All related- Why does lower temperatures and higher humidy feel so hot? Is overheating when hiking as dangerous or more likely in no humidity or high? How does sweating help cool you down?
In: Biology
When water evaporates, the bonds between its molecules need broken. Much like pulling magnets apart, this takes energy. For water, especially saltwater, it’s a significant amount of energy. This process is so powerful that even spraying hot water onto your body will still cool you down.
So we sweat, the water evaporates into the air, and we are cooled down a lot in the process.
Humidity measures how much water is in the air, or, more relevant here, how difficult it is for more water to evaporate into the air. If the air is already full, your sweat will just stick to you. The only way your body can cool down is by warming up the air around you, but if the air around you is already almost as hot as you are then this is going to be ineffective. You’ll overheat.
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