Increased sweating and BO

Increased sweating and BO2014-11-17T07:56:40+00:00
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  • soosangles
    Participant
    Post count: 5

    I have been doing Bikrim Yoga for a couple of months now – done about 20 classes. I have noticed I sweat massively and as the weeks have gone by I have gone from not smelling from sweating/perspiring to offending myself at times.
    Also I note in other exercise classes I am sweating a lot more.
    Am wondering if this is common after doing Hot Yoga and does it continue?

    Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)
    Forum Owner
    Post count: 3047

    Hello Sue

    It would be remiss of me not to ask whether there is anything else that you’ve noticed about your experience, and if you are absolutely certain that it is since you’ve started Bikram yoga. What other exercise classes are you going to by the way?

    It should settle in to a better situation for you. If this is your first foray into exercising in a heated environment, where the heat is consistently high over the whole session, then your body has been physiologically acclimatizing to the heat.

    While many people experience a change in their sweat, often they find that they increase their sweat output (actually this happens for most people during the first month or so) and the smell worsens, but then it usually settles down and the sweat rarely if ever smells (in class anyway).

    Let me know if there’s anything else we need to consider

    Namaste
    Gabrielle 🙂

    soosangles
    Participant
    Post count: 5

    I do a fair amount of exercise – Body Pump at the gym, and various other activities. Also yoga – have been doing that for years.

    Always felt I was lucky ‘cos I never ever smelled of perspiration, let alone BO and didn’t sweat that much with normal activities. Now I find I am dripping during normal exercise & my sweat smells really bad!!!!!!!!!

    Wondered if the odour was part of eliminating toxins from the body. I did Hot Yoga for 2 months, 3-4 times a week. Mostly I enjoyed it but times the heat was unbearable. I have now bought your HY Masterclass and am waiting for the DVD’s to arrive. Think I’ll do it mostly at home in a warm room, with the occasional visit to the class.

    :sick:Sue Angles

    Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)
    Forum Owner
    Post count: 3047

    Hello Sue

    A couple more questions for you! Still piecing it together.

    Sometimes sweat smells like ammonia. Is there a strong ammonia note in your sweat or how would you describe it?

    When you have stopped the hot yoga in the public studio, how long did it take you to recover? Are you sweating as much now in your other activites as when you did practise HY or has it gone back to ‘normal’?

    When you started hot yoga was it in addition to the significant exercise you were already doing, or did it replace other modes of exercise?

    Have you any idea what the temperatures were in that studio? What they say may be one thing …

    I am looking for a few more clues to exclude some provisional ‘diagnoses’ that include hydration, diet, electrolytes and heat related matters.

    Namaste
    Gabrielle 🙂

    soosangles
    Participant
    Post count: 5

    Yes the sweat does smell strongly of ammonia. I noticed a towel I’d used for the 2nd time absolutely reeked!!!! I googled this and found quite a few people experience this with Hot Yoga and the smell is ammonia. No one went any further to explain why or if it eventually goes.

    I did still do a bit of my other activities, although life got in the way of them, so it was more concentrating on Hot Yoga.

    After finishing a class it differed with recovery, just like all yoga classes differ, with balance, movement etc. Sometimes I’d recover almost immediately and feel great, and others it drained me and I just wanted to lie down and rest (I didn’t!). Last time I went was the worst as it was a very muggy day outside and the HY Room was unbearable. Everyone noticed including the instructor who keep opening the door. I didn’t enjoy the last 45 mins and it really drained me. I haven’t noticed the temperatures but know sometimes it is slightly lower and I find that more tolerable. It is supposed to be 37 degrees.

    I do drink heaps of water, prior and a little during, so it’s no water deficiency.

    Nothing is different in my eating or drinking.

    I haven’t been back for a month and find I am still sweating more than before, it is less offensive, although I need a stronger deodorant at this point.

    If you google this subject (as I’m sure you have) you will find a lot on it – but no theories/answers.

    Thanks Gabrielle …..

    Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)
    Forum Owner
    Post count: 3047

    Hi Sue (you’re welcome!)

    During your research did you find info about high protein diets (and lower carbs)? It is possible that you need to increase the carbohydrate load in your diet, so that the amino acid breakdown of the food source does not create that ammonia. Could it be muscle metabolism? I can’t tell yet from the information.

    Of course if you can indicate if there is any particular regime that you follow, that could be useful.

    Apparently excess ammonia from amino acid metabolism can also cause fatigue. But what it could ALSO be is heat exhaustion causing your fatigue. Two important issues that need solving. You mentioned that the conditions were unbearable and when you have very high heat and or humidity it can take days for the body to recover.

    When you start your home practice you will at least be able to experiment with certain elements. I am wondering if you’ll continue other exercise pursuits or just the hot yoga?

    Namaste
    Gabrielle 🙂

    kfi2000
    Participant
    Post count: 108

    Hi Sue,

    I googled this in the past, because I had a similar experience. What I found was that the ammonia smell is related to higher protein in the diet. I guess that’s why cat urine smells like ammonia! :bug: For me, it is something that varies, sometimes it occurs, sometimes not. I do tend to include more protein in my diet, so I figured it was just related to that.

    soosangles
    Participant
    Post count: 5

    Hi Sue,

    I googled this in the past, because I had a similar experience. What I found was that the ammonia smell is related to higher protein in the diet. I guess that’s why cat urine smells like ammonia! :bug: For me, it is something that varies, sometimes it occurs, sometimes not. I do tend to include more protein in my diet, so I figured it was just related to that.

    soosangles
    Participant
    Post count: 5

    My diet is fairly balanced re carbs and proteins. May try eating more carbs.

    I will certainly continue with other forms of exercise. I have done a lot of Yoga in the past and found when I concentrated on Hot Yoga that I was losing my suppleness in certain areas so need to do the two, plus I also love doing some of the pump/weight classes – low weights, lots of repetition.

    Muscle Metabolism – I know nothing about that. Will google.

    Cheers – Sue Angles

    Stas
    Participant
    Post count: 2

    I’ve done many Hatha yoga classes before and I was familiar with breathing and yoga in general. But I found out I have the same problem, that my sweat got much worse odour after 5 classes of Hot Yoga and it stays with me. I started sweating more smelly than before Hot Yoga classes. Now I’ve done 20 classes, and the smell of my sweat still shocks me, even when I don’t do any exercises. I’m concerned about this and don’t like it at all.  I asked one of Bikrim Yoga teacher and she didn’t know the reasons why it happens. I eat pretty healthy, don’t drink black/green tea and coffee, only lemon water and herbal/ginger tea.  Also my period was 2 weeks late, because of Hot yoga classes. I don’t blame it, I love any type of  yoga; or it’s because of temperature difference between outside cold weather and 105F inside. But it’s obviously something stressful for the body in Bikram Yoga. Please, folks share more if you have same issues with changes in your Body Odour after practicing Hot Yoga! Let’s find out together.

    Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)
    Forum Owner
    Post count: 3047

    Hello Stas

    Can you confirm for me in what period of time you have practised those 20 classes? How many days, weeks or months has it been?

    Namaste
    Gabrielle 🙂

    Stas
    Participant
    Post count: 2

    I took classes in 4 weeks in New York’s March, sometimes I took 2 classes in a row.

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