Why do you sweat more than me?
CrowdScience
BBC
4.8 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 24 April 2020
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
If you're an exercise fan, you'll know that sweating is how our bodies keep us cool, but how much water we lose and which bits of us get wettest depend on a whole host of factors.
Jamaican listener Andre wants to know why he sweats in a heart-shape when he hits the gym, and we find out how everything from the clothes he wears to the moves he's doing explain his unusual perspiration patterns.
In Kenya we meet a woman whose permanently clammy hands cause her to drop her mobile phone, and sweaty feet start to stink when she spends too long in shoes.
Hyperhidrosis is a condition affecting millions of people worldwide but an expert explains some of the treatments for this mysterious condition.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producer: Marijke Peters
Image Credit: Getty Images
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of |
| 0:07.0 | Happiness Podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want |
| 0:14.4 | to share that science with you. |
| 0:16.1 | And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley. |
| 0:19.4 | I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that |
| 0:25.5 | calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:31.6 | I just |
| 0:35.0 | 5K, run and I hate it's a 5K run and I hate it so much. |
| 0:40.0 | And I hate it so much. This is crowd science from the BBC World Service. I'm |
| 0:49.8 | Marnie Chesterton and this is me towards the end of about a bout of exercise and I am hot and |
| 0:59.3 | bothered and I'm doing this because of a question from a listener. |
| 1:07.0 | Hi Crowd Signs, I'm Andre from Jamaica and my questions are what determines which part of the body sweats the most when we exercise and why do people sweat in different shapes? |
| 1:23.7 | Particularly seeing that we've been on lockdown |
| 1:27.5 | because of the coronavirus. |
| 1:29.2 | And most people are working out at home and during my workout I noticed that you know my sweat it takes some very weird shapes |
| 1:40.0 | Andre do you sweat a lot would you say? |
| 1:42.6 | No I wouldn't say I sweat a lot but when I do sweat it normally is on my chest and like nowhere |
| 1:50.6 | else on my body which I find very weird. Now I'm not sure about telling the |
| 1:56.8 | rest of the world this but I've actually seen a picture of your sweaty chest |
| 2:01.6 | thank you very much for sending that. And it's got a very |
| 2:06.4 | particular shape to it to explain. Exactly so I was at the gym the other day and working out and I just realized that my sweat was the shape of my heart and that had never happened before, because normally it's a long streak down the middle of my shirt. |
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