Almost every mother begins to worry when she notices that her baby's head is sweating during sleep. Moreover, increased sweating manifests itself in the baby on the head, and the body remains dry. Why does a child sweat his head at night? There may be several reasons for this phenomenon:
- vitamin D deficiency;
- viral infection;
- taking medications;
- heart failure;
- pathology of the thyroid gland;
- endocrine diseases.
Rickets
If a child's head sweats very much, and this manifests itself during sleep, it is first of all necessary to suspect the development of a disease such as rickets. It manifests itself most often in children under one year old, since it is during this period that the baby's body experiences a huge load, because in the first year its growth almost doubles. The main cause of rickets is a deficiency of calcium and phosphorus. The baby's systems are not yet quite mature, so even a small lack of vitamins and essential trace elements have a great impact on the body.
Premature babies most often suffer from rickets. Formula-fed children are also more susceptible to this disease. Sometimes the cause of calcium deficiency is a syndrome of impaired absorption in the intestine, more often developing as a result of lactase deficiency. Intestinal infections, celiac disease can influence the development of this syndrome. Hereditary diseases, problems with the liver and kidneys also lead to rickets.
In addition to excessive sweating during sleep, signs of vitamin D deficiency can include:
- decreased appetite;
- disturbing dream;
- baldness of the neck.
It is these symptoms that are observed in children under one year of age with the development of rickets. In this case, you should contact your pediatrician, who will prescribe the appropriate therapy.
Endocrine diseases
Increased sweating of the head with dryness of the rest of the body can occur in a baby with diabetes. But sweating is manifested not only when falling asleep and during sleep, but also during wakefulness. Accompanying symptoms in this disease are intense thirst, frequent urination, weakness. If these signs appear, you should contact an endocrinologist.
Thyroid dysfunction (hyperthyroidism) also leads to increased sweating. Hyperhidrosis occurs in a child both during the period of activity and when he sleeps.
Heart pathologies
If the child sweats a lot when he sleeps, and he also has heavy breathing, coughing, these may be signs of heart disease. In addition, with heart disease, weight loss, cyanosis of the nasolabial triangle, and increased fatigue are observed. If the baby has these symptoms, you should be examined.
infectious diseases
Increased sweating during sleep is possible with diseases associated with the penetration of viral infections into the body. It can be an acute respiratory disease, influenza, various intestinal infections. In addition to sweating, the body temperature usually rises, the child refuses to eat during the daytime, plays a little. Proper treatment, selected by a pediatrician, helps to cope with the infection. The problem of sweating in sleep goes away soon after the cure.
Temperature regime
If the pediatrician's examination shows that the baby is healthy, the problem of sweating during sleep may mean that he is very active during the waking period. You should also pay attention to the microclimate of the apartment. Irregular ventilation, stuffiness, high humidity may well contribute to such a reaction of the body during sleep. The best temperature in the room where the baby is resting is the range from 18 to 22 degrees. Humidity should not exceed 60%.
If the child is sleeping, it does not need to be tightly wrapped. Constant uncovering, sweating can mean that the child is just hot. In children under one year old, the functions of thermoregulation of the body are still imperfect, and many parents are prone to overprotection, including excessive wrapping of their child. An important measure in the prevention of unpleasant symptoms is the choice of clothing. It should be made from natural fabrics. Synthetic things may well disrupt the process of thermoregulation.
Other reasons
Down duvets and pillows can cause allergic reactions, which can also cause severe head sweating during sleep. In this case, it is better to replace them with pillows with bamboo fiber or other hypoallergenic fillers.
Increased sweating can be signs of a malfunction of the autonomic nervous system. In young children, especially up to a year, it is still being formed. With age, this problem usually disappears, and the hyperhidrosis that manifests itself in sleep disappears.
Head sweating during sleep may also occur with certain medications. This is a side effect that most often disappears after the abolition of such therapy.
If the child's head sweats during sleep, there is no need to panic, but you should carefully monitor his condition. Irritability, refusal to eat, weight loss, disturbing dreams can be symptoms of rickets, disorders in the endocrine system, and heart pathologies. A consultation with a pediatrician and appropriate examinations will help to identify problems in a timely manner.
Parents of young children are very often worried about the question: "why does the baby's head sweat?".
In most cases, this condition is associated with the peculiarities of the individual metabolism in a child under one year old and the beginning of functioning with further differentiation of the thermoregulation system, skin and sweat glands, changes in the hormonal background, especially during the period of adaptation of the baby to new living conditions - adapting the baby's skin to the effects of temperature and environmental air.
The causes of sweating of the head in the first months of a baby’s life can be - violation of the temperature regime in the apartment, improper skin care (rare bathing, abuse of oils, wrapping and warmer clothes (out of season) or the use of clothes made of synthetic fabrics), hot season also stimulates increased perspiration.
Also, increased sweating of the head in a baby can be observed when feeding or crying due to the increased physical activity of the baby, especially in weakened babies (with congenital malnutrition) and as a result of a hereditary predisposition to excessive work of the sweat glands.
Tactics of parents with excessive sweating of the head in infants
In this case, the main methods of combating head sweating in infants are comfortable temperature conditions and the microclimate in the room - frequent airing of the room with regular wet cleaning.
It is necessary to take a closer look at the bed linen in the crib and replace it with linen made from natural fabrics - cotton, linen, without artificial threads. You also need to choose the right clothes for the baby so that excess sweat is absorbed, and does not remain on the baby's scalp, creating and exacerbating the "greenhouse effect".
Severe sweating of the baby's head can develop in the presence of somatic pathology - colds or viral diseases (in the incubation or initial prodromal period, even in the absence of the first clinical symptoms of the disease - runny nose, cough, temperature). In this case, sweating of the head may be accompanied by lethargy, refusal to eat, anxiety, and regurgitation.
Also, this symptomatology can manifest itself with the progression of intrauterine infections (chlamydia, toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus infection).
With blood diseases of various etiologies (anemia), endocrinopathies, diseases of the liver and kidneys, lethargy, increased sweating of the scalp, and anxiety may also be the first signs.
Therefore, if any negative symptoms or changes in the behavior of young children appear, it is necessary to seek the advice of a local doctor.
Head sweating in infants with rickets
To date, quite often the cause of excessive sweating of the head in young children is the development of rickets. Vitamin D deficiency occurs when it is insufficiently supplied to the baby's body during pregnancy and its absence in sufficient quantities in the depot. This can occur in premature babies, twin children, with pregnancy pathology (pronounced toxicosis, severe somatic diseases in the mother, fetoplacental circulation disorders). And also in violation of the absorption of vitamins and trace elements in infants (fermentopathy, inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, dysbacteriosis), with reduced insolation (winter season). But it is dangerous to use vitamin D preparations on your own - a pediatrician, if necessary, will prescribe a drug, dose and frequency of administration (daily or every other day) for the prevention or treatment of the initial stages of rickets.
Many young mothers may notice that the baby often and profusely sweats his head. Some do not attach any importance to this symptom, in others it causes anxiety and anxiety. Why does a child's head sweat, is it a norm or a pathology? It is these questions that we will consider in detail in the material in order to dispel the doubts and fears of the parents of small crumbs.
Reasons why babies have a sweaty head
In medicine, excessive sweating is called hyperhidrosis. It can be caused by both natural factors and internal disturbances. Many women notice that the baby's head and neck sweat especially often when feeding. You can notice the protruding droplets of sweat on the forehead of a child during sleep. What is the cause of childhood hyperhidrosis?
Do not panic, since the increased release of moisture from the child's body is a natural process, and it is associated with an unformed body.
Features of the sweat glands in infants
Sweat glands are necessary for the human body for thermoregulation. If we do not sweat in certain circumstances, we can die from overheating. In a newborn, the fluid withdrawal system has not yet been formed. Sweating glands are included in the work only on the 2-3rd week of a child's life. Their formation ends only by the age of 5-6 years.
High activity throughout the day can cause excessive sweating in the baby While the child is very small, most of the sweat channels are located in the area of \u200b\u200bhis head and back. As the body grows, new pores form, concentrating in the armpits, on the feet, on the palms.
In addition to the fact that the sweat ducts in an infant differ in number and location from an adult organism, metabolic processes also work differently. The metabolic rate in young children is much higher than in adults. They quickly absorb food and remove all unnecessary.
If the baby's head sweats a lot, in most cases this is a completely normal reaction, and it only confirms that the baby is healthy. Up to 9-12 months, babies sweat especially strongly.
It happens that infant hyperhidrosis becomes a symptom of the disease. About what diseases can cause excessive sweating and how to recognize them in time, we'll talk a little lower. Now let's figure out what other normal reasons can make the baby's head and neck wet.
Other factors provoking natural hyperhidrosis in infants:
- The child is dressed too warmly. Many mothers, worrying that the baby does not freeze, constantly play it safe and wrap the child too warmly. The little man still cannot say that he is hot and just sweats profusely. If the clothes are synthetic, then it only aggravates the situation.
- Baby is very active. Newborns have different temperaments: some are sedentary and calm, others are constantly on the move, often scream, act up. The more active the child, the more he will sweat. The same reaction to movement is observed in adults, and is considered completely normal.
- There is not enough fresh air in the room. Another problem of young parents is that they are afraid to air the rooms where their baby sleeps so as not to catch a cold. Stuffiness, lack of oxygen - all this does not affect the baby in the best way. Especially strongly in such an atmosphere the child will sweat during sleep.
- Change in diet. When introducing supplementary feeding or completely transferring a child to artificial feeding, one can expect different reactions of the body. Hyperhidrosis is just one of them. It will take a long time for the children's digestive system to get used to new foods.
- Poor hygiene. Unfortunately, not all parents bathe their children in a timely manner. A child's body can suffer from profuse sweating because the pores are clogged with dirt, disrupting the process of thermoregulation.
Why does baby's head sweat while feeding?
Applying the baby to the chest, you can see how his head and back become wet. Why does a baby sweat a lot during feeding?
In fact, there is nothing strange and dangerous here. The baby makes a lot of effort to suck milk. The mother's body generates heat, and the baby's body is in close contact with it. In addition, the baby's stomach immediately begins to digest the incoming food. All this causes a completely natural reaction of the body - sweating.
Why does the head of the baby sweat during sleep
You should monitor the temperature in the room and do not wrap the child too much during sleep The answer to the question why a child often sweats his head during sleep is also not unusual.
When children sleep, their metabolic processes do not stop, and some even accelerate. At night, the body is completely relaxed, children fall asleep very soundly, and it is easier for the body to remove excess fluid through the pores at such a time.
Very often, a sharp release of sweat occurs during a dream, especially if it is a bad dream. Every adult has faced this phenomenon more than once.
Sweating of the back and head of a child during a night or daytime sleep is from a banal overheating, when he is wrapped in a warm blanket or dressed in tight clothes, while the room is warm enough.
In babies, the head sweats very often, most often this happens during sleep or feeding. At the same time, the rest of the child's body remains dry. Pediatricians claim that this phenomenon is absolutely normal and no pathology is hidden behind it. The baby's sweat glands function from the first days after birth, but their normal work will only improve when the baby reaches 5-6 years of age.
Moderate sweating for children during sleep is an absolutely normal process. But if the child’s body and head sweat, regardless of what he is doing, it would be better to show the baby to a pediatrician. There are several reasons why a baby may have a sweaty head while he sleeps:
- Insufficient amount of vitamin D in the body.
- Disorders of the heart.
- Diseases of the thyroid gland.
- Cold.
- Taking inappropriate medications.
Sometimes, when a baby's head sweats, this may be due to its individual characteristics. The doctor may say that your toddler is perfectly healthy, and the fact that he sweats is due only to too warm clothes or intense games.
Excessive sweating often indicates a violation of the autonomic nervous system, but then experts talk about a wider list of characteristic signs that indicate the course of this disorder in the body. It is due to the immaturity of the nervous system, while with such a disorder, children do not sweat all night, but only when they fall asleep. Such phenomena, as a rule, do not pose a danger to the health of infants, and with age they disappear on their own.
The child's head sweats - Dr. Komarovsky
1 year
Such a small child may have a wet head for the most banal reason - a too warm blanket and pillow. Such small children, under the age of one, cannot yet open themselves and regulate their body temperature. In addition, if pillows and clothes are made of down, they can cause allergies in a child who is already one year old. Such an allergy can provoke the fact that the child's head sweats.
But mothers should still be vigilant, as sweating the head during sleep can also indicate the development of diabetes in a child. You need to pay attention to this if the baby sweats only the head, and the body remains dry.
And of course, sweating, according to Dr. Komarovsky, can be a simple genetic predisposition. It can manifest itself at any time and from any physical activity, as well as from excitement in babies up to a year.
It also often happens that the baby sweats during feeding. Here, the mother should not worry absolutely, since during feeding the baby sucks milk, he tenses up, this is a rather laborious process for him. Nature has taken care of the safety of the baby during the feeding period, so droplets of sweat on the forehead and on the head are absolutely normal.
2 years
Many mothers wonder why their child, about two years old, sweats a lot during sleep. If the baby is completely healthy, then the cause is most often hidden in hot or synthetic clothes, too warm a bedroom and high humidity.
If your little one, about two years old, has recently suffered a cold or other illness, then he can also sweat during sleep, according to Dr. Komarovsky. Complex processes take place in the child's body, it produces a large amount of fluid in order to avoid overheating and remove dangerous toxins.
3 years
The reason why a small three-year-old child sweats and gets wet during sleep can be hidden in synthetic bedding or pajamas. If the clothes and bedding are made of natural fabrics, the room is not hot and the baby is not sick, then it may be worth taking the child to the pediatrician. The cause of excessive sweating at the age of 3 years can be lymphatic diathesis.
Moms should not be scared, many doctors, such as Komarovsky, do not consider lymphatic diathesis a disease, you just need to follow certain rules for the child’s life and sweating in a dream will eventually come to naught. The child needs to limit the consumption of sweets, bathe the baby daily in water with sea salt, and also give the baby a decoction of licorice root.
4 years
If the child is already 4 years old and still has a strong
wet during sleep, it is possible that the baby has the following health problems:
- Excess weight.
- Problems with the heart and vascular system.
- Tuberculosis.
- Taking medication.
Also, sweating in a dream may be due to the fact that a child who is 4 years old experiences a lot of emotions under the influence of dreams. It can be fear, joy, and delight, so the head, forehead and palms can be wet.
Night sweats - Dr. Komarovsky
Signs of rickets
A wet head in a dream can be the first sign that a 4-year-old child develops rickets. This is a very dangerous disease that is associated with a lack of vitamin D in infants. The lack of this vitamin leads to bone deformities in children.
But one wet head in a dream is not enough to make such a diagnosis for a baby. Usually, in addition to the forehead and head, the feet and palms also sweat. If you have even the slightest suspicion, see a doctor, as Dr. Komarovsky recommends.
Cold
If your toddler has a cold, then there is nothing surprising in the fact that he has sweating of the head. Usually a cold baby is lethargic, he is tormented by a runny nose and cough, a high temperature rises. During this period, children begin to sweat when they sleep - this is how the body reacts to temperature and a decrease in overall immunity.
You should not be very afraid of this, because adults also sweat the temples and the parietal part of the head with flu and sore throat. So the body is protected from overheating and this is absolutely normal. We consider it not superfluous to remind mothers that at the slightest sign of SARS in babies, it is imperative to contact a pediatrician in order to avoid complications and consequences.
Children's sleep: The child sweats in a dream - Dr. Komarovsky
Sweating is considered a completely natural physiological process, which was provided by wise nature. Newborns sweat more frequently and more intensely than adults. And since the sweat glands in infants are still underdeveloped, malfunctions often occur. However, sometimes sweat on the forehead may indicate the development of such a serious illness as.
Today we will tell you why the child's head sweats, and how to fix the situation. In most cases, in infants, sweat appears not only on the forehead, but also on other parts of the body. Do not immediately panic, because this process is quite normal and is not a symptom of the development of any pathological condition.
Scientists have found that the sweat glands begin to work from the third day of life. Although, of course, it is still difficult to talk about their normal functioning. A child can sweat not only in a dream, but also during the day, while playing or relaxing. Only by the age of six can we expect the normal functioning of the sweat glands.
Why does the baby's head sweat?
So, moderate sweating is good and right. If you are worried that the child sweats constantly, regardless of whether he was just lying or actively moving, you should seek the advice of a specialist.
The pediatrician will be able to detect the initial symptoms of diseases and take the necessary measures. There are several reasons for a wet head that signal possible pathologies:
Vitamin D deficiency;
heart disease;
Failure in the functioning of the thyroid gland;
Cold (other signs are added - runny nose, fever, cough);
Reaction to medication
hereditary disease:
Phenylketonuria (sweat has a "mouse" smell),
Cystic fibrosis (increased amount of chlorine and sodium in sweat),
Lymphatic diathesis.
Too liquid or, on the contrary, thick and sticky sweat all over the head, besides having a pungent odor, may indicate malfunctions in the functioning of the nervous system. If these symptoms appear, you should immediately contact a pediatrician or neurologist.
If the baby is healthy, then the excessive sweating of the baby can be explained by the excessive activity of the baby, especially if not only the head is wet, but also the rest of the body. In addition, the forehead becomes wet as a result of fatigue, high temperature or high humidity in the room. Mothers who love to wrap their children in warm clothes should not be surprised by perspiration.
Why does a baby's head sweat while feeding?
Many mothers worry when they find drops of sweat on their baby's forehead after feeding. Surprisingly, breastfeeding is hard physical labor for any baby. This process can be compared to digging up a vegetable garden for adults. Especially often the baby sweats if the mother has little milk or the lactation process is coming to an end. In addition, when breastfeeding, sweat droplets on the head may appear because:
The child has recently had any illness (including a cold); ?
The baby at this moment was tightly wrapped up, that is, a warmly dressed toddler will sweat much more intensely; ?
Mom holds the baby in her arms, additionally heating it with the heat of her own body.
Thus, breastfeeding is a kind of physical activity for the baby. Experts advise mothers not to attach much importance to a slight increase in temperature and perspiration on the forehead of the child at this moment.
Why does a child sweat his head in a dream?
The question of why a child's head sweats in a dream worries many fathers and mothers. Why is it necessary to dwell on this problem in more detail? Excessive sweating may be a natural feature of the baby or may indicate a disease. By the way, the causes of excessive sweating largely depend on the age of the children. Let's look at these factors in more detail.
7-8 months
At this age, the head sweating in a dream sometimes indicates the occurrence of rickets, the additional symptoms of which we will discuss below. Excessive sweating often occurs due to banal overwork. The child played a lot, moved, so it is not surprising that whims and tension appear, as a result of which whiskey and the back of the head sweat.
12 months
One-year-olds often sweat because of too hot down pillows and blankets. The imperfect organism of a small child cannot yet withstand such a thermal “attack”. In addition, things with fluff can cause allergies in babies, one of the signs of which is head sweating.
Sometimes sweat on the forehead is just one of the signs of such a serious illness as diabetes. Dryness of the skin of the lower half of the body is added to the wet head. And the child may be genetically predisposed to sweating. In this case, perspiration on the forehead will be observed not only at night.
Wet head at 2 years old
Too warm clothes, stale air in the room or high humidity of the room are added to the listed reasons. Do not worry if the child sweats after an illness that was accompanied by a high temperature.
At this age, the child's body is able to prevent dangerous overheating by producing and removing large amounts of fluid. When the baby recovers, sweating will return to normal.
Head sweating at 3 years old
Pajamas made of synthetic materials can provoke perspiration in crumbs in a dream. The baby is uncomfortable, he tosses and turns, sweats. In addition, often an allergic reaction to non-natural materials is added to this. Babies at this age may also sweat due to lymphatic diathesis. This condition usually disappears with the maturation of all children's organs. However, doctors have some tips that will reduce head sweating in this disease:
Bathe the child daily (once a week you can add sea salt to the bath); ?
Limit your intake of sugary foods; ?
Replace liquid with juicy fruits and vegetables; ?
Drink your baby regularly with licorice infusion.
Perspiration on forehead at 4 years old
At this age stage, excessive sweating is sometimes caused by conditions such as:
High body weight in a child; ?
Malfunctions in the vascular system; ?
Long-term use of certain medications; ?
Tuberculosis (rare).
Does your child sweat during sleep? At this age, psychological reasons are added to the physiological ones: violent emotions, nightmares. The baby may sweat not only the head, but also the neck and palms.
Head sweating as a sign of rickets
Rickets is considered one of the most unpleasant causes of excessive sweating. This disease in young children can lead to unpleasant consequences if left untreated. In addition to a wet head during sleep, rickets has other signs:
That part of the hairline of the head, on which the baby often lies in a dream, looks somewhat worn;
The children's skull becomes elongated, and the temporal bones begin to deform;
The fontanel becomes soft; ?
The child is inactive, lethargic, because his vitality decreases, and the muscles relax too much; ?
The abdomen begins to swell; ?
The limbs change position - they bend, turn inside out at different angles; ?
Emotions change in children - babies constantly cry in their sleep, act up during the day, get scared of familiar objects and become too anxious.
To clarify the diagnosis, it is necessary to conduct an examination, which requires a sample of venous blood. If the concerns are confirmed, the doctor will prescribe the appropriate treatment. However, it is much easier to prevent this disease with a course of vitamin therapy.
Vitamins of group D will help prevent the occurrence of deformation of systems and organs, as well as save a small child from excessive sweating of the head and limbs. However, taking vitamin complexes should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor - the health of the baby is at stake.
What to do if the child has a sweaty head?
If a medical examination has found any disease that caused excessive head sweating, you do not need to deal exclusively with this symptom. The most important thing is to try to save the baby from the provoking factor - the disease.
Is the baby healthy? Then you need to take preventive measures and follow the recommendations of specialists. When sweating the head in a child, it is necessary:
Maintain the optimum temperature (about 20 degrees) and humidity (about 50-60 percent) in the children's room; ?
Buy things for kids only from natural materials; ?
Dress the baby according to the weather, not wrapping in numerous clothes; ?
Do not overheat the little man in hot weather (at home bathe more often, and drink cool water outside).
Thus, excessive sweating in a healthy child is quite simple to eliminate. You just need to adhere to a certain mode and set the optimal microclimate in the room. Most often, in older children, this problem is resolved on its own.
If, in addition to profuse sweating, the child also has other alarming symptoms, it is necessary to consult a doctor. The sooner you can identify the disease and start therapy, the less likely it is that various complications will appear.