A hard working adult can sweat up to around 4 gallons (15 liters) a day. This varies depending on the temperature and humidity of the environment, but even in normal circumstances, the average person sweats up to 1.5 gallons (6 liters) per day. Half a pint (about 240 mL) of that usually comes from the feet!
Other facts about sweating:
- Women have more sweat glands than men, but men typically have more active sweat glands.
- Contrary to popular belief, pigs do not sweat. That's why they coat themselves in mud to stay cool. Dogs and cats do sweat — through the pads on their feet. A rabbit's sweat glands are around its lips.
- Those with the condition hyperhidrosis sweat up to five times as much as those with normal sweat glands. People with anhydrosis, however, don't sweat enough to cool their bodies. This condition can be fatal if the body gets overheated.
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More Info: www.mayoclinic.com
Discussion Comments
Re; Anon1003446, based on my best guess, these figures are in litres where they say gallons. Sweating 4 litres during heavy exercise makes sense based on the amount of hydration people guzzle afterward, and sweating 1.5 litres total during a hot day is 6 cups, which along with urine trucks with the 2.0 litre "8 cups of water per day" recommendation -- which, I might add, applies only to total water intake, including water inherently contained in food and vegetables, not just plain water and beverages. Drinking more water than you are actually thirsty for is unnecessary, and causes excessive trips to the bathroom for obvious reasons.
These numbers are way off. Even the most hard working well hidrated people I've ever met don't drink much more than a gallon of water a day, and most of this gets pissed out. The law of conservation of mass prevents anyone from sweating more than they drink.
Imagine how much a giant would sweat.
Now I know how pets sweat!
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