Sweating is a human superpower. Perspiration is part of the body’s thermostat and keeps us from overheating. We can’t survive without it.
As we perspire, we lose water and electrolytes — those electrically charged essential minerals (including sodium, potassium, and calcium) that are key to energy production, muscle contractions, and our body’s overall function.
Exercisers know that if you lose too much water and electrolytes, your performance suffers. A new-tech sweat patch and corresponding app can help you “read” your perspiration and receive targeted recommendations about hydration and nutrition.
Epicore Biosystems has engineered the Gx Sweat Patch under the Gatorade brand. It includes a single-use Band-Aid–like patch for your arm: You work out, sweat, and then scan the patch with your phone. The app tracks your sweat rate, fluid loss, and sodium levels to advise you on hydration — which could improve performance and help exercisers avoid muscle cramps or heatstroke.
In the future, developers hope such patches will be able to track stress hormones and other sweat components as well.
This article originally appeared as “Reading Your Sweat” in the March 2023 issue of Experience Life.
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