Patient's question:
Our child is a boy. Recently, he has been sweating a lot from his head while taking naps, wetting his pillow, but there's no sweat on his body at all. What's going on with him? He's almost three years old and weighs 30 pounds. He's usually in good spirits and has a good nap habit. The only issue is that he now has excessive gas. He had surgery last year, and then another one came down. He's scheduled for surgery again this fall. I don't know why he's sweating so much from his head while napping now.Previous treatment and outcomes: No thorough examination has been conducted.
Help needed: What should I do to help my child stop sweating during naps at night?
Doctor's answer:
It is a normal phenomenon for children to sweat while sleeping, as their sweat glands are relatively more developed. Sweat gland secretion is suppressed by the vegetative nervous system (vagus nerve). After falling asleep, the vagus nerve becomes excited, leading to increased sweating. Generally, sweating is more common on the head and face, but it usually subsides within one or two hours after falling asleep.If the child experiences frequent waking and crying, it may also be caused by calcium deficiency. In such cases, calcium supplementation can be considered. If the child stops sweating after waking up, it may be beneficial to warm and tonify their kidney Qi.