Why Do Some People Sweat More Than Others?

For some people, sweating is a constant fact of life. WSJ contributor Heidi Mitchell joins Tanya Rivero to discuss the science behind sweating, and what to do if you're prone to it. Photo: iStock

Subscribe to the WSJ channel here:

More from the Wall Street Journal:

More from the Wall Street Journal:

[morningvillains]

Dude, I was in gym class and legit I looked like I was drenched out with water, and I'm more fit than 94% of my gym class.

[Photoandcargeek]

Two comments:

1. Cooling down happens in two ways: sweating hot water i.e. getting hot water out of your body in liquid form (body temperature is hot) and, the evaporation of sweat. Water being a good heat conductor, the evaporation will draw some more heat out of your skin (and body). It is really two different processes and not just one as narrated in the video.

2. Taking too many showers is not a good option either as it removes the good bacteria which form a protective barrier on your skin and can cause skin diseases. Hence, a shower a day is fine, two is probably still ok but anymore than that and a rinse with no soap is probably a better option.

[lackoftalls]

3:24 She just turned into Eminem’s rap God for a moment

[jaleesa]

forget sweating, what's wrong with her leg??

[hellocoldworld]

i dont exercise and i still get compliment from other girls..but i sweat a lot
my mom sweats a lot too,
i used driclor to control this issue

[MyplayListsYY]

Promoting the use of aluminum on one's porous sweating skin, er... right. Thumbs down!

[Tdr-jvnc]

Not sure if I agree with the ‘if you are fit’ statement. I work out all the time and I sweat so much even in the cold

[Skpr]

I start sweating quite fast but I got it from both my parents since they are both sweaters.
Tbh it can be annoying and embarassing in some situations and its obviously not exercising since thats the most normal.
And i can consider myself lucky as i am a man but its worse for my sister aince she also sweats like my parents and me

[Is-there_a-ChristianGod]

Man I sweat like you would think fat ppl sweat…. I’m 180 when I play ball I look like I went swimming

[liangjl]

I just walked for 1 minute and I’m sweating like I walked a mile

[Countcho]

Im not sure but you should ask Rubio :)

[r.k.dhingra]

Its not true. Sweating is good for body.

[truthorhappiness]

“Genetics”...Your a “sweater”?

*Facepalm*

What about hyperthyroid conditions? What about infections? Many diseases cause sweating. PMS for women. Come on, what kind of doctor advice is this? We should just accept sweating all the time? If you sweat for no reason, there’s most likely an issue. If someone was never a sweater and now is, you should definitely get yourself checked. If you’ve always been a sweater, still get your thyroid tested for peace of mind. Your lifespan could be shortened if you don’t. Sweating usually means elevated heart rate. Thats more wear on the cardiovascular system. In addition, more insulation you have, the more you sweat. Losing weight would help.

There are loads of reasons. Genetics is pretty low on the list!