Women sweat differently than men

[shootingstar]

Well, surface area is an X2 function, and volume is an X3 function... so maybe it's just that those small volume chickies have relatively larger surface areas, so don't need to sweat as much to dump excess heat?

Or maybe they're just wimps...

(I'll tell you which theory *I* like better. <snort>)

I know I don't sweat as much as a sister of mine who is just 1-2 inches taller than and heavier only by 5 lbs. or so. She jogs regularily.

Not sure if it's worth anlayzing my level of fitness according to amount of sweat. I just get pissed off, destroying several good tops with stained pits.

[jessmarimba]

I sweat like crazy if I'm exercising, but otherwise it takes a migraine for me to feel too hot.

[Vanilla]

I was interested in the reader's comment about the possibility of men and women sweating from different parts of the body. I've noticed that the men in my gym sweat a lot down their backs but I tend to sweat from my head and chest. Perhaps it's all due to me having a thick fringe and large chest an nothing more. Who knows?

Interesting article though.

[colby]

So, another interesting connection. While on our bike trip in Italy I got bit by mosquitoes way more than anyone else there. I had them all over and got hit by them FAST. There was one other guy who also was a mosquito attractant, and he was one of the stronger riders.

I was reading up on why mosquitoes love some people more than others, and apparently lactic acid from sweat, an increased body temperature, and carbon dioxide from heavier exhalations all are potential mosquito attractants. The How Stuff Works articles on mosquitoes actually says: "people who don't sweat much don't get nearly as many mosquito bites."

So, if you get fit.... mosquitoes want you. :P

[zoom-zoom]

So, another interesting connection. While on our bike trip in Italy I got bit by mosquitoes way more than anyone else there. I had them all over and got hit by them FAST. There was one other guy who also was a mosquito attractant, and he was one of the stronger riders.

I was reading up on why mosquitoes love some people more than others, and apparently lactic acid from sweat, an increased body temperature, and carbon dioxide from heavier exhalations all are potential mosquito attractants. The How Stuff Works articles on mosquitoes actually says: "people who don't sweat much don't get nearly as many mosquito bites."

So, if you get fit.... mosquitoes want you. :P

Oh, man...mosquitos LOVE me! I'm full of hot air and sweat a ton...that makes sense.

[emily_in_nc]

So, if you get fit.... mosquitoes want you. :P

Uh-oh.

[GLC1968]

The How Stuff Works articles on mosquitoes actually says: "people who don't sweat much don't get nearly as many mosquito bites."

Unless you are Greek?

I'm actually not a big sweater, even when I'm fit. I'm also NEVER cold when exercising - even in extreme cold (but I cannot handle extreme heat). Funny thing is, I'm frequently cold when I'm sedentary and even when I'm not actually feeling cold, I am cold to the touch. My husband calls me 'cold miser'.

Mosquitoes do love me though. I'm the best bug repellent my family knows - if either me or my father are around, bugs don't bite anyone else.

Came back to add after reading the article:

I'd be curious if birth location or season/temperature has any affect on the study. I have a theory (based purely on my own observations) that the conditions when you were born affects how your body handles temperature. In my case, I was born in Feb in MN when the temp was -27F...and I'm a person who can handle extreme cold but suffers greatly in the heat. My husband was born in May on the gulf coast of MS when it was hot, steamy and over 90F every day. He rarely has issues with heat or humidity but cannot handle the cold (physically, when exercising...not just living in cold areas)or very dry conditions. I've seen many cases that this also fits though it may be more obvious for people who were born in some type of extreme as opposed to those born in July in Maine or October in FL where temps might have been mid-range.

[jessmarimba]

I'd be curious if birth location or season/temperature has any affect on the study.

Hmm. I was born in Virginia at the end of July and I've lived in VA, TN, FL, SC, and GA and still refuse to turn on the a/c unless I'm driving and glued to the seat of my car. I'm always the first person in CO to wear a jacket and gloves now.

But I also have Raynaud's so I'm not sure how much that has to do with my hatred of being cold.

[Cataboo]

I think it has more to do with where you grow up and what you're acclimatized to...

I was born in Feb in VA - it was a year that had a lot of blizzards, and summers are always hot & humid. I don't typically use the AC and don't mind the heat - but I also love to ski and after a couple days of skiing, I'm talking around in long sleeve shirts at the base of mountains 'cause it feels hot to me compared to the temps at the top.

I do overheat easily while exercising.

[JennK13]

But I also have Raynaud's so I'm not sure how much that has to do with my hatred of being cold.

I, too, have Raynaud's, and it kind of scared me when I moved to CO from CA. I notice it more in my hands than my feet, but I think only because I'm using my hands and they hurt. It can be 85 degrees out, and we're hiking and my hands get cold - even if I'm sweating, my hands and feet are cold.

I don't know about the where you were born theory, but I was born and raised in Southern California for 32 years. I like "mild" temps, 50-75 are perfect for me. While I do get cold (Raynaud's and Hashimotos make me cold ALWAYS), I do sweat when working out, even if I'm not hot. So I'm always cautious about dressing appropriately, especially in the fall and winter, to make sure I'm warm enough even though I sweat. And cotton is rotten, and I've gotten cold from sweating, so I wear moisture wicking clothes to help keep me regulated, which is tough when you sweat buckets!!!

[Jolt]

Hmm. I was born in Virginia at the end of July and I've lived in VA, TN, FL, SC, and GA and still refuse to turn on the a/c unless I'm driving and glued to the seat of my car. I'm always the first person in CO to wear a jacket and gloves now.

But I also have Raynaud's so I'm not sure how much that has to do with my hatred of being cold.

Interesting theory (actually, hypothesis) about where one is born possibly affecting their heat/cold tolerance...what about where one has lived for most of their life? Actually in your case either one would make sense. I was born in the SF Bay Area at the end of December...it's in the 40s and 50s on average there at that time of year according to Wikipedia (assuming their info is accurate). Maybe that's part of why I like fall weather best, since here in MA we have a lot of fall temperatures in that range. I do OK with cold temps as long as I'm active and dressed properly (I have Raynaud's too, so that can be an annoyance if I'm not); heat isn't my thing. The one good thing about hot summer weather, IMO, is that it allows me to swim outside in natural bodies of water, which I like much better than being in a pool. I guess every season has its advantages; I do enjoy the variety of having four distinct seasons here and would miss that if I moved to a place that didn't have the same sort of variation.

[emily_in_nc]

I sweat like crazy if I'm exercising, but otherwise it takes a migraine for me to feel too hot.

Me too, except that I don't get migraines. Just a cold-natured person except when I exercise. And I'm one of the small gals and am here to say (along with Crankin') that size has nothing to do with amount of sweat. It's fitness, I tell ya!