Why don't I sweat?

March 25, 2009 6:29 PM

Why don't I sweat?

I am a regular runner and biker in Chicago. Granted, we have some really cold weather, but it seems that I can't break a sweat (literally) unless it is 95 degrees Fahrenheit and I'm running at 6mph for a long time. Even when running indoors, I rarely perspire. I ran with a friend the other day (same size/age roughly, also female) who was drenched in the no time after 15 minutes of running in 55ish degree weather. This got me thinking, is not sweating healthy or unhealthy, assuming the workout is relatively challenging? Could this be a sign of something else? I am mostly curious, not really worried, as to why some of us drip buckets and some not at all...

p.s. I am a 25 year old female on the petite side

posted by shrimpsmalls to health & fitness (19 comments total)

Perhaps you are a reptile.

Some people just don't sweat. My friend doesn't and she's quite petite. Sweat's primary function is to cool your body when it is overheating. If you have poor circulation, low blood pressure, and/or not much body fat, you're not going to get as hotted-up as other people and thus aren't going to sweat as much.
posted by turgid dahlia at 6:45 PM on March 25

A small person has a higher surface-to-volume ratio than a big person. Cooling is done through the surface, so a small person has less of an overheating problem than a big person.

Sweat is one of the ways our bodies cope when normal cooling isn't sufficient. It sounds like you're little enough so that most of the time you don't need the help.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 6:56 PM on March 25

Have you weighed yourself on the same scale before and after exercise (ideally without clothing) to determine what your actual fluid loss is? Also, 6mph isn't that fast. Even though I sweat buckets in warm weather or under heavy exertion, I'd probably be bone-dry at that pace in 55° weather.
posted by djb at 6:59 PM on March 25

I rarely ever sweat profusely and I'm a short 40-something guy, a bit overweight. I rarely ever stink either (a good thing I guess) or so I'm told, even after exertion. Some people are just like that. Enjoy it.
posted by elendil71 at 7:15 PM on March 25

My grandma is short, right about 5', and doesn't sweat. She's also naturally a lot darker-skinned than me or anyone else in my family and for some reason I always thought that had something to do with it too. But now that I say that aloud it sounds weird, so I'm not sure why I thought that.

She also, like me, has low blood pressure. But I sweat. Even when I'm cold. Sweat, sweat, sweat.

Lucky you and my grandma.
posted by birdie birdington at 7:15 PM on March 25

I'm like this, and so was my dad. We're both small, fair-skinned people. It can be a problem only that I'll turn bright red in the heat and people think I'm having a heat stroke when I'm fine. However, I've found that the more I participate in a particular exercise, the sooner I'll sweat. It's like the sweat happens when your body expects the exertion.

birdy, interesting that your grandma has low blood pressure - that's something else I inherited from my dad.
posted by zinfandel at 7:28 PM on March 25

I'm a marathon runner and it takes a bit to get me to sweat. Even on a short run, I'll sweat a little bit, but I can run on my lunch break and go back to work, no shower, and be fine. I'm a tall, thin woman, and I don't know that size has anything to do with it. Also, like djb, I wouldn't break a sweat running 6mph in 55ºF weather. When I run 7.5mph or more in similar conditions I'll start to sweat a bit, although when I run in 80 and up, the pores really start working. Some people sweat a lot, some people don't.
posted by cachondeo45 at 7:30 PM on March 25

If you didn't sweat at all you would suffer from anhidrosis, which is potentially serious. Given your description, though, you don't have the most severe form of the condition. This is one of those things where there is a lot of variation in normal physiology; is it causing you any problems? What is your body temperature compared to your friend's after a workout?
posted by TedW at 7:44 PM on March 25

You're just... not very sweaty? It doesn't sound life-threatening.
posted by Electrius at 8:00 PM on March 25

I am the opposite, I sweat intensely unless the temperature is freezing. I think it's the result of growing up in a cool dry climate in which I frequently exercised very strenuously. Now I live in a relatively warm, humid climate and when I exercise the only way I can avoid being drenched in sweat is to remove as much clothing as possible.
posted by telstar at 8:01 PM on March 25

Anecdata, but I'm pretty petite, and it took a lot for me to break a sweat at your age. (Like nearly freaking everything, it changed a bit sometimes after I hit 30, though I'm still not much of a sweater.)
posted by desuetude at 8:21 PM on March 25

I've always assumed (based on no real factual information at all) that there's a fair genetic lottery factor in how much you sweat. I sweat buckets, always have. No matter my weight or fitness level, I have always been a huge sweater. My sweat doesn't really smell much, there's just a lot of it all over my body.

My mom and brothers are also big sweaters as well. We're basically the reason hardcore antiperspirants like Certain Dri exist. Thus, I've tended to think how much one sweats is just one of those strange biological quirks that one can't do much about.
posted by mostlymartha at 9:16 PM on March 25

I've always heard that sweating is good for you. It helps cool the body and keep your pores open, which I've also heard is good. If your running as hard and long as you sound, I think you should be sweating some at least. Do you drink fluids while running/ biking? I can go out in the middle of some very cold winter weather ( 0 degrees fahrenheit ) and shovel the driveway or sidewalk and come inside very sweaty. Canadian ..eh. Maybe check with your doctor. Ask him/her.
posted by Taurid at 9:20 PM on March 25

The amount that one sweats can be related to how fine and close to the surface of the skin the capillaries are. When fine and close, the moisture can evaporate directly to the air without forming sweat droplets.
posted by StickyCarpet at 10:15 PM on March 25

It's funny, I only ever start to sweat about 1 minute after I've FINISHED my workout. Like when I'm stretching post-treadmill, suddenly my glasses fog up with steam and my hair starts to drip and it's all humid. But it really never starts until afterwards. Also my face flushes after I STOP working out.

For whatever that's worth. I'd love to know why.
posted by np312 at 10:46 PM on March 25

How well hydrated are you?
posted by Comrade_robot at 3:23 AM on March 26

Colder blood, faster metabolism. Don't sweat it if you're not in pain.
posted by watercarrier at 5:30 AM on March 26

Since responses here are mostly anecdotal, I'll chime in with mine:

I take an intense group cardio bootcamp class several times a week. The participants range from competitive athletes (marathoners, triathletes), to overweight newcomers.

Everyone can go at their own pace, and I've seen every combination of fitness level, intensity of workout, and sweatiness.

For example, superfit + working out at max = hardly sweating; superfit + taking it easy = drenched; overweight + working out at max = hardly sweating; overweight + taking it easy = drenched.

I feel like there's a general stereotype that if you get super sweaty, that means you're out of shape. (it seems everyone here is aware that's not true.) I know that as I've become more fit over the years, I am quicker to sweat. Doing an active stretch to warm up before cardio will cause me to sweat.

In daily life, I'm not sweaty! I think it's individual genetics.
posted by peep at 10:24 AM on March 26

There are genetic factors linked to sweating that can vary due to ethnicity. There's a gene, for example, which controls earwax type in Asian populations; there's some evidence that it also correlates to less sweating in said populations.

No matter the cause, if you're not regularly overheating consider it a benefit. (I certainly do - laundry is easier, and I rarely need to use deoderant.)
posted by truex at 12:25 PM on March 26