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Night sweats are defined as drenching sweats that require you to change your bedclothes. Excessive sweating in babies can affect their sleep. Although it might worry you to see your baby sweating in sleep, it’s not always a sign of a medical condition.

Why does it happen? Well, for one thing, a baby’s body is immature and still learning to regulate its own temperature. And at the same time, babies are often overdressed and get hot, but they can’t do anything themselves to fix the problem — or let you know what the problem is.

Sometimes babies sweat all over. Other times you may notice sweating or dampness in specific areas, like the hands, feet, or head. Again, this is quite normal. Humans just have more sweat glands in certain areas.

Read this post to learn about the causes and treatment for babies sweating at night and know when to consult a doctor.

Is Night Sweat In Babies Normal?

A baby sweating at night is not always a cause for concern. Various reasons cause nocturnal sweating, and not all of them indicate a problem. Consult a pediatrician in the case of sudden onset of heavy sweating that continues for a prolonged period and is accompanied by other symptoms of an illness.

Expert explains: “Night sweats are typically divided into primary - regular sweating that happens during deep sleep or when it’s warm in the room and secondary - sweating caused by health issues such as fever.”

Reasons that might cause sweating in babies at night are:

• Position: Very young babies cannot move by themselves and might be in the same position for a few hours. In such a cases, the baby might feel warm and sweat more.

• Crying: Excess crying can make a baby tired and exhausted, and it might lead to sweating. Sweating usually stops once the baby stops crying.

• Too many layers of clothes: Wearing too many layers of clothes or covering the baby with layers of blankets might cause increased body temperature and subsequent sweating. Getting too hot has been linked with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or sudden unexpected death in an infant (SUDI). It is suggested to dress the baby according to the weather and not overdress.

• High room temperature: High room temperature might cause discomfort to the babies, and they might sweat. Sweating is a natural defense mechanism of the body against overheating. The combination of sweating with red skin might indicate overheating of the body.

• Deep sleep: Babies often sweat in the phase of deep sleep sweat. It is usually not a cause of concern.

• Location of sweat glands: It is common to see sweating on the baby’s head while they are asleep. Unlike adults, babies have most of their sweat glands located on their heads. The sweat glands develop first on the scalp and then the forehead. Sweat glands of palms, soles, and armpits develop later. Hence, babies tend to have the droplets of sweat the forehead and scalp.

• Fever: Babies with fever often exhibit sweating at night. They might develop a fever during an episode of cold or infection.

• Medicines: Medicines like acetaminophen that are given to babies to reduce the fever, might also cause sweating.

• Infant sleep apnea: Obstructive sleep apnea is seen in one to three percent of children. Symptoms include snoring, difficulty in breathing during sleep, or mouth-breathing during sleep. Sweating is often seen in babies with sleep apnea.

• Hyperhidrosis: Hyperhidrosis is a condition characterized by excessive sweating. The exact cause of hyperhidrosis has not been identified, and the condition might be localized to a part of the body.

• Congenital heart disease(CHD): Sweating often increases in babies with CHD, especially those with a higher tendency towards congenital heart failure(CHF). Sweating and excessive crying are one of the first symptoms of babies with CHF.

Bringing a few changes to the baby’s surroundings might help in reducing night sweats in babies; Changes are:

• Comfortable clothing: Dress the baby in comfortable and season-appropriate clothing. Excessive clothing can easily overheat the baby. Choose breathable fabric and comfortable clothing.

• Room temperature: It is recommended to keep the room temperature between 20 to 22°C. The baby’s room temperature should feel moderate. Not so cold not so hot.

• Control crying: Excessive crying can cause sweating. Therefore, it is essential to find and fix the problem that is making the baby cry. It might be hunger, a wet diaper, or a bad dream. Soothe the baby and place them back to sleep. Try moving the baby to another spot for sleep, if possible.

• Hydration: Keep the baby hydrated to compensate for the fluids lost due to sweating.

When To Consult A Doctor For Baby’s Night Sweating?

Making a few changes might usually resolve the sweating problem in babies. If the baby continues to be sweaty, then they might have a fever. Do not hesitate to consult a pediatrician. However, you should see a doctor soon if the following signs and symptoms occur.

• Your baby has a body temperature higher than 38°C or 100.4°F.

• If they snore, gasp for breath, or take long pauses between breathing while sleeping, it might indicate that he/she has obstructive sleep apnea. They might also exhibit difficulty in feeding.

• The baby is not gaining weight normally, and especially when sweating happens while the baby tries to feed.