PHYSICAL WELLNESS

your body’s natural cooling system

SWEAT GLANDS

Sweat glands are tiny, coiled structures in your skin that help regulate temperature and eliminate waste. When your body heats up, they release sweat (mostly water with some salts and waste products), which cools you down as it evaporates.

  • Regulates body temperature by releasing sweat for cooling

  • Helps maintain salt and fluid balance

  • Eliminates small amounts of waste (like urea and ammonia)

  • Plays a role in skin hydration

  • Supports immune defense by producing antimicrobial peptides

SWEAT GLAND BASICS

Common Terms + Simple Definitions

Here’s a mini glossary for sweat gland-related words you’ll see throughout the site:

Eccrine Glands - Sweat glands found all over the body that help cool you down

Apocrine Glands - Larger sweat glands in areas like the armpits and groin, linked with body odor

Pore - The skin opening where sweat reaches the surface

Electrolytes - Minerals (like sodium and potassium) lost in sweat

Perspiration - Another word for sweating

WHAT SWEAT GLANDS WORK WITH

sweat glands + OTHER SYSTEMS

  1. Skin (Epidermis & Dermis) → Sweat glands are embedded in skin layers

  2. Nervous System → Signals glands to release sweat in response to heat, stress, or activity

  3. Blood Vessels → Expand (dilate) to help release heat as sweating occurs

  4. Hair Follicles → Some sweat glands empty into follicles (especially in armpits and groin)

  5. Kidneys → Work with sweat glands to regulate fluid and electrolyte balance

HealthY Sweat glands…

Sweating is a normal and important process. Staying hydrated replaces the fluids lost through sweat, and good hygiene helps keep sweat from mixing with bacteria that cause odor.