypothyroidism, the formation of scar tissue that covers the sweat glands (eg due to severe burns), neurological disorders, and leprosy.
Because it can be caused by many things, disorders of the sweat glands should immediately be checked by a doctor.
If it is caused by normal things, then the doctor may not provide special treatment to overcome the complaint. However, if the results of the examination indicate a problem with the sweat glands, the doctor will provide treatment according to the cause.