Question
A 12-year-old child starts sweating about half an hour after falling asleep each night. After being awakened and wiping the sweat, they fall asleep again, but the situation continues. This process lasts for about 2 hours. This condition has persisted for over a year. How should parents handle it?
Answer
It’s normal for children to sweat, as they have vigorous metabolism and well-developed sweat glands. After falling asleep, the vagus nerve becomes excited, leading to sweating, usually with more sweat on the head and face. However, this situation usually resolves within one to two hours after sleep and generally does not require treatment. If the child also experiences symptoms such as waking up suddenly, lack of activity, or skeletal deformities, it may be related to rickets. It is recommended to undergo relevant examinations and actively treat through reasonable diet, increased outdoor activities, supplementation of vitamin D and calcium.