Sweating is the body’s way of cooling you down and maintaining a normal temperature.   Think of it like this, every day you have to eat, and every day your body has to work very hard to convert all of that food into energy.  The engine that is our body heats up significantly with all of that digestion and energy conversion going on, and your internal temperature goes up.  Well, that heat needs to go somewhere; if it stays bottled up then you’re in pretty big trouble – we’re talking heat stroke and death.  The sweat glands in your body act much like an air conditioning unit – taking the heat inside and sending it outside via the sweat glands.

Humans are actually pretty lucky, because not all mammals sweat.  Most animals have evolved in some other way to keep cool; for example, dogs loll their tongue out and pant rapidly, bringing cooler drier air into the body and allowing the moisture on the tongue to evaporate, thus cooling off the rest of the body.  Cats lick themselves to spread saliva over their fur, which evaporates and cools their body.

But sweating also occurs in so many other situations… sitting for your final exams, spotting flashing red lights in your car’s rear view mirror, meeting your future in-laws for the first time, receiving notice of a tax audit or a ringing phone at two in the morning.  That’s because, in an anxiety filled situation, your adrenal glands start pumping out adrenaline, preparing your body for a natural “fight or flight” reflex.  In those situations, it’s normal to sweat.  Sweating is naturally worse in the summer months than the cooler ones, and significantly worse depending on the climate in which you live.
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