Why does a 5 year old child sweat a lot? What to do if a young child is sweating? The child is sweating - possible problems with the nervous system

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Many people are familiar with the situation when the baby has just fallen asleep, and already there is a need to change him into dry pajamas and change the pillow. And this has to be done several times during the night.

Excessive sweating in children during sleep worries parents a lot. And there are reasons for this, because. This is how various diseases can manifest themselves.

Sweating is a normal physiological mechanism of thermoregulation. The evaporation of liquid from the surface of the body ensures the process of heat transfer. Therefore, increased sweating at night is caused by:

  • excessive heat generation;
  • violation of its return.

What should you immediately pay attention to?

  • clothes in which the baby sleeps;
  • quality bed linen;
  • air temperature and humidity level in the bedroom;
  • changes in the baby’s health, the appearance of any complaints, etc.

How to create optimal conditions for relaxation?

Children's bodies are very sensitive to temperature environment.

For a comfortable sleep, the room should have:

  • not hot (maximum 20-22ºС);
  • optimal humidity level - 50-60%;
  • constant supply of fresh air.

It is advisable to purchase several sets of sleepwear, designed for all seasons, and always made from natural fabrics:

  • for summer - light, thin, short sleeves;
  • for the winter - warmer, denser, from knitted fabric or soft bikes.

If you sweat at night, blankets and pillows should also be chosen wisely.

  • Sheep wool is considered the best filler. It is breathable, absorbs moisture well and dries quickly. Its fibers create a special electrostatic field that has a healing effect;
  • Buckwheat husk is a natural filler that allows air to pass through well and has aromatherapy properties. Many children are lulled by the rustling of the husks, they quickly relax and fall asleep;
  • Of the synthetic options, comforel and silicone swan down are worthy of attention. These pillows are elastic, breathable and light. They are hypoallergenic and do not harbor mites.

Up to a year old, a baby doesn’t need a pillow at all! It is better to use a diaper folded several times.

Blankets are presented in large assortment. It is advisable to have at least two of them. Most popular materials:

  • Sheep wool is comfortable, environmentally friendly, soft and airy;
  • Camel wool is hygroscopic, does not electrify, and conducts air well;
  • Cotton, flannel - natural, time-tested, durable, breathable and lightweight;
  • Bamboo is a new generation filler, has optimal moisture-absorbing properties, is well ventilated, ideal for allergy sufferers and asthmatics;
  • Silk is hygroscopic, comfortable, and has antiseptic and anti-allergenic properties.

If your child is constantly throwing off the blanket, you should not constantly try to wrap him up. It is better to wear warm pajamas and not cover him at all!

Features of thermoregulation at an early age

Sweat glands They begin to work actively at 4 weeks of life. But the formation of the sweating system itself lasts until 4-6 years of age. Until this time, there are interruptions in its functioning.

Phases of active growth are often accompanied by increased activity of the sweat glands. Large children sweat more often than their average peers.

Sweating during sleep in a child is caused by increased nervous excitability. Emotional overload and excessive mobility before sleep lead to activation nervous system. The baby falls asleep well and sleeps soundly, as he is tired.

But his nervous system continues to be in an excited state. This is expressed by severe sweating, mostly on the head.

  • Eliminate in the evening active games and TV;
  • Swimming in warm bath using special soothing herbs (motherwort, valerian, lemon balm, string, etc.);
  • Give a light relaxing massage;
  • Take evening walks in the fresh air.

These steps will help you calm down, fall asleep well, and sleep soundly throughout the night!

What diseases can cause the problem?

Along with excessive sweating The child may experience behavioral changes:

  • moodiness;
  • prolonged crying;
  • restless sleep with frequent awakenings.

Such symptoms indicate the development of a disease that needs to be quickly diagnosed and treated!

What could it be?

  • Heart failure;
  • Rickets;
  • Hyperthyroidism;
  • Vegetovascular dystonia;
  • Syndrome of short-term respiratory delays (apnea);
  • Violations immune system;
  • Acute respiratory viral infections;
  • Chronic infections (tonsillitis, adenoiditis, tuberculosis, etc.);
  • Side effects of drugs.

Severe sweating is often observed even a month after suffering from bronchitis, flu, acute respiratory infections, etc.

Breathing disorders during sleep - see a doctor immediately!

Restlessness and night sweats can be signs of apnea (short pauses in breathing).

Sleep apnea syndrome can cause serious problems heart rate life-threatening!

The child moves actively in bed, mutters something, wakes up with a reddened face, thoroughly wet and tangled in the bedspread.

If we talk about the older one age group, then the following symptoms are characteristic of apnea syndrome:

  • Snore;
  • Noisy breathing;
  • Night sweats;
  • Nightmares;
  • Restless sleep.

IN daytime lethargy and nervousness are noted. Often such children suffer from attention problems, hyperactivity and enuresis.

Their memory deteriorates and they experience poor performance At school.

Be vigilant - don't miss rickets!

Severe sweating of the head in a child during sleep may indicate a deficiency of vitamin D. The lack of calcium observed in this pathology causes bone deformations, growth disorders, etc.

Only a doctor makes a diagnosis. If rickets is suspected, an examination is performed and a Sulkovich urine sample is performed! Timely diagnosis ensures complete cure!

You can suspect rickets based on the following symptoms:

  • heavy sweating on the back of the head;
  • slowing down the teething process;
  • softness of the occipital bone;
  • enlargement of costochondral areas on the chest;
  • delayed psycho-physical development;
  • deformations of the spine, pelvic bones, legs, etc.;
  • wrist extensions;
  • muscle spasms, etc.

The disease most often manifests itself in infants, usually at 2-3 months of life. The height of the disease usually occurs at the end of the first half of the year.

Respiratory tract infections are one of the likely causes

Profuse sweating at night is caused by the development of a viral process in the upper respiratory tract. In this case, hyperthermia and cough may not be present at all at first.

Excessive sweating may indicate a very dangerous disease - tuberculosis

Within a day or two, the clinical picture unfolds completely. Cough, diarrhea, nasal congestion appear, temperature rises, etc.

Hidden infections can also manifest themselves through sweating. If coughing occurs, even a slight one, it is recommended to immediately consult a doctor. You may need to have an x-ray of your organs chest for diagnostics.

This is observed relatively rarely, but in this situation it is better to exercise caution and exclude a serious disease.

What other diseases can be suspected?

If your child sweats during sleep, the following health problems may be the cause:

  • increased function thyroid gland(hyperthyroidism) – in addition to sweating at night, weight loss is noted, increased fatigue, hand trembling, etc.;
  • some hereditary pathology in which the activity of all glands, including sweat glands, is activated. The smell of the sweat itself and its composition change specifically. Unpleasant (mousy) - for phenylketonuria, too salty (with the appearance of crystals on the skin) - for cystic fibrosis;
  • Lymphatic diathesis - often begins in preschool age. Manifested by night sweats, enlarged lymph nodes, pale skin, muscle weakness, etc.;
  • Foci of chronic infection - most often we're talking about about adenoid vegetations, tonsillitis.

Individual characteristics of the autonomic nervous system can cause increased sweating. It will either remain for life, or over time it will simply “outgrow”!

Many parents constantly suffer from the problem of excessive sweating in their children under 12 years of age. In this article we will tell you why a child sweats a lot and how to combat it. Some useful tips will also be given.

Types of excessive sweating

Why does he sweat? The reasons may be different. First, you should learn about the characteristics of sweating in children under 10 years of age.

It is divided into 2 types:

  1. Primary sweating. Characterized by the release large quantity smelling sweat in accordance with a person’s age due to frequent hormonal imbalances in youth and infancy. This phenomenon happens often.
  2. Secondary sweating. Occurs as a result of pathological complications after an illness. May occur due to obesity, diabetes, cancer or genetic disorders.

Hyperhidrosis

There is also a separate term called “hyperhidrosis”. It is characterized by excessive sweating and is part of the disease. Divided into 2 types:

  1. Diffuse. Covers the entire body of the child. Cause of occurrence: pathological complications after illnesses or individual characteristics. The child sweats heavily during sleep and in hot weather.
  2. Local. Appears on different parts of the body. It occurs especially often on the palms, face and armpits. The cause is the individual characteristics of the body.

The child is one year old

Sweats a lot one year old baby, what to do? No worries. During the first months, children develop a system of thermoregulation of the skin and glands. The baby may also sweat a lot when sucking milk. It expends energy, thereby cooling the body.

In general, in the first weeks of life, the baby’s skin produces an excessive amount of sweat due to the immature process of thermoregulation. At this age, the child sweats a lot: the head, palms and heels.

Sweating in children 2-3 years old

Why do children two or three years old sweat?

The reasons may be the following:

  1. Excess weight. According to statistics, children with extra pounds sweat much more than normal-weight babies. Worth a rewatch daily ration child. The problem may also be hidden in improper metabolism. Enroll your child in a class, take a walk in the fresh air and play outdoor games.
  2. Movable and fast kids sweat much faster than their peers. This process is especially intensified during sleep.
  3. Dry air. A fairly common cause is dry air in children's rooms. It is also relevant in winter period. If a child sweats a lot, then to get rid of this problem, it is enough to place something damp in his room. This could be a small aquarium or a wet towel on a radiator. It is worth ventilating the room more often and doing wet cleaning.
  4. Room. The child must sleep not only in a well-ventilated room, but also at a preset temperature not exceeding 20 degrees Celsius. It is especially worth paying attention this factor during winter frosts. Excessive exposure to air conditioning also causes increased sweat production.
  5. Insufficient air regulation. Common reason sweating during sleep - air with big amount carbon dioxide. Ventilate your apartment more often.

Why do children 4-9 years old sweat?

Why does the problem occur in children four to nine years old?

There may be several reasons:

  1. If a child sweats a lot during sleep, the reason lies in inflammation of the lymph nodes. Children may be irritable, moody, and cry frequently. The problem is the disease, excessive sweating is a complication. Remember if the child was sick? infectious diseases not so long ago? The immune system is not yet strong, but there is no need to worry. This way the body protects itself from bacteria.
  2. Allergy to medications taken. To avoid problems, you need to carefully study all the components of any medication and simply stop using it if complications appear.
  3. Sweat with an odor may appear due to the beginning of the formation of hormonal characteristics.
  4. At the age of 8-9 years, excessive sweating occurs either due to hereditary characteristics or due to hormonal imbalance. The discharge may be sticky and sticky. It is advisable to consult a specialist during this period.

Teenagers

In adolescence everything is much simpler. Hyperhidrosis in a young child is normal phenomenon. Due to the sharp and rapid formation of the hormonal system, the body releases a large amount of energy, which means a large amount of sweat.

It's time for parents to teach their teenagers how to take care of themselves and take care of personal hygiene.

Contacting the clinic

My child sweats a lot in his sleep, what should I do? This phenomenon is not uncommon. When going to medical institution many doctors claim that the child has not yet formed sweat glands. That is why they will work intermittently for up to 5-7 years. After this time, they fully develop and work normally.

Interestingly, thermoregulation in children is completely different from that in adults. Heat exchange between tissues is regulated by the lungs. Due to the fact that children tolerate dry air less well, they often get colds. The mucous membranes may dry out, and every breath will be accompanied by coughing and pain. In adults, thermoregulation is carried out through the pores in the skin, which means they are more resistant to colds.

So if your child sweats a lot while sleeping, then there is no need to worry. After going to the doctor, wet clean the room, ventilate the room, or start aquarium fish.

Ways to treat the problem

To begin with, you should consult with a specialist. The reason may be individual characteristics or pathological, and not due to hormonal changes.

Proceed step by step:

  1. Diagnostic treatment. It is necessary to carry out full examination the baby's body at the doctor's. When examining young children, a specialist may need to test: blood for sugar (do not rule out diabetes) And general analysis blood to learn about the functioning of the system. The doctor may also schedule a consultation with other specialists. She definitely doesn’t need to be disdainful!
  2. Type of problem. Once the diagnosis has been made, it is time to begin treatment. If a child sweats a lot, then the problem is most likely physiological. You need to do the following:
  • Try to keep the room temperature to 23 degrees Celsius.
  • Don't skimp on your baby. Buy quality clothing made from linen or cotton.
  • Change his diet. Focus on vitamins and foods enriched with carbohydrates and proteins.
  • Bathe your baby more often. It is advisable to carry out bathing procedures every day, but no more than once.

Does your child sweat a lot due to excess weight? We urgently need to increase its activity. Instill the habit of playing sports, walking in the fresh air, gradually increasing the load.

Traditional methods

If the problem lies in hormonal imbalances, then the solution can be found in the methods traditional medicine. For example, baths can help. 30-40 g of oak bark should be poured into 1 liter of water and allowed to brew for several days. When bathing, add the mixture to the bath and stir. After 10 minutes, change the water and continue the procedure.

There is one more recipe. You need to pour 25 g of sage with boiled water and let it brew. Strain after 2 hours and pour into the bath. You can take a bath for an unlimited amount of time.

Also, many traditional healers advise taking your child to the sea once every 3 weeks. Thus, his immunity and sweating are normalized, since water has long had many medicinal properties. From a medical point of view, this fact has not been confirmed. But still the child is not only once again bathe, but also breathe fresh air.

Hormonal features

If a child sweats a lot during sleep and the cause is hormonal factors, then it is worth trying treatment with cosmetic preparations. They can help relieve symptoms and reduce itching or redness. Worth applying to the area armpits hypoallergenic deodorant with oils and herbal infusions. The skin will be nourished with vitamins and will be constantly hydrated and fresh. You can also use cosmetics to prevent the skin from becoming rough or thickened.

Surgical intervention

If sweating only increases every day, and the child feels worse and worse, then surgery will help solve the problem. But it is important to remember that it is produced only under the most bad situations when there really is no way out.

Preventive measures

In order not to contract any pathological disease or hyperhidrosis, you need to carry out constant and continuous prevention:

  1. Every evening, bathe the child or wash him in the shower. Water procedures reduce the number of bacteria on the body. This way you can avoid skin irritation. The child, in turn, will receive cheerful emotions from water procedures.
  2. Whenever possible, perform air baths on your baby’s skin (let him run naked around the apartment).
  3. Try to exclude hot coffee, dark chocolate and spicy foods from your child’s diet. They affect the normal functioning of the sweating system.
  4. Dress your baby in clothes made from natural and high-quality fabric. When buying a synthetic item, be sure to ask the seller about its properties.
  5. Buy for teenagers cosmetic preparations. Antiperspirants perfectly moisturize the skin and prevent excessive sweat and unpleasant odor. This is especially true in adolescence during the formation of the correct hormonal cycle.

Finally

Now you know why your child sweats a lot. Causes similar phenomenon were named in the article. Sweating is not a simple problem, but it has many solutions, including surgery.

Most often it spreads to adolescence, and at the age of 16 it disappears. It is important to support the child during this period, to teach how to use cosmetics and take medications.

With the arrival of a baby in the family, worries, worries, and problems arise. Not every woman knows that most fears for the baby’s health are groundless. One of them, for example, is hyperhidrosis at night - increased sweating during sleep. There are many reasons why a child’s head (or other parts of the body) sweat during sleep. Approximately 90% of them are not pathological.

High temperature in the room

Any mother tries to create the most comfortable conditions for your child: warm clothes, cozy bed, tasty food, favorite toys. Unfortunately, adults sometimes forget that overprotectiveness only harms. By wrapping the baby in cotton blankets and heating the room, we only make things worse, and the child sweats a lot during sleep at night. Pediatricians loudly recommend maintaining the temperature in the nursery at 18-22 degrees (up to 23 degrees in winter) and air humidity within 70%.

In a stuffier room, the child will sleep poorly, be capricious, cry at night, and sweat (especially the back and head). Constant sweating during sleep can lead to the following phenomena:

  1. the appearance of maceration of the baby’s delicate skin (prickly heat, rash, bald spots on the back of the head due to hair loss);
  2. metabolic disorders, loss of microelements and water through sweat;
  3. increased heart rate and breathing rate due to increased heat transfer;
  4. the child becomes lethargic, capricious during the day, and has trouble eating.

How can parents guess what ambient temperature is right for their baby? After all, all children feel comfortable in different conditions. If the child sleeps well and calmly, does not sweat in his sleep, and his hands are warm, then there is no reason to worry. You can even lower the temperature by 1-2 degrees (not lower than 18!).

Warm clothes

Another cause of night sweats in children may be pajamas that are too warm. Of course, if the temperature in the room is below 18 degrees, then the baby must be insulated and ensure that it does not open up at night. Otherwise, you should choose clothes based on the following considerations:

  • Pajamas should be made from natural fabrics so that the baby does not feel hot;
  • In summer, a T-shirt and panties are enough, and in winter, cotton pants and a T-shirt;
  • The pillow and blanket should also be non-synthetic.

If the baby is lightly dressed and sleeps open, but continues to sweat (while the limbs are cold), then the cause of hyperhidrosis should be sought in his physiological characteristics, or in the disease!

Restless sleep and sweating

Young children perceive all events that occur very emotionally. Excessive worries and worries during the day can negatively affect your night's rest, leading to tearfulness, frequent awakenings, and inability to sleep. Also the reason restless sleep there may be a banal diet violation: overeating, eating a lot of sweets. Discomfort in the tummy and teething cause shallow sleep, rapid heartbeat, severe moodiness and irritability. The last reason, due to the characteristics of the autonomic nervous system, leads to the fact that the child begins to sweat heavily during sleep.

To eliminate this factor, parents should make sure that the baby plays games before bedtime. quiet games, didn’t watch TV, didn’t run. Spend a quiet evening reading fairy tales. The last meal should be 2-3 hours before bedtime. At night, it is advisable to drink tea or warm milk with honey. For especially restless children, bathing in pine or valerian baths, as well as sleeping on a lavender pillow, are allowed. These methods calm the child. Relieves irritability, improves sleep and eliminates excess sweating.

Physiological features of sweating

Often, with hyperhidrosis at night, there is no need to look for any cause or disease. The whole point lies in the individual characteristics of the functioning of heat exchange and metabolism systems. The baby’s body is not yet formed and is not able to adequately respond to changes in environmental conditions, so it can easily overheat. Typically, by the age of 5-6 years, the autonomic nervous system is fully formed, and thermoregulation processes will become more mature. Over time, the child will stop sweating while sleeping.

Interesting! During breastfeeding Many kids have sweaty heads! This is considered normal!

When to ask for help:

  1. if the sweat has an extremely unpleasant odor or unusual consistency;
  2. if part of the body sweats (only palm, head, neck, leg, back);
  3. if other symptoms appear ( headache, temperature, stool disorder).

Diseases associated with fever

All diseases with hyperthermia (colds, pneumonia, bronchitis, intestinal streptococcal infections, viral diseases) in children are accompanied by sweating, especially at night during sleep. Fever The body starts the processes of eliminating toxins through increased sweating, so the body gives off excess heat. This is why a child sweats while sleeping.

In this case, improvement occurs with the treatment ( antiviral drugs, antipyretics, antibiotics).

Rickets

In addition to the harmless causes of nocturnal hyperhidrosis in children, there are very serious ones that require immediate action from parents. Such diseases include rickets. This is a disease of calcium and vitamin D metabolism in one-year-old infants, leading to softening of growing bones and their deformation.

As you know, vitamin D enters the body with food and is also produced in the skin under the influence of ultraviolet rays. With poor nutrition and insufficient insolation of the baby, it is possible a sharp decline level useful vitamin, responsible for the absorption of calcium by the bones and nervous system. The first sign of rickets is when the child's head sweats during sleep.

Other signs of the disease include:

  • hair loss on the child's head;
  • wet palms and feet at any time of the day;
  • tearfulness, irritability during the daytime;
  • restless sleep, frequent startling during sleep, awakenings;
  • curvature of the lower extremities, the appearance of thickenings on the ribs, prominent frontal tubercles;
  • increased sensitivity to sound and light;
  • constipation

Rickets - very dangerous disease, which could lead to severe consequences in the absence of treatment. When at least one of them appears above symptoms, you need to contact children's doctor.

Hereditary metabolic diseases

They are not common, but you need to remember them when hyperhidrosis appears at night. The most well-known diseases include phenylketonuria and cystic fibrosis. Both pathologies occur with impaired sweating and appear up to a year. To rule out diseases, you will need to take a blood test, and it will become clear why the child often sweats at night.

Hormonal reasons

In children from 2.5 to 12 years old, thyroid diseases occur, accompanied by increased production of the hormone thyroxine. In addition to night sweats, the child experiences nervousness, increased excitability, low-grade fever, weight loss. Such signs require examination and treatment by an endocrinologist. Held ultrasonography glands, blood test for hormone levels. Therapy is tailored to each individual specific case individually.

These are, perhaps, all the reasons why a child sweats in his sleep.

What to do if your child sweats at night?

First of all, together with the pediatrician, it is necessary to exclude serious diseases. If hyperhidrosis occurs extremely rarely, then no measures should be taken. This is a normal physiological reaction of the baby to environmental conditions or internal metabolism. With age, the thermoregulation mechanism and the autonomic nervous system stabilize, and sweating will go away.

If sweating is frequent, it is worth taking care to maintain the health of the child’s skin, since excessive maceration then causes dermatitis, rashes, and irritation. Some useful tips will help reduce sweating during sleep and improve skin condition.

  1. Bathing before bed in herbal decoctions (sage, string, chamomile narrow the sweat glands and regulate secretion, also have a disinfectant and anti-inflammatory effect).
  2. For infants, place a bag of soothing herbs (lemon balm, valerian, mint) next to the crib at home, and for older children, make an infusion of these herbs in the form of tea at night. The course of treatment is up to 10 days. Babies sleep peacefully, cry less and are capricious.
  3. Taking multivitamins containing iodine, calcium, B vitamins (as prescribed pediatrician for a month), as well as immunostimulants in some cases, significantly reduces sweating.
  4. To prevent your child from sweating too much during sleep, you can fill the room with the aroma of oil in the evening tea tree(for children over 5 years old).

Very often, it is timely clinical examination, examinations of the child, and regular examination that play the most important role important role in the prevention of diseases leading to nocturnal hyperhidrosis.

There is nothing strange about a person sweating. But when sweating occurs in a 3-year-old child, parents often become alarmed. Especially if their baby's sweat has an odor. What can cause a child to sweat profusely? Increased sweating, or hyperhidrosis, is common in children. It may be a symptom of a serious illness.

Looking for reasons

  • Clothes are too warm. Often the reason that a child sweats can be simple - he is hot. Sweat glands begin to work from 3-4 weeks of human life. But only by the age of 5-6 years their work gets better. It was overheating that could cause the baby to sweat profusely. This often happens when mothers dress children over one year old very warmly, and they move actively during walks.
  • It's hot to sleep. Often the mother wakes up the baby in the morning, and he is all wet. If a child sweats at night, this means that the air temperature is not suitable for him. The room temperature should be + 20 ° C, and the humidity should be 40-60%. Before going to bed, you need to ventilate the room, but under no circumstances leave the window open. The baby may catch a cold. The reason that a child sweats a lot at night may also be the quality of bedding and sleepwear. Pajamas should be made only from natural materials.
  • Shoes. If your feet are sweaty, it's because of your shoes. It is either narrow, or too warm, or of poor quality. Boys' feet may sweat due to hormonal imbalances or hereditary predisposition (the father has the same problem).
  • Excess weight. Overly active and large children who quickly gain weight also experience excessive sweating.
  • Genetic predisposition. Most often, children will inherit sweaty palms, feet, and armpits. But it is not always hereditary. It is better to consult a pediatrician to see if the child has other diseases.
  • Diseases. Many children sweat during a cold or any viral disease. The child's body is weakened by illness. By strengthening the immune system, we will get rid of both illness and sweating. Heavy sweating three year old child could also cause lymphatic diathesis. This is not considered a disease, but you still need to consult a doctor and get a diagnosis. Profuse sweating It can also be a symptom of serious disorders in the body: vitamin D deficiency, disorders of the autonomic nervous system, cardiac (kidney, liver) failure. A child who suffers from tuberculosis and other acute and chronic diseases also sweats a lot.
  • Other reasons. Excessive sweating It may also be a temporary phenomenon. A child may sweat because he is tired, did not get enough sleep, or is worried.

Baby care

If the child is sweating a lot, it requires special care:
  • The air temperature in the room is + 20 ° C, humidity is 40-60%.
  • Clothes only made from natural fabrics.
  • Shoes should always be clean and dry; do not buy rubber shoes for your baby.
  • Change bedding frequently.
  • Limit your child’s consumption of hot, salty, sweet, and spicy foods. Give more foods containing calcium and vitamin D, and fluids.
  • Make sure your baby moves more and try to protect him from stress.
  • Bathe your child daily, and once a week give a bath with sea ​​salt. Herbal baths will also help. For example, 5 teaspoons of willow bark infused in two liters cold water. After 8 hours, the infusion should be filtered and added to hot bath. And for sweaty feet, do the following baths twice a week: 100 ml of vinegar per liter of water.

Excessive sweating in a child is not necessarily a symptom of illness. A child can sweat while being completely healthy. However, if your child’s condition worries you, be sure to consult a doctor.

Sweating is a physiological process as nature intended. The nervous system is responsible for it in our body, which also controls body temperature, breathing, heartbeat and other processes. In fact, any child sweats in the same way as an adult, but due to the immaturity of the sweating system, this happens more intensely and often. Why does a child sweat while walking, while eating, and even while sleeping? Let's figure it out.

Why does a child sweat a lot?

There are absolutely normal reasons Why does the child sweat a lot? But besides them, there are also those that require an immediate visit to the pediatrician. Let's look at all the options. If your child is healthy, he may sweat for the following reasons:

  1. You wrapped him up! Many parents, and especially grandparents, “sin” by trying to wrap the baby like cabbage. Fight this habit! Starting from the very first days, dress as you would on the street yourself, just add to this one layer of loose clothing. If your child is active, then try to dress him as lightly as possible, since children quickly warm up and begin to sweat when moving. And this is fraught with colds!
  2. Heavy sweating accompanies the child during. During illness, not only the temperature increases, but also sweating. These are manifestations of the body’s protective reactions when, through sweating, it prevents the temperature from rising further. In addition, sweat releases the toxins that caused the cold. In this case, only personal hygiene measures are applicable. Wash your hands frequently, cool your child's forehead and feet, and perform routine hygiene procedures, limiting them only if the temperature rises above 38 degrees.
  3. A child sweats a lot when he is nervous! Kids are very sensitive to both positive and negative emotions. When a child experiences feelings of delight, euphoria, or vice versa, fear, fright, pain or resentment, not only his palms sweat, like adults, but also his head and neck.
  4. In addition to anxiety, excessive sweating can be caused by fatigue or lack of sleep. In this case, adjust the child’s daily routine, and also protect him from extreme fatigue.

One more moment! When the baby is healthy, then, regardless of the reason, he sweats evenly (armpits, chest, back, head, neck), and his sweat does not have strong smell. If you notice increased sweating in your child with sudden unpleasant smell in unusual situations, for example, during tension, and the sweat has become thick, sticky or liquid like water, then you urgently need to show the child to the doctor!

If your baby sweats frequently and heavily while eating or after using the toilet, his sweat may be sour smell and the skin itches, the top of the baby’s head constantly gets wet, and the child generally behaves restlessly, sleeps poorly and cries, then it could be rickets. In this case, the doctor will prescribe the necessary treatment.

Children also sweat if they have problems with the nervous system. If you notice the appearance of thick sticky or very liquid sweat in some places, which has Strong smell, this is evidence of nervous system disorders, which also good reason to go to a neurologist and psychologist.

Increased sweating may occur hereditary diseases. For example, in the case of phenylketonuria, the smell of sweat will resemble that of a mouse, and in the case of the most common hereditary pathology - cystic fibrosis, the sweat will generally change its chemical composition! The analysis will show an increased content of sodium and chlorine, which is manifested in the salty taste of the skin, as well as its slight crystallization.

If increased sweating is accompanied by general restless behavior, hysterics, and poor sleep, all this may indicate a lack of vitamin D, heart failure, hyperthyroidism, and others. serious illnesses. In this case, take your child and go to the pediatrician!

Why does a child sweat in his sleep?

Parents often ask why their child sweats in his sleep, does this indicate something serious? As a rule, no. The child sweats a lot in his sleep simply because he is hot! To solve this problem, you need to adjust the temperature in the room where the child sleeps to + 20° (with the humidity level being approximately 50–60%) and frequently ventilate the room, especially before bedtime.

The child also sweats in his sleep because of incorrectly selected bed linen and pajamas. Don't chase fashion, buy a regular pillow, a light woolen blanket and a set of linen bed linen. It is also better to choose pajamas from natural fabrics - cotton or linen - for the warm season, flannel or flannel - for the cold season. Usually proper organization sleep leads to the resolution of the problem with sweat. Although this feature child's body is often considered a normal option, so don’t worry unnecessarily!

Why does a child's head sweat?

There are also few reasons why a child’s head sweats. A child's head sweats if:

  • he has overheated in the sun or indoors - in this case, take the baby to the shade or to a cool place in the apartment, give him a drink of plain still water, and let him sit quietly;
  • he is overexcited - to solve the problem, it is enough to calm the child by sitting with him in silence and switching his attention to calmer activities.

There is no need to worry ahead of time if your child begins to sweat a lot. If your baby, in addition to heavy sweating, also has other unpleasant symptoms, take him to the pediatrician so as not to miss the onset of the disease!