Skin healthHydrationGeneral wellness

5 down and dirty facts about sweat

Perspiration is critical to keeping cool. Learn when, why, and how you sweat, plus much more.


LearnSkinHyperhidrosis5 down and dirty facts about sweat
Sweat happens in the strangest places
Food can make you sweat
Your health or medications may be the reason
Antiperspirants are safe
Excessive sweating is treatable

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Though it can be bothersome, sweating is an essential biological function. It helps regulate body temperature, keeping us cool and preventing us from overheating.

Just about everyone sweats. It often happens when you exercise, feel hot, run a fever, or are anxious about something. Sweat itself is mostly made of water, but also contains small amounts of chemicals like salt, sugar, ammonia, and urea. It’s produced by glands found in the middle layer of skin, called the dermis.

But there’s much more to perspiration than that. Find out why you sweat more in certain places, what food and health conditions can make you perspire, what to do about excessive sweat, and much more.

Sources: Baker LB. Physiology of sweat gland func... + 16
  1. Baker LB. Physiology of sweat gland function: The roles of sweating and sweat composition in human health. Temperature (Austin). 2019 Jul 17;6(3):211-259.
  2. Nemours Kids Health. What’s Sweat? Accessed September 15, 2023.
  3. Better Health Channel (Aus). Sweat. Reviewed July 19, 2020.
  4. StatPearls. Anatomy, Skin, Sudoriferous Gland. Page last updated April 24, 2023.
  5. SweatHelp.org. Gustatory Sweating (Frey’s Syndrome). Accessed on June 24, 2023.
  6. Rare Diseases. Frey Syndrome. December 3, 2020.
  7. Watkins PJ. Facial sweating after food: a new sign of diabetic autonomic neuropathy. Br Med J. 1973 Mar 10;1(5853):583-7.
  8. Klarskov CK, von Rohden E, Thorsteinsson B, et al. Gustatory sweating in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus: Prevalence and risk factors. Endocrinol Diabetes Metab. 2021 Oct;4(4):e00290.
  9. Mayo Clinic. Excessive Sweating. August 24, 2022.
  10. Samuels L, Nakstad B, Roos N, et al. Physiological mechanisms of the impact of heat during pregnancy and the clinical implications: review of the evidence from an expert group meeting. Int J Biometeorol. 2022 Aug;66(8):1505-1513.
  11. Cedars Sinai. Excessive Sweating (Hyperhidrosis). Accessed on June 23, 2023.
  12. Cleveland Clinic. Night Sweats. Page last reviewed September 6, 2022.
  13. American Cancer Society. Antiperspirants and breast cancer risk. Page last revised October 19, 2022.
  14. Penn Medicine. Is Deodorant Harmful for Your Health? June 6, 2019.
  15. National Kidney Foundation. Antiperspirants. Accessed on June 26, 2023.
  16. American Academy of Dermatology Association. Hyperhidrosis: Diagnosis and Treatment. Accessed on June 23, 2023.
  17. Ghossein N, Kang M, Lakhkar AD. Anticholinergic Medications. StatPearls. Page last updated May 8, 2023.
Written by Olivia DeLong.
Medically reviewed by Megan Burke, MD.March, 2026
Updated onAugust, 2026
Written by Olivia DeLong.
Medically reviewed by Megan Burke, MD.March, 2026
Updated onAugust, 2026
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