Infants and young children sweat on their heads when sleeping

Sweating is a normal physiological phenomenon in the human body because there are many sweat glands distributed all over the body. However, although sweating has certain benefits to the human body, sweating during certain special periods may also be a manifestation of physical illness. Because most parents will observe the physical condition of their babies when they are sleeping, many parents find that their babies like to sweat on their foreheads when they are sleeping. What is going on?

Babies sweat while sleeping, which can be divided into physiological sweating and pathological sweating.

1. Physiological sweating

It means that the child is well developed, healthy, and does not have any disease that causes sweating during sleep. Parents are often accustomed to deciding the best environmental temperature for their children based on their own subjective feelings, and like to cover their babies with more blankets and keep them tightly covered. Because children's brain and nervous system are not yet fully developed and they are in the growth and development period, their body metabolism is very active. Coupled with the stimulation of overheating, they can only regulate normal body temperature by sweating to evaporate the heat in the body.

In addition, children may sweat if they drink milk, malted milk or eat chocolate before going to bed. Some parents give their children milk, malted milk, etc. before they go to sleep. After the children fall asleep, their bodies produce a lot of heat, which is mainly dissipated through sweating through the skin. In addition, high room temperature or excessive warmth can also cause children to sweat while sleeping, which are all physiological sweating.

2. Pathological sweating

Sweating that occurs when the child is in a quiet state, such as rickets, is manifested as obvious sweating on the child's head in the first half of the night after falling asleep. Because the pillow is irritated by sweat, babies often shake their heads and rub against the pillow when they sleep, resulting in sparse hair and loss of hair on the pillow, forming typical annular hair loss on the pillow, which is medically known as "occipital baldness". It is an early manifestation of rickets in infants. As long as vitamin D and calcium are supplemented in time, rickets can be controlled and sweating will stop by itself.

If a child sweats not only in the first half of the night but also in the second half of the night and before dawn, it is mostly a sign of illness, the most common of which is tuberculosis. Tuberculosis also has other symptoms, such as low fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, flushed cheeks, etc. Children with tuberculosis tend to sweat easily during daytime activities, which is called spontaneous sweating, and sweating at night is called night sweats. If you suspect your child is infected with tuberculosis, a lung X-ray or a tuberculin test should be done for timely diagnosis and treatment.

Children with weak constitutions often sweat in patches on their head, chest, and back when they are active during the day or after falling asleep at night. It is often caused by malnutrition due to improper feeding or poor digestion and absorption. In terms of nursing, attention should be paid to adjusting feeding methods, promoting children's appetite, and increasing the intake of protein, fat and sugar. If necessary, traditional Chinese medicine can be used to regulate spleen and stomach disharmony.

Children's sweating during sleep should be carefully distinguished. If necessary, take the child to the hospital to check trace elements and treat any abnormalities in time.