Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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Don't get me wrong, it's a great relief to not be a sweaty mess half the time, like I was before, but now I don't seem to be producing a drop of sweat, even when exercising? Is this something to be concerned about?

edited Feb 6 2011 at 17:33

Elizabeth
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asked Feb 6 2011 at 16:34

rob
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I hope less sweating is a great side effect...because I am a sweater no matter what size! – paleoprimal Feb 6 2011 at 16:41

it certainly CAN be a serious condition. how do you tolerate heat? do you have any skin rashes or any other new symptoms? also, google "anhidrosis" – qualia Feb 6 2011 at 16:53

Heat just seems to make me red, but other than that I love it. I sure as hell can't tolerate the cold at ALL!!! – rob Feb 6 2011 at 17:07

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sounds like an iodine deficiency to me.. may be a good idea to get your thyroid status checked and take some kelp or a drop of IOSOL a day. how is your general energy level? – qualia Feb 6 2011 at 17:20

My energies vary, usually I am not as energetic as I'd wished though. – rob Feb 6 2011 at 22:00

Helen · Answer 1 · 2011-02-06 16:54:11Z UTC

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Inability to sweat can be a sign of hypothyroidism, but hopefully that is not what your sweatlessness (is that even a word?) is about.

answered Feb 6 2011 at 16:54

Helen
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Symptoms of Hypothyroidism: -Constipation -Coarse, dry hair -Dry, rough pale skin -Cold intolerance (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like those around you) -Irritability -Decreased libido Oh wow I have a lot of those symptoms, except I can't gain weight, not lose it. Might be on to something. – rob Feb 6 2011 at 17:12

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Yup, sounds like hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism can be brought on by an iodine deficiency...which is what happened to me...so you might want to ask yourself if you are getting enough iodine in your diet. p.s. I highly recommend reading Iodine: Why you need it, Why you can't live without it by David Brownstein, M.D. I seriously credit this book with starting me down the road to a healthy old age instead of the usual disease-ridden one. – Helen Feb 6 2011 at 17:21

I have had very, very, very similar issues as rob. And I've thought several times about hypothyroidism and about iodine too in the past (that's why I bought liquid iodine to try out soon). I will report back. Gelatin cured my constipation though (I go to the toilet once every day now). – Korion Mar 4 2012 at 9:11

Eva · Answer 2 · 2011-02-06 16:50:32Z UTC

This would be a problem if you are overheating. If you are not overheating, then you may not have needed the sweat yet. Keep an eye on this. In extreme situations you should still sweat. If not, be ready to put water on yourself to take the place of the sweat and cool yourself down, and then see a doctor about it. However, if you are exercising and not sweating and feel fine, then I think you are fine. If you start to seriously overheat, you will feel sick and know something is not right. At that point, stop and add water to yourself if you suspect overheating. I've known people who actually do not have the ability to sweat and they have to be very careful about overheating in hot environments and during heavy exercise. However, I myself do not sweat much unless it is BOTH hot out and I am exercising heavily. I don't seem to sweat much if I'm exercising but it's cool out.

Stephen-Aegis · Answer 3 · 2011-02-06 16:39:46Z UTC

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My need to sweat went down a little, returned when my effort went up.

Did you lose alot of weight? It could be as simple as no longer excessively insulated.

Alternately it could be a sign of less inflammation, which is a great thing!

answered Feb 6 2011 at 16:39

Stephen-Aegis
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Dexter · Answer 4 · 2011-02-06 16:50:48Z UTC

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Here again is the symptom of paleos not drinking enough water because they eat til satiated and they don't get the thirsty pang feeling. I have to constantly remind myself to drink water.

Take you weight in pounds, divide by two...the result is the amount of water in ounces to drink in water. I add 25% to my number. Keeps the body flushed out and sweating is also a process of removing toxins and is a process of cooling the body.

answered Feb 6 2011 at 16:50

Dexter
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With respect, where are you coming up with that formula on how much water a person should drink? – Ron Rgiss Feb 6 2011 at 16:53

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Helen, as many articles point out, waiting for the thirst pangs to signal "drink water"...one is long past the point of dehydration...which allows toxins to build up in the body. – Dexter Feb 6 2011 at 17:39

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And Dexter, that "waiting for thirst signals means you are long past the point of dehydration" is just plain hooey. If that were true, people would have become extinct long ago. Did paleo-era people have the 8x8 formula, or did they just listen to their bodies thirst signals? Do animals apply an 8x8 formula, or do they just listen to their thirst signals? Besides which, there is a differnce between thirst and dehydration. Dehydration is a medical emergency, thirst...even extreme thirst...is not. – Helen Feb 6 2011 at 18:01

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Recently some scientists scoured the journals and research papers looking for evidence to support that we need to drink large amounts of water even if we don't feel thirsty. And they could not find any research at all to support this. There is just no evidence that the body is too stupid to make you feel thirsty in a timely fashion. – Eva Feb 7 2011 at 3:34

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Yes, exactly. Its a belief, not a fact, that people need to force themselves to drink when they are not thirsty. People have also come to equate thirstiness with being dehydrated, which is also wrong...they are not dehydrated, they are merely thirsty. As you say, the body is not so stupid that it wouldn't let you know that it needs water. – Helen Feb 7 2011 at 14:55

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sherpamelissa · Answer 5 · 2011-02-06 21:50:26Z UTC

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I don't sweat much because I have water retention issues and take a water pill for that. Please make sure you are drinking enough water!

answered Feb 6 2011 at 21:50

sherpamelissa
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tartare · Answer 6 · 2011-04-22 17:45:17Z UTC

I'm starting to think I have an iodine deficiency. Recently my skin has been really dry. It's always been on the dry side, but it seems worse. It also seems to be looking a little bit "older". I'm a woman, and we tend to sweat less, but it takes a big effort to get me to break a sweat. I don't use table salt, I use himalayan pink, cook almost everything we eat at home from scratch, but I use my salt relatively liberally. I was looking at my last blood work (02/2010) and my thyroid numbers did seem a tad weird, though I'm no doctor. TSH hypersensitive was 3.29 squiggleIU/ml (high?), t3uptake 36.9%, t4 7.2squiggle g/dl, thyroxine index free 2.7 %

I'm really not sure how to calculate my iodine needs/intake. What I've started to do is eat a leaf of kombu daily (only 2 days so far) to kind of gradually up my iodine intake. Is this an appropriate way to navigate this situation? I've read that supplementing with iodine can be a little drastic on the system so I've been thinking adding a bit of kombu daily would be a relatively benign way to start, ideas (any insight would be much appreciated)?

Ron Rgiss · Answer 7 · 2011-02-06 16:47:50Z UTC

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My wife is experiencing the same deal: not sweating as much. Interested to see the replies in this thread.

answered Feb 6 2011 at 16:47

Ron Rgiss
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check for hypothyroidism or iodine deficiency. or simply not enough carbs (down-regulates thyroid production in some people) – qualia Feb 6 2011 at 17:22

Zachery · Answer 8 · 2012-02-23 18:44:14Z UTC

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Every time I walk out said when the sun is out or it is hot out side in a room or car that is to hot I brake out in hives. I'm not shout what to do can anyone helP

answered Feb 23 2012 at 18:44

Zachery
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Why can’t I sweat anymore?

8 Answers