Night sweats in children

Night sweats in children are very common and it does not usually mean anything is wrong. You will know your child has night sweats when they continually with drenched sheets and clothing. This often happens small children when they become overheated while sleeping. However, sometimes night sweats in children can be a symptom of a serious disease. Usually night sweats in children occur because they have gotten too hot because of their pajamas or there are too many covers on the bed. If you have a small children and dress them in pajamas that have feet in them then that may be the reason why they are sweating at night. Children can become overheated at night with these types of pajamas on even in the winter time.

One way to tell if night sweats in children are being caused by overheating is the fact that the child will already feel warm when you put them to bed and you may notice that their skin feels moist already. However, if the child does not feel warm when you go to bed, but later on begin sweating during sleep, it may mean that the child has sleep apnea or some other medical condition. Sometimes night sweats in children occur because they have a fever due to infection like bronchitis or a sinus infection or pneumonia.

As you can see night sweats in children can caused by various reason. Because the child can wake up drenched with sweat it is easy for them to become dehydrated and they will be very thirsty in the morning. If you feel that your child experiencing abnormal night sweats you should take them to their pediatrician for any medical evaluation. Sometimes night sweats in children can indicate a serious medical condition.

And overactive thyroid can cause night sweats in children. This medical condition is called hyperthyroidism and it means that the child’s body is producing too many thyroid hormones. With this medical condition the child will be always be tired and can have an unexplained weight loss and stomach pains.

Night sweats in children that cannot be explained because the child is wearing too many layers of pajamas or has too many layers of blankets on their bed. It can also be an early warning sign of cancer, in particular Hodgkin’s disease. Night sweats in children can also happen if a tumor has formed in the liver. If malignant skin cancer has developed it can also cause night sweats in children.

Tuberculosis is another medical cause of night sweats in children. Children who have TB have a weakened immune system that can become unable to fight off the TB bacteria. As a result a high fever and night sweats can develop. If the child has been infected by the flu virus they can also develop night sweats and fever.

One would not normally think of children getting infected by the AIDS virus, but it can happen if they are given a shot with an accidentally contaminated needle and the infection can bring on night sweats. Certain brain disorders will bring on night sweats and children too. For example cerebral palsy can cause night sweats in children. Acid reflux disease has also been known to cause night sweats and children. There were many other types of autoimmune diseases that can cause children to sweat at night. If you are concerned that your child is sweating at night for no apparent reason then you should take them to a medical doctor. There are all kinds of treatments for these medical conditions. The first thing they do however, is to determine whether your child’s sweating at night is normal for them or is an early warning sign of something serious to be concerned about.

Last updated on Oct 27th, 2009 and filed under Other Conditions & Diseases. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

1 Response for “Night sweats in children”

  1. atru says:

    Another reason for sweating while sleeping that could be a cause for alarm is if a child has heart block. My 6 month old had started sweating a lot more while taking naps and at night, and would wake up soaked in the morning. Luckily, we went in for her 6 month check up shortly after it had started, and they found her heart rate was down to 60bpm. She now is a very active 2.5 year old with a pacemaker, but the sweating was one of the warning signs the cardiologists informed us of after the fact.

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