# Are there health benefits to sweating?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-health-benefits-to-sweating/313192>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 19, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-health-benefits-to-sweating/313192 "2005-07-19T20:22:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-health-benefits-to-sweating/313192/1 "2005-07-19T20:22:58Z")

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Beyond the whole “regulating body temperature” angle. Are there actually impurities or the like that leave the body through sweating or is the concept of “a good sweat” pretty much false?

Just a question I had while entering my 50,000 degree sauna-esque car.

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**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-health-benefits-to-sweating/313192/2 "2005-07-19T20:38:16Z")

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Sweat is mostly water but also includes some ammonia and urea (yes…urea). According to this though that 1% that is not water is worth getting rid of. Also there are some benefits to your skin.

> [@](#):
>
> Sweat also has the function of being a judicious garbage collector. During a 15-minute sauna, sweating can perform the heavy metal excretion that would take the kidneys 24 working hours. Ninety-nine percent of what sweat brings to the surface of the skin is water, but the remaining one percent is mostly undesirable wastes. Excessive salt carried by sweat is generally believed to be beneficial for cases of mild hypertension. Some mental hospitals use saunas in their rehabilitation programs to pacify patients.
> 
> A metabolic by-product, urea, if not disposed of regularly, can cause headaches, nausea and, in extreme cases, vomiting, coma and even death. Sweating is such an effective de-toxifier that some physicians recommend home saunas to supplement kidney machines. Sweat also draws out lactic acid which causes stiff muscles and contributes to general fatigue. Sweat flushes out toxic metals such as copper, lead, zinc and mercury which the body absorbs in polluted environments.
> 
> SOURCE: [http://www.cyberbohemia.com/Pages/saunahealth.htm#Anchor#2](http://www.cyberbohemia.com/Pages/saunahealth.htm#Anchor#2)

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**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-health-benefits-to-sweating/313192/3 "2005-07-19T20:48:54Z")

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Hmmm. I’d be wary of a site that talked about the “Positive Effects of Negative Ions”. YMMV