TROPICAL SWEATY LIVING

Sweating is the natural way for the body to cool down. In tropical cities like Cairns, the high humidity during the wet season and at other times is challenging for our bodies.

One of the reasons humid days feel particularly uncomfortable is because sweat cannot evaporate as efficiently when the air is saturated with moisture.  

It is not the fluid on the skin that cools a person but the heat that is being taken away from the body to evaporate the sweat.  Evaporation changes the sweat (liquid) into vapour releasing this heat energy, siphoning it away from the body and cooling the skin and blood vessels. This then reduces the body’s core temperature.  But it carries some of the body’s heat energy with it. This explains why we feel so “washed out’ at the end of a sweaty day.  

What can we do?  Here are some tips to help us through the sticky weather and any time we perspire profusely.

Water

We need to replace the water that we lose when we sweat to avoid dehydration. However, drinking large volumes of water may lead to water intoxication. Too little water: and the organs may fail and begin to cook themselves. People do die from heat stroke. Symptoms from too much or too little water may include nausea and cramping weakness and confusion.

Minerals

The addition of minerals to our water is essential for us all in this tropical climate.

Don’t wait until you are thirsty, drink room temperature water, preferably from the tap. Or we can fill our water bottles for the day with water from a quality home or business water filter. Fluoride is not added to Cairns’s water and has a mineral component. However, we need to add a basic electrolyte rehydration formula containing the minerals magnesium, calcium, sodium, and potassium. The powder can be taken as a daily dose or in a work drink bottle.

Drink water with minerals added before starting the day. If you go to work dehydrated, your body will not be able to sweat as efficiently as it should. This causes an increase in body temperature and limits the ability to sweat easily to cool the body down.

Mineral complex tablets with magnesium are an excellent addition to the mineral complex powder input. Taken in the evening, they calm the central nervous system and relax the body to allow deep sleep.

Clothing

There is a problem when the body must evaporate sweat to disperse it. Shirts made from 100% cotton retain water and doesn’t disperse it.  Look for Moisture Wicking Clothing which is a synthetic material which does not retain moisture like cotton and linen does.   Unlike regular polyester though, wicking fabrics are woven in such a way that the moisture is forced into and through the gaps in the weave, so it takes the sweat to the outside of the material. This is breathable fabric, letting the air in and the sweat out. Most sports wear is made from this material, plus work shirts and the like. Merino wool clothing also acts as a good wicking fibre.  

What Not to Do.

Avoid soft drinks, alcohol, and sweetened fruit juices. They do not count in your daily water intake. Excess thirst indicates the need for mineralization. And the sodium/potassium pump isn’t working. Craving cheese or salty potato chips is also a good indicator of lack of sodium. Do not exercise to extremes. There is a happy medium to a fitness regime. Speak to your PT and get professional advice in accordance with age, sex and medical status.

Other Considerations

Lotions and make-up may cause blocked sweat glands, which cause irritation and heat rash. Keep the pores of the skin open and functioning. Wash hands, face and arms before gym or any activity that produces sweat.

Keep in mind that age, obesity, hormones, and other conditions affect our sweat activity, Excess sweating for no obvious reason, or not sweating when you should, could indicate a medical issue. Also, if you have heart problems or are on a low sodium diet it is advisable to seek medical advice.

Select from a range of well formulated mineral powders, tablets and liquids in health food stores, and pharmacies for support during the sweaty season and part of a daily health and wellness maintenance schedule.

Sports Nutrition ref:

www.staminade.com,.au         www.endura.com.au 

Wicking clothing ref:

www.modibodi.com                www.nike.com/a/what-is-moisture-wicking

Words by:

Lesley Parker. ND. Natural medicine, nutrition, research, and writer.  

1 6 2024