Do swimmers sweat?
It’s a curious wondering that has plagued us all at some point in our lives.
Thankfully, we’re here to put an end to the speculation. Here’s an in depth analysis of the perspiration habits of swimmers.
Firstly, What are the Effects of Dehydration?
Dehydration can be life threatening if left long enough, that’s why you see so many bones in the desert.
In terms of swimming however, it can have an adverse effect on a swimmer’s overall stamina and performance.
If the body is even 2% dehydrated, a swimmer is more likely to become fatigued at a quicker rate, and the muscles will not be able to perform at their highest level.
For competitive swimmers, this could mean seeing years of hard work ruined simply because they forgot to drink their bottle of water.
Dehydration is heavily affected by the temperature of the pool. If the water is warm then dehydration will exacerbate the issue by sending the body’s core temperature up.
Alongside this, the heart rate will swiftly increase and the swimmer will be unable to maintain a high speed.
Basically, dehydration is awful. The fact that swimmers sweat, but are often unaware of the signals, leads to many swimmers’ performance being compromised.
Yes, Swimmers Do in Fact Sweat
While it’s pretty difficult to see through all that water and
chlorine, swimmers do in fact sweat.
And pretty profusely at that.
A study which analysed a group of strong swimmers of mixed gender found that over a 4000m swim, their bodies actually sweat quite a bit.
On average, male swimmers expelled 552 milligrams of sweat, while their female counterparts expelled 428.
Taking this into consideration, it’s easy to understand why although swimmers are immersed in water, keeping hydrated is key to a strong performance.
After all, nobody wants to drink pool water.
Read More
If you liked the look of this blog, why not have a gander at a few of our others?
How Swimming Can Improve Bad Circulation
How to Treat Chlorine Damaged Hair