Son Having Serious Night Sweats

In general, boys and men sweat a lot because of their extra testosterone. I would say that if you feel that it is way out of hand mention it to the doctor and see if you can get some bloodwork done. A lot of times when the thyroid is not acting right that is what happens.

My daughter (now 34) always had this problem. I'd be interested in what others have to say.

I'm a bit late in responding, but I agree that you should speak with the doctor about this. The one thing that others didn't mention is the possibility of diabetes. Does he have any other symptoms? Like excessive thirst and urination? Or weight loss or gain? Hope you can get to the bottom of this.

I'm sure everything is fine, however, you might want to just get a blood work up done. Also, some kids with enlarged adenoids tend to sweat more when they sleep and 5 is about the time it starts to happen. Some of the other symptoms are a stuffy or runny nose and snoring. In any case, it would be good to just mention it to your doctor. Good luck!

Hi J.,

I agree with the moms who say you need to have your son examined by a doctor--don't fret though, it could be very normal. The doc would be able to run a few simple tests to see what may be causing the sweating. There are many possible solutions to this issue, and again, could be very normal for him. Best of luck!

Hi J.,

You should definitely have him checked out to rule out anything serious. Night sweats can be an indication of some very serious diseases including hyperthyroidism and some cancers. It may be nothing, but it would be better to have a medical professional check him out so things can be ruled out.

I hope everything turns out to be absolutely nothing :)

My son also had this problem. We started him in acupuncture for a variety of reason and mentioned this one specifically. She was able to help with this issue and it seemed to make him more comfortable. She doesn't do traditional acupuncture with kids she has a modified method that my son loves. He is always asking when he can go again.

Hi J. - this would be worth a conversation with your doctor about. Kids who are not over heating at night because of room temp or being overdressed don't normally have night sweats like your son does. Be sure he is hydrating during the day because he is losing a lot of fluids at night.

Your doc will help you with possible causes but some things I would ask my doc about would be the possibility of an infection, hyperthyroidism or other hormonal imbalance, GERD, asthma, apnea or other condition that constricts the airway.

Write down if your son is having any other things come up that you might not have thought about before - things like fatigue, head aches, stomach aches, sore throat, dry cough, wheezing. You might also observe your son while he is sleeping to see if he appears restless, snores, or shows signs of apnea. You could also test some things like GERD by adding another pillow so he sleeps elevated and giving him a TUMs before bed.

I hope you find your answer!

EDIT: something I just thought of - do you have a plastic cover on his mattress or an allergenic cover on his pillow?

I have had a stuggle with keeping my blood sugars up since I was little and often times it results in terrible night sweats while i sleep. I don't usually notice until i'm soaking wet and it's all because my body needs some form of sugar.
I started making sure to eat something right before bed (protein usually holds me over longer) and then I keep a gatorade next to my bed in case i wake up. This may be hard if he isn't waking up from it but it makes all the difference in the world for me!
Also you might want to have him tested for diabetes (type 1) becaue that is one of the early signs and if you catch it early enough there is a slight chance you can prevent it!
Good luck!!