Definition
noun
A form of perspiration in which the body is able to sense the watery fluid as moist on the skin
Supplement
Perspiration enables primates and humans a cooling mechanism to regulate body temperature. When the body releases sweat via the skin pores the body cools down as the water evaporates from the skin. External cues such as high ambient temperature and high humidity cause the body to secrete sweat. There are instances that the sweat is so profuse that the body is able to sense it as moisture on the skin. This is called sensible perspiration. This is to distinguish it from the other type of perspiration (i.e. insensible perspiration) in which the body is not able to sense it is perspiring. The latter escapes awareness because the fluid released is not enough to be detected as a moist on skin. It evaporates quickly. In contrast, sweat released from the body is sensed by the body as moist or water droplets on the skin surface. The amount is adequate enough not to evaporate quickly and therefore get noticed. Apart from the loss of water, there is also solute loss in sensible perspiration.1
Synonym(s):
- sensible water loss
Compare:
See also:
- perspiration
- sweat
- sweat gland
- eccrine gland
Reference(s):
1 Kerry Brandis. Fluid Physiology: Sweat. https://www.anaesthesiamcq.com/FluidBook/fl2_1.php
