1
$\begingroup$

It's pre-monsoon season here in India. The temperatures in the Northwest of the country really take a spike around mid April. Apparently the heatwave-like conditions seem to have announced themselves quite early this year. The mercury is at 42°C for most of this past week.

I'm new to this region and even though the relative humidity is quite low, such weather conditions prove unbearable to me. A few minutes walk down the Avenue and I start to sweat in bucket loads. However, I find locals here don't sweat too much even in this hell of a weather. They say this weather is still bearable and that the monsoon phase proves to be the worst.

Having witnessed monsoon in other parts of the country I find favorable weather conditions prevailing at that time. The rain brings down the temperature and the air seems to get cooler. Most people here and elsewhere in the world would disagree with me on that. They say humidity is the worst and than dry heat can be combated by drinking enough fluids. I also see people sweating more in humid conditions compared to in temperatures of 42°C. The opposite applies to me. I barely break a sweat in temperatures of mid 30s despite there being high humidity.

What is this anomaly? Is there evidence that some bodies are just meant to excel in certain weather conditions while finding life difficult in others? Kindly help me understand the science behind it all.

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
1
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ It's not so much that you sweat more in humid conditions, but that the sweat doesn't evaporate as fast. Beyond that, I'd say you have two kinds of adaptation going on. First is personal adaptation: since you're new to the region, your body hasn't gotten used to the heat yet. (Especially if you spend a significant amount time in air conditioned buildings.) Second is genetic adaption: the locals and their ancestors have spent millenia in that climate. People who couldn't handle it either left or died. $\endgroup$
    – jamesqf
    Commented Apr 20, 2017 at 4:33

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
0
$\begingroup$

My assumption is that if you're sweating excessively, you could also be suffering from a condition called hyperhidrosis. This is a condition whereby your hands and feet sweat excessively. I would suggest that you try looking into using a solution like an iontophoresis machine to be able to treat this condition. I too have suffered from sweaty hands for a long time, and after trying different options, I found that using an iontophoresis machine provided me with the best results.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
3
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Suggesting the OP to use a device to combat a condition based on your assumption would be a bad way to answer this question. $\endgroup$
    – Imtiaz Raqib
    Commented Apr 24, 2017 at 19:29
  • $\begingroup$ I'm pretty sure I don't suffer from hyperhidrosis. I don't sweat excessively unless I'm working out or being physically active. I figured my choice of clothes had something to do with my woes against dry heat. Simply tricks such as walking in shade and walking at a slow pace as opposed to a brisk one, latter being inherent in nature, have made a huge difference. $\endgroup$
    – Andy Semyonov
    Commented May 1, 2017 at 16:57
  • $\begingroup$ Another thing I noticed about my body is that it likes being wet. As long as I have water on my skin, my body stays cool. However, the moment water has dried off, the body gets hot. I notice this after the bath. My understanding is that there's nothing unusual about it. But this phenomenon absolutely plays to my advantage in humid weather, where the sweat doesn't evaporate. With sweat on the skin, acting almost like water, my body doesn't warm up too much. $\endgroup$
    – Andy Semyonov
    Commented May 1, 2017 at 17:04

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .