Happy Sweat Day
How much of our daily prep time is given to avoiding the appearance of a full-on sweat? Yet the mechanism our body uses to keep cool is a powerful tool that supports our whole health. Now consider that this personal cooling system could quite possibly lead you to happiness! In this light, it appears to be something to be embraced.
Let’s look for a moment at the ways sweating can benefit your overall well being in addition to informing your environment that you are amplifying the resonance of good vibrations all around you.
Cooling happens after sweat is released from sweat glands through our pores and then evaporates from skin. The human body uses heat energy to evaporate sweat, returning internal temperature to balance as instructed by your brain.
-
As you sweat, pores are flushed of debris and dead skin cells that could otherwise clog them, reducing the likelihood of breakouts. Additionally, sweat contains a naturally occurring antibiotic called Dermcidin. This antibiotic helps fight off bacteria causing acne and strengthens your immune system by supporting your skin health response. Keep in mind, though, to truly be effective at reducing bacteria causing breakouts, you do want to cleanse your face/skin as soon as possible rather than leaving sweat on your skin’s surface.
-
The Kidney, Liver and Digestive Tract are our body’s primary organs focused on waste management. But did you know, as your largest organ, one function of the skin is elimination? Most of what is released in sweat is water. That said, electrolytes released need to be replenished and in doing so a healthy cycle of hydration essential to your wellbeing is continued.
-
You could describe sweating as a cathartic experince. It is a response we don’t have to concentrate on in order for it to happen. Yet, as it does, you can tune in with another state of awareness to what your physical being is processing and releasing. Simultaneously, endorphins released in the brain relax the body into a state of ease - giving them the aptly associated title of “feel good” chemicals.
As I am writing this, I have just returned from The SweatHouz in West Ashley (here in Charleston, SC) and the difference I feel in my sense of muscle relief, ability to breathe deeply and overall readiness to smile is incredible! It’s like I took a break from my thoughts and got into my body… I’d say I feel happy!
Because I like to stay in for as long as possible, I usually allow my body to reach a full sweat with break intervals every 15 minutes or so, stepping outside the color therapy sauna. Just a breath of cool air and a bit of water is all I need before going back inside. I usually start off each session relaxing into a sweat and then as the time rolls on I like to use targeted stretching, slowly breathing into each deeper stretch. Opening my arm span gently feels even more effective than if I were to force a big movement. While I have yet to brave Cold Plunge Therapy by contrast, I love doing things that have such an amazing physiological and psychological benefit for my wellbeing that could support my health for years to come! Muscle recovery, mood improvement and neural plasticity are a few of the reasons it’s a good idea to break a sweat!
So How Does Sweating Lead to A Happy State?
Studies of sweat produced by a person in a state of fear or anxiety have shown to have an effect on people around them negatively just as sweat produced while in a state of happiness impacted people in the environment positively. According to an article published through the Association for Psychological Science, the vibration of happiness informs others through their own physiological receptors of this high-vibe state. Knowing, then, that our perception effects the way we create our environment and life within reality, activities that help us sweat our way to health and happiness take on a whole new level of import.
Psychological scientist Gün Semin of Utrecht University in the Netherlands is quoted in APS saying, “Our study shows that being exposed to sweat produced under happiness induces a simulacrum of happiness in receivers, and induces a contagion of the emotional state.” “This suggests that somebody who is happy will infuse others in their vicinity with happiness. In a way, happiness sweat is somewhat like smiling — it is infectious.”
A gentle reminder of the front running function for sweating: Whether your body is sweating as result of exercise, fever, or any activity that increases circulation and body temperature, it is important to be be mindful it is doing so to cool a system reaching beyond it’s ideal resting temperature. Overheating is dangerous for our brain and whole body and can occur before signs of dehydration become significantly visible. Please take any condition or concern into consideration before exercise or sweat triggering activity.
My favorite physical activities for exercise at the moment revolve around yoga classes and walking pretty much anywhere in Charleston - taking in the beauty that surrounds me is just as important as the walk itself! I am beginning to recognize shifts in my body and am looking for ways to honor this while becoming stronger through the years. This is why I am paying more attention these days to the opportunity for rest and repair, where relaxing is anything but passive!
More to come in the days ahead on growing stronger by relaxing!
You’ll find a button below to my personally curated shop with tools and helpful finds, including weights for training as well as the amazing Sauna Blanket by Higher Dose.
Wondering what benefits having your own sauna blanket include?
Infrared heat to increase circulation and initiate sweating in the comfort of your own home! This can be super helpful to rest your way into a deep night’s sleep.
A sauna blanket creates a similar response to that of a sauna. Thus, lowering stress, supporting a body’s immune system and heart health as well as muscle tension relief suddenly become as easily done as said.
Provides an easy way to practice contrast therapy (which has been linked to neural plasticity) by using regularly and following with a cold shower.
While I pointed to this before…a major benefit is portability! Using a sauna blanket regularly becomes a little easier to add to one’s routine than sauna visits and this one by Higher Dose folds easily for traveling.
Whatever tools you choose to get your sweat on, may it serve you well as you create your Happy Place!
