What are the reasons why babies sweat a lot when sleeping?

The baby's health affects the entire family. Parents are most worried about the baby getting sick, so they will observe the baby's physical condition at any time and find out the cause in time if any abnormality occurs. Recently, some parents have reported that their babies sweat a lot when they sleep, and they are worried that their babies have such a reaction because of some disease. I believe that many mothers have such confusion. What are the reasons for babies to sweat a lot when they sleep?

Physiological and pathological hyperhidrosis

Young babies are in a period of rapid physical development. Their metabolism is more vigorous than that of adults, and they produce relatively more heat and metabolic products. At the same time, the baby's nervous system is not fully developed. When falling asleep, the sympathetic nerves in charge of the sweat glands will be temporarily excited due to the loss of control by the brain, resulting in excessive sweating. This is completely normal. As long as the baby has no other symptoms, such as irritability, crying, easy waking, etc., the mother does not need to worry too much. This type of sweating often occurs within half an hour after falling asleep, and is mainly on the forehead. It usually stops slowly within 2 hours after falling asleep and gradually disappears with age. Some people call it physiological hyperhidrosis.

However, if your baby is usually in normal health but is weak, and sweats profusely when falling asleep at night, as if he were drenched in water, or even sweats all night long, wetting the pillow and clothes, and is accompanied by symptoms such as irritability, crying, and gradual weight loss, then it is pathological hyperhidrosis. In addition to nocturnal sweating, the symptoms of pathological hyperhidrosis also include irritability, restless sleep, easy awakening, square head, baldness on the occipital bone, and pigeon chest. Common causes of pathological hyperhidrosis include vitamin D deficiency rickets. If you have the above symptoms, you can supplement vitamin D and calcium in appropriate amounts under the guidance of a doctor. When eating, you should also pay attention to eating more foods rich in calcium, such as fish, shrimp skin, etc. With aggressive treatment, excessive sweating can be corrected quickly.

Reasons why babies sweat while sleeping

Sweating is one of the physiological functions of human skin and one of the most common ways of human metabolism. There are two main reasons for baby's excessive sweating: physiological excessive sweating and pathological excessive sweating. Physiological hyperhidrosis means that the baby is growing and developing well, is in good health, and has no diseases, but often sweats during sleep. Physiological hyperhidrosis is more common in the head and neck, often occurring within half an hour after falling asleep, and sweating stops in about an hour.

Reason 1 for babies sweating while sleeping: physical reasons

The skin of infants and young children has a higher water content and more microvessels on the surface of the skin. Due to their active metabolism, more water evaporates from the skin. Because the baby's brain and nervous system is not yet fully developed and is in the growth and development period, the body's metabolism is very active. Coupled with the stimulation of overheating, the baby can only regulate normal body temperature by sweating to evaporate the heat in the body. Moreover, babies are lively and active, and many of them like to play with their parents for a while after going to bed at night, so they often sweat a lot after falling asleep.

Reason 2 for babies sweating while sleeping: nursing reasons

Parents are often accustomed to deciding the best environmental temperature for their baby based on their own subjective feelings. They like to cover their baby with more quilts and cover them tightly, which is also the reason why the baby sweats while sleeping. Sometimes, when the weather is not cold, parents also dress their babies in more clothes, which can also cause babies to sweat while sleeping.

What are the causes of baby sweating while sleeping and how to deal with it?

Reason 3 for babies sweating while sleeping: Nutritional reasons

Many parents are always worried that their babies are not getting enough nutrition and try every means to get their babies to eat more supplements. Some parents will give their babies milk, malted milk, etc. before they go to sleep. After the baby falls asleep, the body produces a lot of heat, which can only be dissipated through sweating through the skin. This is also the reason why the baby sweats while sleeping.

When the baby sweats while sleeping, parents should carefully observe whether the baby's sweating is physiological sweating or pathological sweating. If the baby sweats due to the above reasons, parents do not need to be too nervous.

What should I do if my baby sweats while sleeping?

It is not a trivial matter for babies to sweat while sleeping. Sweating can easily cause the baby's skin to be sensitive and cause skin diseases. Wearing clothes soaked with sweat can also easily cause the baby to catch a cold. Smart care for babies with excessive sweating can prevent skin diseases in babies and reduce the chance of catching a cold.

1. Wear pure cotton underwear: Pure cotton clothes are breathable, sweat-absorbent, and comfortable to wear close to the skin.

2. Clothes and quilts should not be too thick: The thickness of babies' clothes and quilts should be the same as that of adults. Especially in winter, do not wear too thick clothes or cover too much, otherwise the baby will sweat easily.

3. Bathing frequently: The baby's skin is very delicate, and excessive sweat accumulates in skin wrinkles such as the neck, armpits, groin, etc. This requires bathing the baby frequently to keep the skin clean and dry, prevent skin ulcers and cause skin infections.

4. Apply talcum powder: Applying talcum powder to your baby frequently can effectively absorb excess moisture from your baby's skin, making your baby's skin feel dry and comfortable. Talcum powder can also prevent sweat from irritating the skin and skin allergies and damage caused by friction from clothing.

5. Adjust the indoor temperature: insist on regular ventilation in the morning, noon and evening, and try to open the windows for 10-30 minutes each time.

Through the above introduction, everyone should have understood that there are many reasons why babies sweat a lot when sleeping. If it is caused by physiological reasons, it will not affect the baby's physical health. However, if it is caused by pathological reasons, mothers should pay attention to it. So if your baby also has this situation, it is recommended that you go to the hospital for a detailed examination.