Khaberni - One scenario produces hot sweat, and the other produces cold sweat. So what's the difference?
Hot Sweat
According to the "Independent", this type of sweat is called thermoregulatory sweat. It is the body’s natural response to an increase in core body temperature, which often comes from physical effort.
When sweat evaporates from the skin, it cools the body to help prevent overheating.
Hot sweat is produced as follows: When you exert yourself physically, or are outside on a hot day, your body temperature rises, then sends a message to the hypothalamus in your brain.
The hypothalamus maintains the body's temperature within an ideal range.
To minimize heat stress, sweat sends signals through the spinal cord to the peripheral nerves (nerves outside the spinal cord and brain).
This stimulates the secretion of sweat from the sweat glands in the skin.
Sweat Glands
Humans have millions of sweat glands, which are densely packed at about 250 to 550 glands per square centimeter on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.
Areas that have hair (such as the face, trunk, and limbs) have a lower density of sweat glands.
The sweat produced by these glands mostly consists of water and salt.
What is cold sweat?
According to "Medical Express", cold sweat is called "psychological sweat." It appears when feeling stressed, anxious, fearful, or in pain.
In this case, the amygdala activates the hypothalamus area, and the amygdala is an area of the brain that helps you feel and respond to emotions.
The hypothalamus sends signals through the spinal cord to the peripheral nerves to stimulate the sweat glands in the skin.
It also sends a message to the adrenal glands located above the kidneys to release the hormones norepinephrine and adrenaline. These hormones travel through the blood and affect a different type of sweat glands in the skin, known as the apocrine glands.
Areas of cold sweat secretion
The apocrine glands are mainly found in the armpits, breasts, face, and perineum (where the genital organs are located). Sweat from the apocrine glands contains a lot of fats, proteins, sugar, and ammonia.
Which type has a stronger smell?
The sweat itself—whether hot or cold—has no smell. However, when the bacteria on your skin feed on the sweat, they produce volatile organic compounds.
These compounds are what have a smell.
A small study from Japan showed that stress, not exercise, causes body odors in people who usually do not have an unpleasant smell.
This might be because bacteria prefer the cold sweat produced by the apocrine glands. It is a delicious meal, rich in fats, proteins, and sugars.
Another study analyzed the results of 26 previous studies involving 1652 people. It found that when we feel fear, certain smells are released through sweat.
Therefore, fear and stress have a distinctive smell that warns others to stay away.
