The science of sweat
The human body is extremely efficient at cooling off, but that can easily be jeopardized during the summer months thanks to high humidity.
It’s a well-known fact that the body’s average temperature is 98.6 degrees. When our body temperature rises above that, our body recognizes that and immediately kick-starts the sweating process, but why does this occur and what does it mean for us?
On brutally hot days like we’ve seen in Mid-Missouri lately, our sweat evaporates from our skin, taking our body heat with it. Sweat, though, will only evaporate in an environment that doesn’t have much water vapor. In a region with high humidity, there is a higher content of water vapor in the air, therefore, less room for the sweat to evaporate off your skin.
Evaporating sweat is a cooling process because it draws heat away from the body. However, in humid conditions like we are seeing across Mid-Missouri, it seems like we sweat more. This isn’t entirely the case, as the sweat is evaporating, but very slowly. As a result of this, our internal body temperature continues to rise, causing us to feel hotter.
This is why heat indices are a perfect indicator of how hot it feels outside. The higher the humidity, the more our body’s natural cooling process is in jeopardy, making it feel hotter than what it is outdoors. As our bodies continue to heat up, we run the risk of heat illnesses. This is why it’s very important to remember to stay hydrated. Our bodies use up a lot of water to cool us off and we have to replenish that water through hydration. The less water we drink, the more susceptible our bodies are to dehydration and heat illnesses.
One way to combat the high humidity is through a fan. The fan will draw the moisture away from your skin and actually aid in cooling your body off, despite the higher levels of humidity. So the next time you sweat, thank your body by quenching your thirst.
Stay tuned to ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather as the heat wave continues to unfold. You can also follow us on Twitter @ABC17Stormtrack.
