How much sweating is too much?

[ridgewalker777]

Thought I'd throw this out, as conventional wisdom is that sweating is good for you--ya know, "get the toxins out". But how much is too much, beside the fact of offense, what is actually happening internally in the body in serious backpacking? Thanks to any experts on sports medicine...

[Streamweaver]

Thought I'd throw this out, as conventional wisdom is that sweating is good for you--ya know, "get the toxins out". But how much is too much, beside the fact of offense, what is actually happening internally in the body in serious backpacking? Thanks to any experts on sports medicine...

As long as you continue to take in plenty of fluids and electrolytes(sp) salt etc then your ok.Its when you stop sweating that your in trouble!! Streamweaver

[grrickar]

After doing some hiking out west years ago in the middle of August, we were told to watch for signs of dehydration, one of which being that your urine would have a color to it, the other being the feeling of being thirsty or having a dry mouth. The logic was if your urine was not clear then you needed more water. Good logic, and I have remembered that all these years and try to pay attention to it when working out. The more you sweat the more water you lose. In arid climates, apparently dehydration sneaks up on you faster.

I read some articles on water consumption awhile back, and the article made the point that most people (even non-active ones) are mildly dehydrated almost all of the time. Not drinking enough water will slow your metabolism, give you a headache, and increases the chances for aches and cramps after heavy exercise. If I chug gallons for water the day of a strenuous workout, I find I am not nearly as sore and recover quickly. I suppose the body gets rid of the lactic acid buildup quicker as a result of the water.

I also know that when I first start sweating my sweat has a greasy feel to it, which goes away quickly and then it's almost as if my pores are dumping nothing but water. That leads me to believe there is nothing wrong with sweating, even if you sweat profusely, as long as you drink more water than you sweat out.

[smokymtnsteve]

potassium...apricots, figs

[Alligator]

When white patches start to appear on your pack, you are sweating out a lot of salt. Consider keeping dehydration salts in your med kit if you hike often in hot and dry weather. Also, keep some extra salt in the food bag.

[Chip]

grrickar makes a good point about drinking water. when I hike I sweat so bad I'm
soaked in the first hour. I drink water before, during and after a hike. No problems I'm healthy, just wet ! :p

[Cedar Tree]

www.thepacka.com

Sweating is the reason it was invented.

Cedar Tree

[ffstenger]

Everybody is different when it comes to how much they sweat while hiking.
what has been said already is true, You can't sweat too much, you just have to drink plenty of water to replace the fluid. Of course with the fluid you also loose salt so you need to replace that too. It is a myth however that you get rid of "toxins" through sweat. Internal organs (liver and kidneys) do that. Your body produces sweat to cover you with liquid which evaporates, cooling the body.
If your are hot and NOT sweaty (or you notice this in another hiker) aong with a red face, it is VERY SERIOUS and needs quick intervention. Cool off the body externaly with water, and drink lots of water, but not too fast so you don't vomit. I could go on but you get the picture. I'm a nurse so I get carried away on this kinda stuff...
Showme

[HikeLite]

What is actually happening in the body during backpacking that causes sweating? Your body is getting rid of excess heat so your internal temperature stays within normal range. Of course, there are pathological conditions associated with excessive sweating such as hyperthyroidism. Some prescription drugs can increase sweating. Obese persons may sweat more.

[smokymtnsteve]

Obese persons may sweat more..


thier internal organs are better isulated :D

[jora1]

Every day, our bodies use perspiration to maintain constant internal temperature. Perspiration is regulated by the Nervous System.When the natural perspiration in some people is excessive, this condition is known as excessive sweating gernally this diseases occur from disorders of the sweat glands.Gernally this occur in hands,face, feet, and axilla,sweaty face.more sweating is a problem . if you have excessive sweating problem then you should collect Dibenzyline (http://www.drugdelivery.ca/s3433-s-Dibenzyline.aspx)Warnings (http://www.drugdelivery.ca/s3433-s-Dibenzyline.aspx)and side effects .from here you could have medicine for Sweating disorder.

[Kevin A. Boyce]

This past summer while doing a section hike I got wasted because I sweated too much. I tried to keep fluids in me, but it was hard, another problem was since I did not want to drink, I did not want to eat. As a result I was not putting enough salts back in me to replace what I was losing. By the time I hit the last real uphill I was trashed. I had to use every little bit of energy just to try to keep up with my friend who I was hiking with. When I did I had stopped sweating for the most part, red skin, flushed, wasted, massive headache. I had gone through about 4 quarts of fluid in about 6 hours of hiking.

Luckily we called a friend to come pick us up.

It must have taken me a good day to get things back to normal, and that took lots of dialuted Gatorade and small snacks.

Looking back on what I did wrong, I pretty much ignored all warning signs and was an idiot. The weather was not the best either, typical NY humid-heat-hazey kind of day in the low 90's with what seemed like low 90's humidity as well. And on a normal day I sweat like a faucet, this hike by 10am it looked like I had gone for a swim with all my clothes still on.

Now instead of drinking plain water in my Camelback, I have taken to drinking dialuted Gatorade, and making myself eat more and more smaller snacks. I also set my alarm on my wrist watch to beep every 45 minutes or so, when it beeps, I eat. It has helped train me to be more observant about how much or little I am putting into my system.

Catch you on the trail
KevBoy

[Smooth]

This is a Very serious problem. People do not think of dying from heat, they think of freezing to death. In my life I have seen two people die. The second was killed by lightning while pulling on a cable to set up a antenna. Not a storm cloud in sight, just hazzy. The first was on a self imposed salt free diet. It was hot out and water was available. We were standing on the parade ground within view of the local hospital. He looked a little funny, and collapsed in front of me. I watched as they loaded him up in the ambulance (standing by at the ready), watched as they drove to the hospital, even could see them take him inside. Later they told us that he was dead the moment he collapsed. Read Kevins note above. He was close. At the time of this incident we were in the Marines. We were in very good shape, very healthy. Be willing to change. Bring love.

[littlelaurel59]

Considering the season (winter), there are additional comments to be made about sweating/ fluid balance.

First, sweating gets you wet. Wet gets you cold. During winter activities, it is very important to keep sweating to a minimum. This is best done by use of a wicking inner layer of clothing, and by shedding layers of clothing as you become more active. Nothing new here.

Secondly, a major source of water loss during winter activities is through respiration. The air we inhale is cold and dry. The air we exhale is warm and very humid. I am much more aware of losing fluids druing the summer than during the winter, and therefore more conscious of replacing fluid. I have learned to make the extra mental effort in the winter.

[Ridge]

... a major source of water loss during winter activities is through respiration....

You lose a lot when you sleep. I realize this every morning I awake and the inside of my tent has moisture on it.

[dje97001]

Everybody is different when it comes to how much they sweat while hiking.
what has been said already is true, You can't sweat too much, you just have to drink plenty of water to replace the fluid. Of course with the fluid you also loose salt so you need to replace that too. It is a myth however that you get rid of "toxins" through sweat. Internal organs (liver and kidneys) do that. Your body produces sweat to cover you with liquid which evaporates, cooling the body.
If your are hot and NOT sweaty (or you notice this in another hiker) aong with a red face, it is VERY SERIOUS and needs quick intervention. Cool off the body externaly with water, and drink lots of water, but not too fast so you don't vomit. I could go on but you get the picture. I'm a nurse so I get carried away on this kinda stuff...
Showme
Yeah this past summer we were out doing the CT section and ran dry. We hiked 5-6 miles without water in the summer heat and humidity (with 30lb packs). I did stop sweating (but was burning up) and felt terrible. Luckily we came up on water within 15 minutes or so of when I was just about ready to stop moving. I drank like a fish... and proceeded to throw it all up minutes later. Then I lay down on my thermarest with my eyes closed and didn't move except for sipping water for about an hour, didn't feel normal again for another hour or so after that--luckily it was also evening and so the temps were dropping out of the 80s.

It definitely was a lesson to me that even with a 3-Liter bladder you should check it everytime (or certainly more frequently when) you pass a water source. The two options that we had given ourselves were both dry (that time of the season)--but if we had been more cautious we would have topped them off along the way. Of course I am a sweat-machine so it may be different for some of you.

[Blissful]

Wow, that definitely sounds like Heat Exhaustion bordering on sunstroke! You can die from sunstroke. Always listen to your body. Take the time to rest and drink. We found out that lying on cool rocks in the shade helped when we ran out of water on a hot ridgeline hike in VA this past summer (and no water to be found). That and stopping to eat ripe blueberries. The other hikers raced to Daleville but we took our time. There are no heros on the trail if you collapse and die from sunstroke.

[drsukie]

You lose a lot when you sleep. I realize this every morning I awake and the inside of my tent has moisture on it.

You know, I get that sometimes, too -- but I'm in my own bed! ;) I think it's called a "personal summer", aka, a Power Surge.

If you're not a female in her 40's or later, you may not understand, but then again, this will not usually apply! :D Sue

[Nightwalker]

Thought I'd throw this out, as conventional wisdom is that sweating is good for you--ya know, "get the toxins out". But how much is too much, beside the fact of offense, what is actually happening internally in the body in serious backpacking? Thanks to any experts on sports medicine...
If you're sweating gallons, that's often just a sign of a low fitness level. No sweat--teehee, just keep working at it!

[Nightwalker]

potassium...apricots, figs
:banana <--- Don't forget 'nanners!