Diet, exercise, limiting alcohol — you’ve probably heard over and over again about how your lifestyle affects everything from your heart health to your weight to your skin. But one thing that doesn’t always get discussed is how your lifestyle affects your kidneys.
Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that are responsible for filtering waste out of your blood. If they become damaged or you develop kidney disease, and your kidneys stop functioning correctly, waste can build up in your body. Over time, untreated kidney disease can progress to life-threatening kidney failure.
The good news is that you have a lot of control over your kidney health. While there are some risk factors that you can’t change, like a family history of kidney disease, there are others you can.
Here are 4 lifestyle changes you can make to prevent kidney disease or slow down the progression of existing disease.
1. Drink enough water.
When your kidneys are functioning correctly, they remove waste and extra water from your blood to create urine. Then, the urine flows to the bladder through tubes called ureters.
Water plays several roles in this process, including helping your kidneys remove waste from blood (in the form of urine) and keeping blood vessels open so that blood can bring nutrients to your kidneys. If you don’t get enough water, your kidneys have to work harder. And if you’re severely dehydrated, blood and nutrients can’t reach your kidneys, which can cause kidney damage.
Staying hydrated is also vital for preventing kidney stones — masses that develop from crystals in your urine. Kidney stones leave your body (“pass”) through urine. If they get stuck, they can cause a urine back-up. While this doesn’t typically cause damage, passing a stone can be incredibly painful.
There’s no magic number for how much water you need, but healthy adults generally need about 4 to 6 cups per day. Drinking too much water is rarely a problem, but there is an exception: If you have kidney failure and are on dialysis, you may need to severely restrict your water intake.
Also read: The Benefits of Drinking Water Go Beyond Quenching Thirst
2. Address your stress.
Stress causes physical reactions like increased breathing and heart rate, high blood pressure, and greater levels of sugars and fats in your blood. These reactions are normal and are usually temporary.
However, if you’re constantly under high levels of stress, the reactions don’t always stop. Left unchecked, they can lead to serious health problems including kidney damage. In addition, stress can negatively affect your mental health — which can make existing kidney problems worse.
There are many ways to reduce stress, from getting more sleep to journaling to talking to a mental health professional. If you already have kidney disease, work with your nephrologist to ensure that mental health care is part of your treatment plan.
3. Adopt a kidney-friendly diet.
One of the diets most recommended by leading health organizations is the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet (DASH diet). This diet lowers blood pressure, which can reduce your risk for kidney disease. Following the DASH Diet can also protect against kidney stones.
If you already have kidney disease, nutrition is a bit more complex. That’s because diet recommendations change based on which stage of disease you’re in. For instance, in the earlier stages, you may just need to limit your sodium. But as the disease progresses, you may need to start limiting potassium or phosphorus and cutting back on portion sizes.
To learn more about keeping your kidneys healthy, schedule an appointment with a Duly Health and Care nephrologist or your primary care provider.
4. Get the right amount of exercise.
Regular physical activity protects against conditions that are risk factors for kidney disease, like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. It’s also particularly important if you already have problems with your kidneys. Exercise can help your body better control blood pressure, improve your cholesterol, and maintain a healthy weight — all of which can slow down the progression of kidney disease. Further, it’s a great way to treat mental health symptoms that often come with kidney disease, like depression or anxiety.
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