A child's head sweats during sleep - why and how to help him?

Sweat secretion mechanism

Sweating is an integral process in the functioning of our body. It is thanks to the work of the sweat glands that thermoregulation is carried out. In addition, this phenomenon helps remove waste and toxins from the body, participates in the acid-salt balance and performs a barrier function, protecting the body from bacteria entering it through the skin. The secretion of fluid through the skin is carried out by two types of sweat glands. We are talking about eccrine and apocrine elements.

Types of glands responsible for sweat excretion:

• Apocrine glands are present on the human body from birth. They are quite large and located only in certain areas. The functions of these elements are still not fully understood. However, it is known that such glands secrete pheromones and begin to work during puberty.
• Eccrine glands are also present in every person from birth. These elements are small in size and cover the entire body. However, there are areas where their concentration is especially high. It is these glands that are responsible for thermoregulation, and also participate in acid-base metabolism, protecting the body from bacteria and removing toxins.

Typically, sweating occurs precisely due to the increased activity of the eccrine glands. However, in some cases, this problem becomes a consequence of failures in the apocrine system.

Is sweat normal, or what can your baby’s body tell you?

Want to know why your baby sweats while sleeping? If we speak in simple words (about seemingly complex things), then the whole point is that in the human body everything is so interconnected that even sweat can tell us quite a lot about human health.

We immediately draw your attention to the fact that sweat itself is just a signal from our body, so in most cases, parents (maybe you are one of them?) worry completely in vain.

Babies can often sweat in their sleep when they are simply hot, worried, overexcited, or sick.

But their system is not yet as perfect as ours, and the body, as best it can, copes with situations that are not yet standard for it. Yes, yes, exactly, through sweating.

We will talk about specific reasons below: when to remain calm and when to be more attentive.

Excessive sweating as a symptom

In order not to start the disease, which is accompanied by profuse sweating, it is important to detect it in time and begin treatment. Let's find out what may be hiding behind the innocent beads of sweat in a child. Fortunately, dangerous diseases, in addition to sweating, have other pronounced signs by which they are easy to recognize.

One of these diseases is rickets. Night sweats are not the main symptom of the disease. First of all, the following symptoms are alarming:

• loss of appetite;
• frequent constipation;
• baldness of the occipital part of the head;
• restless and anxious sleep;
• the child becomes too fearful;
• The baby's sweat, like urine, acquires an unpleasant sour smell.

In diabetes, the head and neck become heavily moisturized during sleep. At the same time, other parts of the body are completely dry. Also, the child drinks a lot often, the urge to urinate becomes more frequent, and the baby feels hungry all the time.

If you have problems with the heart and vascular system, weight loss, coughing, and rapid breathing are added to sweating.

Hyperhidrosis may be caused by a nervous system disorder. At the same time, the sweat smells sharp and unpleasant and appears only on some parts of the body. The consistency of moisture is watery-liquid or thick and sticky.

After 4 months, when the child begins to put everything in his mouth, he may become infected with worms. Parasites that poison the body with the products of their vital activity provoke decreased immunity, increased sweating, weakness, and tearfulness.

At 3 years old, the head is moistened during sleep with lymphatic diathesis, but it is not considered a disease and requires not so much treatment as prevention: bathing with a decoction of herbs, restrictions on the consumption of sweets. In summer, it is useful to give fruits (except citrus fruits) and vegetables instead of juices.

Often, only a pediatrician can answer the question of why a child’s head sweats heavily during sleep. To exclude diseases, consult a doctor. Especially in cases where other symptoms listed above are present.

Attention! Cold sweat may occur in a sleeping child after vaccination. If sweating after vaccination is accompanied by redness or paleness of the skin, shortness of breath, this may indicate the development of complications and an allergic reaction. In such a situation, you should immediately call a doctor.

Causes of excessive sweating in infants

After 3-4 weeks after the baby is born, the sweat glands begin to work in his body. And since they are still poorly developed, the child will sweat a lot in his sleep, during breastfeeding or during games - this is a feature of the human body. At 4-5 years old, the child’s body thermoregulation improves, and sweating becomes moderate. If profuse sweating continues, even if the child has reached the age of 5, there is a reason to seek qualified help.

Your baby may sweat a lot at night or during the day due to:

• banal changing of clothes: for fear of catching a cold, parents often dress the baby too warmly, as a result of which the baby overheats and sweats profusely;
• incorrect temperature and humidity in the house: optimal temperature in the room is 18-200C, and humidity is up to 60%;
• a recent illness with an increase in temperature - after the illness, the child will stop sweating after 3-4 days;
• excessive activity: all children under 3 years of age sweat heavily during active games and physical education;
• excitement or overexcitement;
• genetic inheritance;
• allergies: at night, babies and older children should sleep in underwear made from natural fabrics - any synthetic underwear (underwear or bedding) can cause severe allergic reactions.

If the baby sweats a lot, pay attention to the smell of his sweat - if it is absent, then this phenomenon is not dangerous. If there is a specific odor, you should contact your pediatrician.

Other causes of excessive sweating in a child may include:

• dysfunction of the thyroid gland, heart, autonomic nervous system;
• lack of vitamin D;
• the child’s body’s reaction to drug therapy or a cold;
• individual physiology of the child;
• fatigue and increased agitation;
• allergic reaction to animal fur, pollen, medications, hygiene products, etc.;
• stool disorders;
• phenylketonuria (the child will sweat profusely, and his sweat has a pronounced “mouse” smell);
• lymphatic diathesis;
• cystic fibrosis (the content of chlorine and sodium in sweat increases);
• rickets.

Parents should be wary of sweat that is too liquid or sticky, of a thick consistency with a pungent odor - this is a good reason to visit a pediatrician or neurologist.

What causes sweating in a newborn?

Quite often, a newborn will sweat profusely during sleep. There is an explanation for this.

The thing is that the baby’s nervous system is responsible for this process, which at this period of his life is not perfect and cannot fully perform its functions. Therefore, such a phenomenon as a wet head is quite normal.

In addition to the immaturity of the nervous system, you can encounter this problem if:

• The baby is overheated.
• The body has not yet recovered from a recent cold.
• The baby is in a state of overexcitation, accompanied by crying and moodiness.
• Hereditary sweating.

Does your child's head sweat a lot during sleep? Let's figure it out together!

A lot has been said about the main reasons why a child may sweat in his sleep. But even this information is sometimes not enough for anxious parents who want to know whether it is normal for a child to sweat too much during sleep, and what could be causing this to happen.

• Let's start with the fact that very often even an adult can sweat a lot if he starts to get sick with some kind of viral infection. Remember yourself during the cold season - weakness, throwing you either hot or cold. Likewise, a child may sweat a lot if he has already caught the virus, but is not yet completely sick.
• All caring mothers (I have no doubt that you are one of them) carefully ensure that the child is fed and happy. But sometimes even the most sensitive parent can forget that water is no less important for the baby. If you see that your child sweats a lot during sleep, try to increase fluid intake, in case it is the lack of water that is causing your problem.

We recommend reading: Elaine Aron - “The Highly Sensitive Child.”
All of the above reasons are not dangerous, provided that sweating is not accompanied by any additional symptoms. A healthy child should not have such unpleasant symptoms as trembling hands, fainting, pale skin, and the like. In such cases, you should not rely only on yourself; consult the doctor who is seeing your child at the clinic.

What if your baby starts sweating while feeding?

Indeed, very often mothers of newborns pay attention to the fact that the child’s head sweats not only during sleep, but also when breastfeeding. It would seem that the baby is quite calm - he may have almost fallen asleep, but if we run over his head - and the palm remains wet, is it normal to sweat when feeding?

You know? In fact, it only seems so to us that he does nothing, slowly sucks milk and rests. At this time, the child is undergoing active processes - in order to feed himself, such a small person needs to make a lot of effort.

In addition, it has already been proven that sweating in newborns and children in the first year of life is like a protective system that protects the brain from overheating.

Sometimes when feeding, the baby may sweat a lot if the mother has little milk or breastfeeding is coming to an end - the baby is growing and needs breast milk less and less.

Why does my baby's head sweat when he sleeps?

When new parents experience their baby's head becoming sweaty and wet, it raises concerns and questions. Is this normal? Why does my head sweat a lot when my baby sleeps? Why do my palms sweat during feeding? Do I need treatment? What to do?

A child sweats is normal, but it is important to understand the reasons.

If the baby is sick (cold, teething, allergies), then sweating is a protective reaction, this is how the body fights. Check to see if your doctor has prescribed medications that may cause excessive sweating. To rule out medical health problems (rickets, heart or thyroid pathology, endocrine system disorders, neurological disorders, etc.), consult your doctor.

However, more often the child sweats a lot in a situation not about a serious illness, but about the improper living conditions in which the baby sleeps.

So what causes a baby's head to sweat?

For now, let’s look at the concept of thermoregulation of a child. Thermoregulation is the body's response to changes in environmental temperature: in other words, our body regulates itself (cools or produces more heat) when external conditions change. Thermoregulation even depends on changes in human posture. Increased sweating also helps remove excess heat from the body through sweat, further cooling the skin.

The reason why a child's head sweats is that the sweat glands are mainly located in the scalp and neck. Therefore, when checking whether the child is hot, first of all you need to touch the back of the head and neck.

Thermoregulation in children has not yet been formed , it is less developed than in adults, so the baby can easily freeze or overheat. At the same time, the body itself cannot cope with helping itself regulate these processes. Overheating or hypothermia is very mildly manifested in children through sweat or trembling. For example, especially in newborns, the body temperature is unstable and they cannot visibly sweat: we will not see beads of sweat on them. This means that young children can easily become cold or overheat if the temperature in their environment changes slightly. Therefore, it is so important not to overheat the baby and make sure that he does not freeze. Heat transfer processes gradually mature by age 7.

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Lessons about sleep for babies from 0 to 7 years old

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What is important to remember?

• Monitor the first signs of overheating : increased body temperature, redness, heat rash, breast refusal, anxiety. If adults do not notice this and do not change the conditions, and then the baby goes to sleep (as a defensive reaction), then the body temperature will continue to rise. In case of hypothermia, it is easier to help the baby: wrap it up additionally, bring it into a warm room, attach it to the chest, or give a warm drink.

Overheating is dangerous! Especially for children of the first year of life. Studies have shown that the risk of ADHD is many times higher when overheated.

• It is necessary to maintain a comfortable temperature in the room - according to the recommendation of pediatricians, +18-22° C. This is the optimal temperature for the development of the baby (BUT for premature babies it is slightly higher than +24-25° C). It is especially important to control the temperature during the heating season. To monitor the temperature in the room, it is better to place a thermometer next to the crib. Pay attention to maintaining a comfortable temperature, especially during sleep. If the baby is too hot and stuffy or very cold, he will sleep poorly, wake up often and be capricious.

• Remember that babies need more fresh air than adults . Therefore, do not rely on your feelings when regulating the temperature, but you can observe at what temperature your baby sleeps better.

• It is important to maintain humidity in the room where the baby is. And do not place the baby's crib near a window or radiator.

• Choose sleepwear according to the season . With age, the child becomes more mobile and active, which also requires additional ventilation and proper selection of clothing to avoid overheating.

• It is better to refuse canopies or curtains , remove the bumpers from the children's bed: firstly, they are unsafe and even prohibited for sale in some countries, and secondly, they collect dust and interfere with air circulation in the crib area.

• Sometimes, when overexcited or overtired, there may be increased sweating , this is how the body reacts. Try to avoid such oversaturated moments. Once your baby calms down, watch him as he becomes calmer. Remember the importance of maintaining a sleep schedule and comfortable wake time for your baby's age.

• It is important to dress your baby correctly both at home and when out and about. Pay special attention to clothing while sleeping. Do not put a hat on your head indoors to prevent your baby from overheating. If you prefer a sleeping bag for your baby, then it is important to choose it wisely; when swaddling, also choose the right material.

What should a mother do if her baby is hot?

• If the room is hot, be sure to ventilate it before going to bed or cool it with air conditioning.
• If you leave the air conditioner on during sleep, it is important that the air flow does not go directly to where the baby sleeps.
• Also, while the child is sleeping, you can, if possible, leave the door to the room open and open the window in the kitchen.
• Adjust battery temperature. If this is not possible, a thick blanket over it can help.
• If you don’t have a humidifier, to increase humidity you can put jars of water on the shelves (while maintaining safety) and hang a wet towel on the radiator, for example.
• When staying in a stuffy room and excessive sweating, frequent fluid intake also helps: breastfeeding or water (if complementary foods have already been introduced).
• You can bathe your baby more often, for example, in extreme heat.

Ambient temperature, especially for children in the first months of life, plays a huge role, affecting their condition, mood and sleep. You can check the nose and hands, but it is better to touch the back of the baby’s head to understand whether there is overheating or hypothermia. The baby will not sleep well if the head sweats or if the moisture in the head bothers him. In such situations, it is better not to worry, but to consult a doctor and ensure comfortable conditions.

Sleep Safety Sleep Conditions Sleep Quality Sleep Physiology

What factors cause the problem in children 1–2 years of age?

An older child becomes more independent, he moves more, which means that he gets pretty tired during the day. At this age, children begin to sleep more soundly.

But when sleep disturbances occur and the child’s head is very sweaty, due attention should be given to this condition, because it may indicate that the baby has:

• There are problems associated with heart and vascular diseases. In this case, sweating is reinforced by rapid breathing, sudden weight loss, and coughing.
• Diabetes. This disease is also recognized by symptoms such as regular sensations of thirst and hunger. The baby feels the urge to urinate more often than usual.

The appearance of sweat can be associated not only with the diseases mentioned above, but also with less serious reasons:

• Bad sleep (nightmares). Tension causes changes in the functioning of the nervous system.
• Ecology. Pollution of the environment in which a child constantly lives can lead to frequent vulnerability of the body to various types of diseases, manifested by high body temperature, chills, and increased sweating.
• Diseases that are infectious in nature.

Physiological

Why does a child sweat a lot when he sleeps, from a physiological point of view? The work of the sweat glands is the most standard function of regulating body temperature at any age. Also, when sweat leaves the body, it removes many harmful, toxic substances. In children, the perspiration process returns to normal only by the age of six. Therefore, if your baby still gets wet often, there is no need to worry right away. Perhaps the baby’s nervous system has not yet strengthened, or he was simply overheated in the sun.

Pathological

At night, the child sweats a lot due to the fact that during daylight hours he is more active, and during daytime sleep the liquid quickly evaporates due to a large waste of energy. Sometimes a child sweats heavily during sleep due to colds.

It happens that the disease occurs in a latent form, and mom and dad cannot immediately determine the cause.

In newborns and infants, the body is not at all adapted to the temperature of the external environment, and they can react violently to weather conditions. The development of diseases will occur if parents do not notice such signs as sticky sweat that has a characteristic odor, the child’s anxious state of health, the baby’s shuddering while falling asleep and other painful symptoms. If you recognize your little one's behavior in any of these areas, consult a doctor immediately.

What is associated with increased sweat production:

• heart problems;
• lack of vitamin D (rickets);
• vegetative-vascular dystonia;
• apnea (holding your breath during sleep);
• problems with the immune system and thyroid gland;
• colds;
• chronic diseases;
• allergic reaction to medications.

Why does a child sweat in his sleep?

External causes of excessive sweating in children

1. Air Temperature
Dina Adimulam, Ph.D., assistant professor of endocrinology, diabetes and bone diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, confirms that often the culprit when a baby wakes up drenched in sweat is too warm. room temperature or inappropriate clothing.

To avoid overheating and hypothermia of the baby, it is necessary to maintain the temperature in the bedroom within 19-25°C, depending on the season, and air humidity up to 55%.

2. Clothing and bedding

Try to ensure that the number of layers of clothing your baby wears matches the ambient temperature. Also, you don't need a hat while sleeping. The instinctive desire to warm the baby can serve us badly.

Make sure that your underwear does not contain synthetics. Bedding for little ones, as a rule, consists of natural fabrics, but it is important that both the oilcloth and the mattress cover also “breathe.” If you use absorbent diapers, also make sure of their quality. The next step is to evaluate the properties of the mattress. Some of them, for example, products made from synthetic memory foam, absorb and radiate human heat, so here too, give preference to natural materials that absorb fumes from the child’s body.

But if you have already become an expert in brands of children's underwear, the features of mattresses, grandmothers grumble about open windows, and the baby still wakes up in sweat, it’s time to call on other theories to help.

3. Food

Nursing mothers sometimes experience that their baby sweats in his sleep after feeding. In this case, the cause of profuse sweating may be active sucking. This often happens during the installation or completion of breastfeeding, when there are problems with lactation, and the baby makes more efforts in trying to get milk. In this case, establishing lactation or reducing night feedings will help if you and your baby are ready.

In older children, night sweats can also be associated with diet. The last meal should occur 1.5-2 hours before bedtime. Otherwise, it can cause not only loss of sleep quality, but also excessive sweating during it. The reason for both the first and second will be digestive processes, during which internal organs produce excess heat.

Also, heavy sweating and poor health can be caused by drinking carbonated drinks and strong brewed tea, as well as excessively spicy foods. Monitor your child's diet and use cool, clean water for drinking.

4. Activity before bed

You've probably seen more than once recommendations to "exhaust" your child before bed - run around on the street, "fool around" with dad on the floor, move sports sections to the evening with older children. In fact, regular exercise only helps you sleep better if you leave enough time between it and your bedtime. Physical activity in the evening does not contribute to quality rest and full recovery.

This may also be the answer to the question: “Why does a child sweat in his sleep?” After all, after physical activity, body temperature can return to normal within 2-4 hours. From this point of view, the best time to play sports is the first half of the day. Then by the evening the body temperature will normalize, and the quality of night sleep will not suffer. This also applies to any other overexcitation in the evening. After all, the baby’s still imperfect nervous system can react to excitement by increasing body temperature.

Causes of child sweating by age

The reasons for excessive sweating largely depend on the age of the children.

4-5 months

At 4 months the child already becomes active. He sleeps less and is more interested in the world around him. The abundance of impressions provokes increased work of the endocrine glands.

6 months

At six months, the baby begins to teethe. The child’s immunity decreases, and sweating is a symptom associated with an increase in temperature.

7-8 months

A 7 month old baby is sweating due to simple overwork. He played, moved actively and was tired. As a result, whims appeared, as a result of which the temples and the back of the head began to sweat.

9 months – 1 year

A down pillow or blanket may cause your baby to sweat. Products with fluff are too strong a heat attack, they provoke allergies, a symptom of which is sweating of the head.

2 years

The most common reason is warm clothing, an unventilated, stuffy room. The baby is still sweating after an illness accompanied by a high fever.

3 years

To the above reasons is added lymphatic diathesis, which disappears when all organs mature.

4 years

The causes of hyperhidrosis can be heavy weight and prolonged use of certain medications. Parents should not be afraid of excessive sweating of the baby. If you carefully observe the child, it will not be difficult to identify and neutralize the cause.

When should you not worry?

If a child’s head sweats profusely during sleep, and the pillow becomes wet in the morning, parents normalize the temperature in the bedroom and replace the bed linen:

• wool blanket - on bamboo;
• down pillow - to synthetic.

We recommend reading: Child yawns often: reasons, should you worry?

If these measures have given results, and sweating has noticeably decreased, there is no need to worry. In addition, the absence of other symptoms (for example, weakness, increased thirst, heart rate fluctuations) also indicates a high probability that the child has no health problems.

In addition, in some cases the head sweats heavily during sleep due to the individual characteristics of the body. The sweat glands work more actively than normal, which explains the release of moisture. With age, the body rebuilds itself, although some adults also experience problems with severe sweating.

Warning Signs: Pay Attention to These

We have already emphasized that sweating should not cause your alarm if the discharge is colorless and odorless, if there are no other additional manifestations. Unfortunately, sometimes sweat can be a sign that your baby is having problems. Let's look at the most common options:

• Rickets. Yes, a lack of vitamin D can lead to this disease. Any mother, even without special medical education, can identify it if she notices that her sweaty little head clearly smells of something sour;

Another symptom is if not only the child’s head, but also the child’s face begins to sweat heavily, and if the baby’s sleep becomes restless. Sometimes rickets can be accompanied by digestive problems or loss of appetite.

• Neurological problems. This is often indicated by the fact that not only the head can sweat, but also the back, neck, and one palm. Pay attention to what kind of sweat - has it suddenly taken on a tint or become viscous? If this is the case, there is cause for concern, seek help;
• Hereditary diseases. Unfortunately, there are diseases that are inherited, in which the baby can also sweat a lot. These include cystic fibrosis and phenylketonuria.

Sometimes mothers of grown-up children wonder why a 3-year-old child sweats in his sleep. It would seem that the “newborn” problems are left behind, and during this time the baby’s body, to some extent, is already working smoothly and clearly. A three-year-old child may sweat profusely during sleep due to what is called lymphatic diathesis.

Under this frightening name lies a not so terrible phenomenon, which often appears due to the fact that individual organs seem to have not fully “ripened”.

If you follow simple rules of care, your child will quickly forget about this unpleasant period in his life. Daily baths, limiting sweets in food, replacing completely unhealthy juices with natural fruits and vegetables are perhaps the very first things that will help cope with diathesis.

Rickets in young children: prevention and treatment

According to modern concepts, rickets is a disease caused by a temporary discrepancy between the needs of a growing child’s body for phosphorus and calcium and the insufficiency of the systems that ensure their delivery [14]. In other words, rickets is a “growing disease”, since it affects mainly children during one of the most “fast-growing” age periods - from 2 months to 3 years [1, 8]. The role of rickets in the pathology of early childhood was clearly defined by N. F. Filatov: “Rickets is not one of the dangerous diseases of childhood, but nevertheless, it plays a very important role in increasing the mortality rate of children... Who, if not rickets, dying from measles, whooping cough, pneumonia?” [16].

Rickets has been known since ancient times. The first mentions of rickets are found in the writings of Soranus of Ephesus (98–138 AD) and Galen (131–211 AD). Medieval paintings by Dutch, German and Danish painters indicate that rickets was a common occurrence back then [2]. Typical signs of this disease - a bulging forehead, a flattened nape, a flat stomach, twisted limbs - can often be seen in children depicted in paintings of that time.

A complete clinical and pathological-anatomical description of rickets was made by the English orthopedist F. Glisson in 1650. Vitamin D was discovered in 1922 by McCollum, after which it became possible to study its specific effect on bones, muscles, intestines and renal tubules [13].

Rickets occurs in residents of all countries, but especially often in northern peoples who live in conditions of lack of sunlight [7]. Children born in autumn and winter suffer from rickets more often and more severely. In Russia, the rate of development of rickets in recent years among young children ranges from 54 to 66% in full-term children and more than 80% in premature children [3].

The prerequisite for the occurrence of rickets in children is a very intensive rate of growth and formation of bone tissue, which determines a greater need for calcium and phosphorus salts. The daily requirement for calcium in infants is 50–55 mg/kg, in adults - only 8 mg/kg. Consequently, poor nutrition (in qualitative and quantitative terms) is one of the leading factors in the development of rickets. This applies primarily to early artificial and early unbalanced mixed feeding [4]. Rickets develops much more often in children who receive monotonous carbohydrate foods as complementary foods. Phytic acid contained in grain products forms insoluble salts with calcium, which are not absorbed by the child’s body.

The motor mode is essential for the formation of normal bone tissue. It is well known that the bone that moves develops. This occurs because mechanical stress on the bone activates osteoblast function and osteoid formation. In this case, calcium and phosphorus enter the part of the bone that is subject to the load. In the absence of the latter, on the contrary, osteoclasts are activated, which leads to osteopenia.

A special group of patients consists of premature infants [12, 15]. In the last trimester of pregnancy, the fetus receives 80% of all macro- and micronutrients, including calcium, from the mother. Accordingly, the shorter the child’s gestational age at birth, the more pronounced osteopenia and predisposition to rickets. After birth (due to “catch-up”), premature babies experience a particularly increased need for calcium salts and vitamin D.

However, the leading role in the development of the disease is played by a lack of vitamin D, which occurs as a result of disruption of its intake into the body through food, formation in the skin, and disruption of its metabolism. The lack of natural insolation plays an extremely important role. The body receives about 90% of endogenous vitamin D3 from skin irradiation with UV rays, and only 10% comes from food [10]. In rainy and cloudy weather, or heavy clouds, a significant portion of the UV rays are absorbed and their antirachitic effect is weakened.

The number of foods containing vitamin D is limited. These include:

• fish oil - 150 IU/ml;
• egg yolk - 1.4–3.9 IU/g;
• vegetable oil - 0.08 IU/g;
• caviar - 3.2 IU/g;
• margarine - 1 IU/g.

Breast milk contains vitamin D (about 70 IU/L), as does cow's milk (20 IU/L), but this amount cannot cover the child's body needs, which are about 400 IU/day (10 mcg).

Vitamin D absorption occurs in the small intestine with a sufficient amount of bile; therefore, intestinal diseases and impaired bile secretion impair its absorption. Vitamin D is unique because, in addition to enteral intake, it can be formed in the skin by photochemical synthesis from 7-dehydrocholesterol when exposed to UV rays with a wavelength of 280–310 µm. Vitamin D3, produced in the skin, is deposited in muscles, liver, and adipose tissue and is used as needed. That is why, no matter how much a child sunbathes, there will be no manifestations of hypervitaminosis D.

Vitamin D3, supplied with food or synthesized in the skin, undergoes a number of transformations in the body, resulting in the formation of a hormone-like substance - calcitriol, which is 10 times more active than vitamin D. By influencing target organs (intestines, kidneys, bones), calcitriol has a significant effect on phosphorus-calcium metabolism.

The process of rickets formation is obviously determined by the interaction of many factors, and above all factors affecting the balance of calcium and phosphorus in the child’s body, a violation of the synthesis of the organic matrix of bone tissue. In the complex picture of the pathogenesis of rickets, cause and effect constantly change places and “it is not easy to determine what is primary and what is secondary in rickets” [9]. However, key links in the pathogenesis of rickets can be identified: vitamin D deficiency, deficiency of calcium and phosphorus salts, increased function of the parathyroid glands and impaired renal function.

Rickets is a disease of the whole body with significant impairment of the functions of a number of organs and systems. The first clinical manifestations can be detected as early as 4–5 weeks, and in premature infants - by the end of 2–3 weeks of life. Despite the fact that in the clinic of rickets bone changes are considered the main ones, to recognize its initial signs it is necessary to look for disorders of the nervous system. Early symptoms of such functional changes are restlessness, tearfulness, poor sleep, and frequent startling during sleep. Severe sweating appears, more often during sleep and eating. The head sweats especially heavily in the back of the head. Sourish sticky sweat causes skin irritation and persistent diaper rash appears. Restlessly tossing and turning, the child rubs his hair and baldness appears on the back of the head.

The duration of the initial period is 1–3 months and depends on the intensity of exposure to ricketogenic factors. If assistance is not provided at this stage and the factors predisposing to rickets are not eliminated, then the clinical symptoms will increase and a period of height will begin. With further progression, the skeletal system is involved in the pathological process: first, signs of osteomalacia are detected - softness of the edges of the large fontanelle, increased compliance of the skull bones, craniotabes, and then curvature of the tubular bones. In children with large body weight, bone symptoms are more pronounced than in hypotrophic children, which is explained by a greater need for vitamin D. Those parts of the skeleton that grow more intensively during the period of exposure to unfavorable factors undergo the greatest pathological changes.

In addition to bone deformities, 97.8% of children have severe muscle hypotonia, manifested by constipation, loose joints, and a “frog” abdomen [6]. Due to muscle hypotonia, late development of static and motor functions is noted. At the same time, a number of internal organs are involved in the pathological process: the function of the liver and spleen is impaired, anemia develops, and pneumonia is often associated.

During the period of convalescence, a reverse development of symptoms is noted. Bone changes have clinically clear positive dynamics only in the acute course of rickets.

The diagnosis of rickets is made clinically, but laboratory and radiological markers are available for confirmation.

Laboratory signs:

1. Hypocalcemia.
2. Hypophosphatemia.
3. Decreased citric acid in serum.
4. Increased alkaline phosphatase activity by 1.5–2 times.
5. Decrease in calcidiol level to 40 ng/ml and below.
6. Reducing calcitriol levels to 10–15 picograms/ml.
7. Acidosis.
8. Hyperaminoaciduria.
9. Hyperphosphaturia.
10. Hypocalciuria.
11. Negative Sulkowicz test.

X-ray signs:

1. Osteoporosis in areas of greatest bone growth.
2. Violation of the clarity of the boundaries between the epiphysis and metaphysis.
3. Increase in size of metaphyses.
4. Blurred ossification nuclei.
5. Thinning of the cortical layer of the diaphysis.

Measures to prevent rickets can be divided into two stages: antenatal and postnatal.

Antenatal prevention. Prevention of rickets must begin before the baby is born. Antenatal nonspecific prevention should be carried out in the following areas:

• observation of pregnant women in antenatal clinics;
• maintaining the correct daily routine;
• sufficient (at least 2–3 hours a day) stay of the pregnant woman in the fresh air. It has been proven that a decrease in insolation of pregnant women in recent years leads to a decrease in vitamin D reserves of the fetus and an earlier appearance of the first signs of rickets in infants;
• proper nutrition with sufficient amounts of vitamins, calcium, and protein in food.

Antenatal specific prevention consists of prescribing vitamin D to women from 28–32 weeks of pregnancy. In a normal pregnancy, women should receive 500 IU daily, and in the presence of extragenital or obstetric pathology, 1000–1500 IU of vitamin D per day for 8 weeks, regardless of time of year. Prescribing vitamin D to pregnant women at an earlier stage is not advisable, as this may contribute to damage to the placenta.

An alternative method may be 1–2 courses of UV irradiation in the winter-spring period. The procedures begin with 1/4 biodose, gradually increasing to 2.5–3 biodoses. The minimum distance is 1 m. The procedures are carried out daily or every other day, the course includes 15–20 sessions.

At the same time, specific prenatal prevention of rickets does not exclude the need for prevention in the postnatal period of child development.

Postnatal prevention. Nonspecific prevention of rickets in the postnatal period should begin from the first days of the child's life. It includes the following.

• Natural feeding, and in its absence, the use of adapted formulas. It is in breast milk that the Ca:P ratio is optimal and is 2:1. A sufficient amount of nutrients in breast milk is possible with proper nutrition of the mother with the required amount of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, macro- and microelements. It is advisable to take one of the multivitamin preparations (Pregnavit, Materna, etc.) during the entire period of lactation.
• Timely introduction of complementary foods.
• Active motor mode (massage, gymnastics) [5].
• Sufficient exposure to fresh air.
• Daily routine, adequate dressing of the child, hardening.

Specific prevention of rickets is carried out by prescribing vitamin D. However, when prescribing vitamin D, the following points should be taken into account:

• possible individual hypersensitivity to the drug;
• Widely varying individual vitamin D requirements;
• the possibility of immediate and long-term consequences of vitamin D use;
• the degree of risk of developing rickets in each individual case;
• focusing on the smallest sufficient doses of vitamin D.

Vitamin D is prescribed to full-term breastfed infants from 3-4 weeks of age in the autumn-winter-spring period at a dose of 500 IU. It should be remembered that in the summer, when there is insufficient insolation (cloudy, rainy summer), especially in the northern regions of Russia, which includes Moscow, it is advisable to prescribe a prophylactic dose of vitamin D.

When feeding a child with adapted formulas, the daily preventive dose is prescribed taking into account the vitamin D contained in the formula (1 liter of formula contains 10 mcg of vitamin D, which is equivalent to 400 IU). Specific prevention of rickets in full-term infants is carried out in the first and second year of life.

For children at risk for rickets, daily administration of vitamin D in a dose of 1000 IU is recommended in the autumn-winter-spring period during the first two years of life. Children at risk for rickets include:

• premature, low birth weight, morpho-functionally immature, from twins;
• with malabsorption syndrome, pathology of the liver, biliary tract;
• receiving anticonvulsants. It has been proven that taking anticonvulsants inhibits cytochrome P450 reductase and leads to a significant decrease in calcidiol levels;
• with reduced motor activity (paresis and paralysis, prolonged immobilization);
• those who often suffer from acute respiratory viral infections;
• receiving unadapted milk formulas.

A separate group should include premature babies who are born with a known deficiency of calcium and phosphorus, profound immaturity, hypoplasia of bone tissue and a more intense rate of bone growth in the postnatal period. Normal nutrition is not able to meet the increased needs of a premature baby for calcium and phosphorus, and therefore requires an earlier start in the prevention of rickets and simultaneous administration of calcium supplements with vitamin D (calcium gluconate, Rocaltrol, etc.).

For stage 1 prematurity, vitamin D is prescribed from the 10th to 14th day of life, 1000 IU per day daily for the first two years, excluding the summer months.

In case of prematurity of the 2nd-3rd degree, vitamin D is prescribed from the 10th-20th day (after the establishment of enteral nutrition) at a dose of 1000-2000 IU daily during the first year of life, and in the second year at a dose of 500-1000 IU, excluding summer months.

Certain difficulties have always arisen in carrying out specific prevention of rickets in children with small fontanel sizes. These children have only relative contraindications to the administration of vitamin D, and specific prevention of rickets is carried out for them starting from 3–4 months of life at normal rates of head growth.

Today, there are three dosage forms of vitamin D on the pharmaceutical market: alcoholic, oily and aqueous. The alcohol solution is currently practically not produced due to the high risk of overdose (1 drop contains ~ 4000 IU of vitamin D). Existing oil solutions of vitamin D3 are not always well absorbed due to frequent gastrointestinal pathologies in children.

In recent years, an aqueous form of vitamin D3, the drug Aquadetrim, has appeared on the pharmaceutical market [11]. The benefits of vitamin D3 aqueous solution are:

• better absorption from the gastrointestinal tract;
• longer lasting effect;
• great activity;
• rapid onset of clinical effect;
• convenience and safety of the dosage form.

Timely administration of prophylactic doses of vitamin D can prevent the occurrence of severe bone deformities.

If, however, the child develops rickets, then it is necessary to take therapeutic measures. A prerequisite for the treatment of rickets is a combination of nonspecific (daily routine, physical activity, exposure to fresh air, rational feeding) and specific therapy.

Specific therapy. Specific therapy consists of prescribing vitamin D. It must be remembered that the therapeutic dose of vitamin D is prescribed only during the height of the disease. The presence in the clinic only of sweating, irritability, or baldness of the back of the head is not an indication for prescribing a therapeutic dose of vitamin D.

Vitamin D is prescribed in a therapeutic dose of 2000–5000 IU per day for 30–45 days. Typically, treatment is started with 2000 IU for 3-5 days, and then, if well tolerated, the dose is increased to an individual treatment under the supervision of the Sulkovich test, which is carried out before the start of treatment, then every 7-10 days. A dose of 5000 IU is prescribed only for pronounced bone changes.

The total therapeutic dose of vitamin D per course is set depending on the severity of rickets: for mild - 150,000–300,000; for moderate severity - 300,000–600,000; for severe cases - 600,000–800,000 IU. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the individual need for vitamin D, which depends on a number of factors:

• child's age;
• genetic characteristics;
• the nature of the child's feeding;
• season;
• the nature of the concomitant pathology.

When good results appear (normalization of muscle tone and autonomic nervous system, levels of alkaline phosphatase, calcium and phosphorus in the serum, disappearance of craniotabes), treatment is stopped and the dose is reduced to prophylactic. Anti-relapse treatment is carried out for children at risk with vitamin D3 at a dose of 2000–5000 IU for 3–4 weeks, 3 months after the end of the first course, except for the summer months.

To normalize the function of the parathyroid glands and reduce autonomic disorders, patients with rickets are prescribed magnesium preparations (Asparkam, Panangin, Magne B6, 1% magnesium sulfate) at the rate of 10 mg/kg/day of magnesium for 3 weeks.

In some cases (premature babies), additional calcium supplements are required at the rate of 55–60 mg/kg/day for 2–3 weeks. A diet enriched with calcium is recommended for children in the second year of life.

A very good result is obtained when combined with vitamin D citrate mixture (Sol. Ac. citrici 2.1% 100, Natrii hydrocitrici 3.5, Aq. Destillatae ad 100) 1 tsp. 3 times a day for 10–14 days or lemon (grapefruit) juice. It must be remembered that vitamin D and the citrate mixture are synergistic.

If rickets occurs against the background of malnutrition and poor weight gain, then it is advisable to add Potassium orotate at the rate of 20 mg/kg/day for 3–4 weeks. As is known, orotic acid enhances the synthesis of Ca-binding protein in enterocytes. For the same purpose, carnitine preparations can be prescribed at a rate of 50 mg/kg/day (Elcar, Carnitene) for 4–5 weeks.

For children older than 6 months, it is advisable to include medicinal baths in the complex of therapeutic measures (every other day, 10–15 per course). For pasty, sedentary children, salt baths are recommended (2 tablespoons of salt per 10 liters of water, water temperature - 35–36 ° C, duration - 5 minutes), and for excitable children - coniferous ones (1 teaspoon of extract per 10 liters of water, water temperature - 36 °C, duration - 10 minutes).

As the process in the bone tissue subsides, but not earlier than 3 weeks from the start of drug therapy with vitamin D, all patients are prescribed massage.

If children with rickets have concomitant acute diseases (ARVI, pneumonia), vitamin D should be discontinued for a period of high fever (2-3 days), and then re-administered at a therapeutic dose. Preventive vaccinations for rickets are not contraindicated, but they should be done 2–3 months after the active manifestations of rickets have been eliminated.

Despite deep knowledge, rickets remains one of the most important problems in pediatrics. Currently, the task of preventing rickets is of particular importance, due to:

• with deterioration of socio-economic living conditions;
• a decrease in the number of breastfed children;
• air pollution in a large metropolis (a sharp decrease in insolation);
• common gastrointestinal pathology in children.

Nevertheless, rickets is a disease that can and should be prevented.

Literature

1. Bazhenova L.K. Childhood diseases / ed. L. A. Isaeva. M.: Medicine, 1994. pp. 173–91.
2. Bessonova M. N. Rickets. M.: Medgiz, 1960.
3. Bozhkov L.K. Physiology and pathology of a premature baby. M.: Medicine, 1983.
4. Vorontsov I.M. Some aspects of modern teaching about rickets // Pediatric science and practice. M., 1981. P. 27.
5. Ginzburg E. Ya., Sorochek R. G. Therapeutic gymnastics and massage for rickets and malnutrition. M., 1952.
6. Zabludovskaya E. D. Morphological changes in muscles in children with rickets // Pediatrics. 1961. No. 12. pp. 37–43.
7. Korovina N. A., Cheburkin A. V., Zakharova I. N. Prevention and treatment of rickets in children (lecture for doctors). M., 1998.
8. Lasfargue J. Vitamin D is necessary // Report at the conference “Rachitis in children”. Moscow Department of Health. April 10, 1996. 7 p.
9. Maslov M. S. Rickets // Textbook of childhood diseases. L., 1952. pp. 134–144.
10. Novikov P.V. Rickets and rickets-like diseases in children: prevention, preventive therapy. M., 1998. 60 p.
11. Novikov P.V., Kazi-Akhmetov E.A. A new (water-soluble) form of vitamin D3 for the treatment of children with vitamin D deficiency and hereditary vitamin D-resistant rickets // Russian Bulletin of Perinatology and Pediatrics. 1997. No. 6.
12. Radchenko L.G. Rickets in newborns: abstract. dis. ...cand. honey. Sci. M. 1993. 21 p.
13. Svyatkina K. A., Khvul A. M., Rassolova M. A. Rakhit. M.: Medicine, 1964. 223 p.
14. Spirichev V.B. Pathogenesis and prevention of rickets in the light of modern ideas about the metabolism and mechanism of action of vitamin D // Pediatrics. 1978. No. 1. P. 70–71.
15. Strukov V.I. Rickets in premature infants. Penza, 1999. 29 p.
16. Filatov N. F. Semiotics and diagnosis of childhood diseases. M., 1949. pp. 438–442.

A. S. Botkina, Candidate

Why do teenagers sweat?

Teenagers are also prone to sweating. This is explained by hormonal changes that occur during growing up. During puberty, a variety of processes occur inside a child. This is what leads to increased sweating.

Causes of hyperhidrosis during sleep during puberty:

1. One of the reasons is the beginning of the functioning of the apocrine glands. At this age, they begin to work, secreting a fairly large amount of sweat at first;
2. Also, a similar problem appears due to hormonal instability. Such disruptions lead to increased sweating;
3. Another reason why teenagers sweat at night is constant stress and excitability of the nervous system. This is also associated with hormonal imbalances.

Increased production of sweat secretions at night does not always occur in adolescents. However, if hyperhidrosis is still present, it is often not a sign of the disease. Over time, this condition goes away on its own.

External factors causing sweating

Hyperhidrosis at night can cause not only serious diseases. Sometimes external factors lead to this problem. In this case, dealing with the problem will not be difficult. It is enough just to eliminate the negative factor.

Why does a child sweat excessively when falling asleep:

1. One of the possible reasons is not the optimal temperature in the room. If this indicator exceeds 19-20 degrees, then sweating will be quite natural. Excessive dryness of the room can also lead to this;
2. A child's sweating may occur as a result of dressing inappropriately for the season. Wearing synthetic pajamas and using synthetic bedding also leads to this problem;
3. You should not ignore such a factor as poor nutrition. At the same time, overeating, improper selection of diet, and eating food immediately before bedtime can lead to hyperhidrosis;
4. Poor personal hygiene can also lead to sweating;
5. Nightmares and vivid dreams are another common cause of night sweats in children;
6. Nervous disorders and stress can lead to night sweats.

The child sweats at night

All people sweat; this is a natural physiological process. From the age of 1 month, the baby's sweat glands already begin to work. But they are not yet developed enough, therefore, before the age of 6, children can sweat a lot or get very cold.

But if a child sweats at night, this may indicate trouble. Especially if sweating is accompanied by tearfulness, restless sleep, and whims.

Night sweats in children can be caused by:

• Vitamin D deficiency, rickets.
• Heart diseases.
• Lymphatic diathesis.
• Disorders of the thyroid gland.
• Heart failure.
• Dystonia.
• Colds.
• Taking medications.

If a child sweats at night before the age of two, then in half of the cases he is diagnosed with rickets. To rule out health problems, you need to consult a specialist. A healthy child may also sweat at night if he is active, the house is warm, and he is covered with a warm blanket. You should not over-bundle your baby, as a down pillow can cause allergies.

Night sweats in children 3-5 years old are most often caused by lymphatic diathesis. This condition leads to disruption of the autonomic nervous system and metabolism. Lymphatic diathesis is not a disease and does not require special treatment. After all the baby’s organs mature, the diathesis goes away. The main thing is to prevent diseases that it can provoke.

If a child sweats at night due to lymphatic diathesis, mothers can be given several recommendations:

• Limit sweets in your baby’s diet;
• Bathe your child daily, and once a week in water with sea salt (one tablespoon per ten liters of water).
• Dress your child in things made from natural fibers.
• To prevent water from accumulating in the body, give your child more vegetables or fruits instead of liquid.
• Prepare tea from a decoction of licorice root.

During adolescence, a child sweats much more often at night, his glands begin to work intensively, like in adults. Excessive sweating at this age may be a hormonal change.

If your child's sweating causes trouble, you should definitely contact a specialist and find out the cause. Night sweats in healthy children often disappear after normalization of the temperature during sleep, and if sweating accompanies any disturbance in the functioning of the body, then it disappears after its localization. Experienced doctors will always quickly and accurately determine the cause of night sweats in children and will be able to give qualified recommendations.

Does your child sweat at night? Doctors from the Center for Neurology and Sleep Medicine will help you cope with the problem!

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The most dangerous diseases that cause sweating and their symptoms

Some diseases that manifest as excessive sweating are life-threatening. Moreover, they are most effectively treated precisely at the initial stages of their progression. Therefore, it is very important to know their symptoms.

The most dangerous diseases that cause sweating include diseases such as cancer, tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, pneumonia, etc. Some genetic pathologies that worsen the quality of life are also dangerous.

If such diseases are ignored for a long time, the patient’s condition worsens greatly. This ultimately leads to death. Therefore, it is very important to recognize them in time. There are several symptoms that are characteristic of secondary hyperhidrosis caused by disease.

Symptoms associated with sweating in serious diseases:

• Increased body temperature;
• Headache;
• Dizziness;
• Nausea and vomiting;
• Irritability;
• Decreased appetite;
• Sleep disturbance;
• Painful sensations.

If you have such symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor. This will increase the chances of successful treatment.

Why does a child's head sweat?

In addition to provoking factors that can cause increased sweating of the head (stuffy room, wrapping a child), the causes of increased sweating of the head can be:

1. Colds, ARVI, sore throat - sweating of the head is associated with an increase in the child’s body temperature. In addition to hyperhidrosis, the child experiences weakness, passivity, cough, runny nose and other cold symptoms.
2. Rickets – there is increased sweating not only of the head, but also hyperhidrosis of the armpits, feet, and palms. Signs of rickets are also deformations in the temporal and frontal bones of the skull, in the chest.
3. Allergic reaction to feathers in the pillow, to bathing products. Children with allergies often experience increased sweating on the head.
4. Heart failure. Children with this pathology experience cold sweat, shortness of breath, intermittent and rapid breathing, and bluish lips. The disease develops against the background of influenza, anemia or pneumonia.

When should you visit a doctor?

Children are the most susceptible to various negative factors, so it is very important to detect and eliminate them in time. Thus, it would be completely useful to visit a doctor if the child sweats a lot during sleep, but there are no accompanying symptoms.

We recommend reading: Sleeping in the fresh air: what happens to the body?

However, there are some factors that indicate that it is simply necessary to contact a pediatrician. These include: constant sweating at night, the presence of other suspicious manifestations, and the absence of external negative influences.

Who should I contact?

If a child is sweating, then, first of all, it is necessary to contact a pediatrician. In this case it is a pediatrician. The specialist will examine the little patient. If any problems are identified, he will be prescribed a test for the biochemical and general composition of blood and urine. Based on these data, the doctor will be able to judge the condition of the body. Having received the results of the analysis and performed an examination, the pediatrician will be able to refer the child to a specialist. He may also be assigned variations of instrumental research. After this, an accurate diagnosis will be made.

Tips for parents

If a sleeping child's head sweats, he feels uncomfortable and fidgets a lot, you should not look for the cause on your own. Only a specialist will quickly and accurately identify it and, if necessary, prescribe treatment.

In cases where doctors have not found anything dangerous, you can listen to the recommendations of experienced mothers who will help make the baby’s life more comfortable:

1. Make sure that the temperature in the room where the baby sleeps is optimal. If using a heater is necessary, choose models that do not dry out the air. Ventilate the room and do at least three wet wipes of furniture and floors per day.
2. Often the baby's head sweats due to too warm clothes. Older children may open up in their sleep: this signals that the baby is hot. Choose clothes based on temperature conditions and do not wrap your child too warmly while sleeping.
3. It is advisable to bathe your baby every day. It is worth using soap less often. It is better to add decoctions of medicinal herbs (several times a month you can use oak bark, chamomile, string, and less often sea salt).
4. Food should not be salty or spicy. Sweets also cannot be given without restrictions. It will be useful to introduce vegetables and fruits into the diet according to age.
5. A set of therapeutic exercises and massage will help improve your body’s health and boost your immunity.

Don't be alarmed if your child wakes up sweaty. The best way is to carefully monitor your child so as not to miss any other symptoms if they appear. Remember, timely consultation with a pediatrician will help avoid the development of dangerous diseases.

Advice from experienced mothers: how to avoid excessive sweating?

The child's head may begin to actively sweat due to uncomfortable clothing or incorrect temperature conditions. This makes it impossible to sleep normally, leads to a general weakening of the body due to lack of sleep, capricious behavior and other undesirable deviations.

Experienced mothers who have encountered a similar situation give the following recommendations:

1. First of all, temperature plays an important role. The air in the bedroom should not be too dry and hot. Maintain room temperature within 18-22 degrees, and humidity - no higher than 60% (but not less than 50%).
2. To prevent your child from sweating while sleeping, buy clothes only made from cotton and other natural materials.
3. You shouldn't wrap yourself too tightly unless necessary. This prevents him from falling asleep normally.
4. On hot days, it is better to visit swimming pools and cool down in other ways - at such times the risk of overheating is especially dangerous.
5. It is worthwhile to massage regularly: gently stroke your legs, tummy, and arms. As they grow, the movements are intensified: a one-year-old child is only stroked, but at an older age the movements become more complicated. Massage increases blood flow, stimulates the heart, and has a beneficial effect on the nervous system and muscles.

If the measures taken do not produce results, and the child’s head continues to sweat in his sleep, seek help from doctors to determine the cause. Self-medication is not recommended, as there is a risk of harming the child’s health.

Elimination of external causes and prevention of sweating

Some factors are easy to eliminate. To prevent excessive sweating, it is enough to follow these measures:

• Monitor the temperature and humidity level in the child's room. The best temperature is about 20-22 degrees, and humidity is no more than 70%. If the air is very hot and dry, the baby may become hot and sweat.
• Choose natural bedding and clothing. It is advisable that there are no bright patterns on the fabric. Mom should also wear cotton or linen clothes when she is going to feed her baby.
• It is recommended to change bedding as it gets dirty. You need to wash clothes and children's clothes separately from adults' clothes, choosing the appropriate washing powder. Pay attention to hypoallergenic options that are safe for delicate baby skin. Linen should be ironed well - heat treatment kills parasites that live in the fabric and are dangerous to the health of the baby.
• Do not overwrap your baby. Warmer doesn't always mean better. There is no need to wear a hat when the room is warm enough. Overheating will only make things worse for your child.
• Watch your diet. If the baby was born and weighed more than four kilograms, there is a possibility of a rapid increase in body weight in the future. In such situations, it is worth introducing complementary foods later and consulting with a doctor who will help prescribe the right diet. Excess weight is the cause of many diseases, including diabetes, so you should not feed your child.
• See your doctor regularly. The pediatrician monitors your health, suggests what tests need to be done, and recognizes possible diseases. If the cause of profuse sweating is a disease, there is a chance to cure it in the early stages. When secretion has increased due to factors that are not dangerous to the life and health of the baby, you can normalize it by adding decoctions of oak bark, chamomile or string to the bath. The doctor will also tell you what frequency and dosage to do this with.

USEFUL INFORMATION: The baby shudders in its sleep: why does this happen?

Advice from pediatrician Komarovsky

The famous children's pediatrician Evgeny Olegovich Komarovsky, explaining why a child's head sweats in a dream, gives the following reasons:

1. High temperature in the bedroom.
2. Synthetic bedding.
3. Individual characteristics of the child. Associated with the functioning of the autonomic nervous system. Such physiological features disappear or remain with age, but both are options for the normal development of the body.

You should not pay attention to these factors. Only internal disorders in the body cause concern:

• rickets;
• dysfunction of the immune system;
• liver dysfunction;
• diseases of the digestive system, etc.

Thus, the fact that a child’s head sweats during sleep does not necessarily indicate internal disorders in the body. Such phenomena are caused by a violation of the temperature regime in the room and thick clothing made from non-natural materials. Parents should pay attention to these conditions and not wrap things up unnecessarily.

Why is vitamin D deficiency dangerous?

Another reason for increased sweating is a lack of vitamin D in the body. Because of this, some children develop rickets. The exchange of calcium and phosphorus in the body is disrupted, and disruptions occur in the formation of the skeletal system. To prevent the development of the disease, you should monitor your baby and consult a doctor at the first alarming symptoms.

USEFUL INFORMATION: Why does a child's head sweat while sleeping?

The following signs indicate that the body may lack vitamin D:

• restlessness during sleep - the baby constantly cries and tosses and turns;
• panic from sharp, loud sounds, general increased irritability;
• sour smell in urine;
• sweating of the palms, feet, head during eating and sleeping, the sweat is usually cold.

The initial stage of rickets can also be tracked. It is characterized by:

• frequent sleep disturbances;
• decreased appetite;
• the appearance of bald patches in the occipital region;
• increased sweating.

If alarming symptoms are not noticed in time, irreversible changes will occur in the child’s body - improper bone formation, curvature of the spine and legs, flat feet and others. There is a danger of delayed development of psychomotor skills and disruptions in the functioning of internal organs.