Question

Explain how sweating helps to cool the body?

Answer 1

Hint: Sweat glands are present on the skin which helps in the removal of water from the body. Evaporation of water from the body gives a cooler effect. Sympathetic nervous system controls the functioning of sweat glands to regulate body temperature.

Complete answer: Human body works in a particular temperature range about 98.6 ⁰f (37⁰C). Brain functions properly when the temperature is normal. Hypothalamus controls the temperature of the body. It sends a message to sweat glands to release water and make it from the body to give a cool effect. The sweat glands start making sweat. Sweat is also known as perspiration. Sweat contains water with tiny amounts of other chemicals like ammonia, salts and sugar. Sweat removes excess heat from the body and makes the skin wet.
Heat of the body is removed by evaporation of water from the skin surface. Due to this, the skin feels
cooler. Skin has tiny pores through which sweat comes out of the body. When the sweat comes in contact with air it evaporates. As the sweat evaporates off the skin, the body cools down. Sweat is a cooling system of the body. At the time of exercising large amounts of water released from the body and body becomes dehydrated. The smell of the sweat is stinky due to the bacteria that live on the skin. After puberty, special hormones affect the gland functioning.

Note: Sweat glands are the secretory glands that occur only in mammals. They are also called as major thermoregulatory devices. Rodents do not have eccrine glands or sweat glands that are why they cannot endure dehydration. Animals such as dogs, cats, cattle, and sheep are active only on pads of paws or along the lip margins. These glands can be entirely absent in these animals.