I have a few clothing items and bed sheets that promise to be “moisture-wicking” , but I didn’t buy them for that reason – they only happened to have that feature.
Are these fabrics supposed to make sweating less uncomfortable? I feel like I am uncomfortable either way and I can notice no difference or benefit between what is promised as “moisture-wicking” and regular 100% cotton fabrics. Doesn’t the sweat still need to go *somewhere*?
In: 1
When you sweat in lets say cotton, the fabric absorbs it and it just sets there. Moisture wicking will absorb it and spread it throughout the fabric. Moisture spread out more will dry much faster than a pool of water. Therefore it keeps you from noticing your sweat because your body and sheets aren’t wet.
So first let’s remember the purpose of sweating. Water is a great thermal conductor, meaning it transfers heat really well. So when you sweat heat is transferred from your body to the sweat and then ideally evaporates, lowering your body temperature
But when your body is covered in clothing (or sheets) the sweat doesnt evaporate. Some of it is absorbed in the fabric, but usually very little because most of our fabrics are polyester or polyester blends, and instead of evaporating it gets stuck on the side of the clothing or blanket touching our skin and makes us damp and feeling gross and/or cold
Moisture wicking fabrics however are woven into patterns that force moisture through the gaps between the threads, moving them from the side that is touching our skin to the side that is exposed to air and thus (ideally) allowing it to evaporate leaving you dry
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