Question
Is excessive sweating during sleep in children due to calcium deficiency?
Answer
It’s possible that the child’s condition is due to a calcium deficiency, but it could also be related to a zinc deficiency, or simply because it’s been hot recently. Guidance: It may be related to a calcium deficiency. If the child sweats heavily at night and feels cold, has trouble sleeping, and even shows thinning hair at the pillow, this is more likely. In such cases, it may be beneficial to provide calcium and fish oil supplements. It could also be related to a zinc deficiency, and the best approach would be to have blood tests for trace elements to clarify the situation. It could also be related to internal heat, which can be due to digestive system heat or internal heat due to yin deficiency. When internal heat is not cleared, sweating will not stop. To eliminate thirst, the heat must be cleared. Children with digestive system heat often have a strong appetite or constipation, good spirits, hard stools that are often several days apart, and a strong body odor, even though they may be thin and not feel tired. Treatment should involve clearing heat and promoting bowel movements, allowing the heat to exit through the lower part of the body. I often recommend that parents give their children tofu soup or use herbal remedies such as bamboo leaf, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Pueraria lobata to promote bowel movements and stop thirst. For children with a strong appetite that can be normalized, or for those with infrequent bowel movements who can have more frequent bowel movements. The most common type is the internal heat due to yin deficiency, which results from excessive thirst over a long period, leading to excessive loss of body fluid and again showing signs of yin deficiency. They often show symptoms such as red and dry lips and tongue, bone and muscle heat, dry mouth, excessive drinking but still feeling thirsty, stools that are hard and lumpy if not more than a few days apart. Treatment should involve clearing heat and nourishing yin, eliminating internal heat. I commonly use Rhizoma Polygonati, Radix Ophiopogonis, Radix Rehmanniae Preparata, Radix Lycii, and Folium Mori to treat this condition.