Abnormal Head Sweat

[GLADIATOR]

My Head sweating is embarrassing. The slightest bit of manual labor will have me wiping my entire head down with paper towels. At bedtime I have to have back up pillows because I usually leave several pillows drenched after a night of sleeping. I have been using a CPAP machine at night for "sleep apnea" which has helped. Should a person with low oxygen levels be taking any extra vitamins and what can I do to minimize my head sweating?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I'm afraid you've stumped me.  I've seen patients who sweat on the forehead after eating spicy foods, but I haven't seen, or heard about, people who sweat profusely on their heads all the time.  I also can't figure out what CPAP, oxygen levels, or vitamins have to do with it one way or the other.  There are instances of severe night sweats associated with internal diseases, but these involve sweating all over, not just on the head.  You also don't indicate whether the problem is recent, chronic, or lifelong.  I advise you to consult your internist or dermatologist in person.  Maybe physical examination will provide some clue.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[jimbo2]

I had this same thing happen to me in Fall of 2000 and couldn't figure out why. Sometimes I would also have a left shoulder or high back pain/tiredness to go with the sweating (especially just before a rain storm or other major weather change). If I sat down and relaxed with a cool drink, I'd quit sweating and the pain lightened up some. Sleep apnea was also noticeable. I eventually had a minor stroke in left side of face (felt like a minor electric shock that lasted but seconds. Fortunately, my wife was paying attention and rushed me to emergency room where they discovered I had three arteries 90% blocked. Blockage was in areas not able to be opened making a triple bypass necessary. Since I hadn't had a heart attack and the minor stroke didn't cause any noticeable (to me)damage my recovery was really quick. Thankfully, my insurance was in effect and emergency over-rode needing any approvals to see the cardiologist. Eating wiser and exercising regular is more important now but since blocked arteries run in my family I stay alert to danger signs and take meds to manage cholestrol and blood pressure. Sleep apnea signs went away as did the night sweats. May be worth asking your family doctor about feasability of having a stress test done to eliminate that as a cause. - Jim

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Good point.  Internal evaluation is advisable.

Dr. Rockoff

[Billydude]

A related discussion, Billydude was started.

[azlinda20]

A related discussion, Excessive head sweating was started.