Does Sweating Help You Lose Weight? – Health & Healthier

Sweating is nothing but the release of water and salt from the body’s sweat glands to regulate your body’s temperature. This evaporation of liquids from your body helps your body to stay cool. 

But here’s the main question, “Does sweating help you lose weight”? The clear possible answer is “No”, sweating can never help you to lose weight. 

Infact, sweating does not have any relation with burning calories or fat. For example, if you are into high-intensity workouts, you will definitely burn calories and also sweat at the same time. This can aid in weight loss. But if you are walking under the sun, you are still sweating, but does it helps in weight loss? Definitely, not. As you may sweat at any time but this doesn’t necessarily mean that you are burning calories or fats from the body. 

But, yes, here’s another example. You may feel that you have lost a little bit of weight after sweating. This is because sweating leads to the loss of water from the body which initially reduces the water weight of the body. This water weight reduction is temporary and you will gain back the weight right after you drink water again. So, it’s a big myth that sweating would help you with permanent weight loss. Sweating can never be the reason for your weight loss. High-intensity workouts and following a proper diet on a regular basis will definitely help you in your weight loss journey. 

Does sweating burn calories?

Sweating is a normal physiological process that the body uses to regulate its temperature. This can be accomplished by engaging in physical activity or simply being exposed to high temperatures. Sweating does not directly burn calories, rather it causes your body to expend energy to cool itself down, and this energy expenditure burns calories. Sweating also aids in the loss of water weight, which is not a long-term solution but can be beneficial if you need to lose a few pounds quickly. 

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Generally, people link sweating with burning calories because of what they see on a regular basis. For example, if you are performing high-intensity workouts on a regular basis, you will definitely sweat. The amount of sweat produced will differ according to age, the humidity of the place and also certain other factors. So the amount of sweat produced during exercises by you may not be the same when compared to others. So, if sweating would have led to the burning of calories that aids in weight loss, then why would people even exercise in the first place? Overweight people would just sit under the sun and sweat to lose weight. Regular exercises and an active lifestyle with a proper diet plan are the best ways to lose weight. 

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What are the factors responsible for sweating?

Yes, now getting back to the point about the factors that are responsible for making you sweat. 

Genetics – Genetics plays an important role when it comes to sweating. If your parents have a tendency of sweating more, then simultaneously you get the ability to sweat more from your parents compared to others. 

Age – There are certain studies that state that older people tend to sweat less compared to younger people. This is because with age sweat glands become less sensitive and start to shrink. So if you are younger you might sweat more compared to aged ones. 

Surrounding environment – This factor is quite obvious. People who are from humid regions always sweat more compared to people who live in cold climatic conditions. If the amount of high-intensity workouts performed in a gym is kept constant, people performing the same workout sessions in a humid region will definitely sweat more compared to people performing the same workout session in a cool climate. 

Your weight – Sometimes your weight plays a major role to determine how much you sweat. If you are obese you will definitely sweat more compared to a slim guy/girl. 

What is the connection between sweating, burning fat and calories?

Burning fat and calories on a regular basis play a major role in helping you to lose weight. This is where high-intensity physical workouts and following a calorie-deficit diet come into play. If you are into these high-intensity workouts you will definitely sweat but that does not necessarily mean that the sweating part is aiding you in your weight loss journey. Sweating can never result in weight loss. The factors mentioned before may make you sweat more even if you are not performing any workouts. But then, it has no relation to weight loss. You can sweat more but only lose the water weight temporarily. Other than that, mere sweating won’t ever help you to lose weight. More sweat does not necessarily mean that you are burning more fat or extra calories. 

Are there any benefits of sweating?

Although sweating cannot be declared as an official measurement of how much weight you can lose, it can have other benefits for your body. 

Keeps your body cool – Sweating helps in the regulation of body temperature by evaporating the excess water from the body and keeping you cool. 

Maintains proper circulation – Exercising and sweating lead to maintaining proper blood circulation. Proper circulation of blood in your body not only helps you achieve better skin but also helps in cell regrowth. 

Boosts your overall confidence – Doing high-intensity workouts and not getting any results within a short interval may demotivate you. Sweating may act as a psychological boost that will push you over your limits to achieve the unachievable. 

Are there any side effects of sweating?

Although, sweating does not have any side effects but over-sweating can lead to certain side effects. Sweating excessively can result in dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and skin irritation due to bacteria that thrive in warm, moist environments. It can also be unpleasant and embarrassing due to the odor it emits. Sweating can also interfere with daily activities like typing on a computer or writing with a pen if it causes items to slip out of hands. Finally, people who have hyperhidrosis, a condition that causes excessive sweating, may experience social anxiety or depression as a result of their symptoms. Although sweating is normal and necessary for our bodies to function, it is important to be aware of its potential side effects in order to manage them.

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Why do people believe that sweating helps in weight loss?

The myth that sweating helps with weight loss comes up because of false personal knowledge. Just assume, you are on a weight loss journey. You are following a proper diet chart and performing high-intensity workouts on a regular basis. Doing these high-intensity workouts or even mid-intensity workouts leads to sweating. You tend to sweat more when you are hitting the gym for a long time or performing high-intensity workouts. This is where the misconception comes into play.

We tend to believe that since we are performing these physical workouts we are sweating and the more we sweat, the more we are burning fat. As a result, we tend to measure the amount of fat and calorie burned on the basis of how much we sweat. Wrong, as sweat is a result of doing active physical sessions and can never be used to judge the number of calories or fat burned since other factors come into play. 

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Conclusion

So overall, it is now very clear that sweating can never help you lose weight. Temporarily, sweating can help you lose your water weight but it is again gained back straightaway after you drink water. Instead of focusing on sweating to lose weight, focus more on following a proper diet plan and performing high-intensity workouts on a regular basis to lose weight.