eli5 Whats the difference between functional clothing, cotton clothes and no clothes at all when youre sweating while doing sports or in summer? Whats the big difference and how does it affect our body temperature?

Question

eli5 Whats the difference between functional clothing, cotton clothes and no clothes at all when youre sweating while doing sports or in summer? Whats the big difference and how does it affect our body temperature?

In: 5

Answer 1

Clothes do not affect body temperature (generally). Body temp is stable about 37 degrees celsius, 38 is a fever.

Heat can only go from warm to cold.
Your cells are performing chemical reactions that release heat, just like a fire. (It’s a combustion reaction). In a healthy body this results in a temperature of about 37 degrees celsius.

Your perception of temperature is determined by the rate at which this heat radiates away from your body. Which in turn is determined by the difference in temperature between your body and the environment. If the air is really cold it can absorb lots of heat=fast heat transfer=cold feeling.

37 degrees celsius is very warm weather, even 25 is considered warm. This is because gas (air) does not absorb heat as well as solid (water). So 25 degrees celsius water would feel cold but 37 should be neither cold or hot.

The way clothes insulate is by slowing down the transfer of heat from your body to the environment. They do this mainly by trapping air inside the clothing, air stays inside, person warms up air, air stays warm because air sucks at transferring heat, person is surrounded by warm air, small difference in temperature, slow heat transfer, feels good.

Functional clothing has good breathability and drys fast. Meaning good ventilation under the clothes to give a cooling effect and fast evaporation of sweat, which also cools you down. In my experience, the only point of functional summer clothing is to be the next best thing after wearing nothing. Maybe protect against wind but thats it. So its just because you cant take of your shirt, which would be the best option for cooling down.

Cotton has terrible breathability, drys slowly and insulates a bit. If it gets sweaty it takes longer to dry than functional clothing.

Naked means fast evaporation of sweat, wind hits your skin directly cooling you down. If you are currently active and sweating your clothes are just in the way and the only reason to wear them is to be appropriate.