Top 10 Habits That Harm Your Kidneys

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By: Nga Do

Top 10 Habits That Harm Your Kidneys

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As you know, it is very important to keep your kidneys functioning properly, which helps to stay healthy. Some common symptoms indicating kidney problems include a change in the quantity & color of your urine, vomiting, dizziness, anemia, feeling cold, breathing issues, tiredness or fatigue, bad breath, sudden pain in your body, and itchy skin. If you have one of these signs, consult a doctor immediately to rule out the risk of kidney disease. Although there are many causes of kidney problems, many common habits can also harm to the kidneys. Let’s check them out!

1. Insufficient Water Intake

Insufficient water intake can harm your kidneys. The key function of your kidneys is to remove metabolic waste from your body and regulate the production of the erythrocyte. When your body lacks water, there is less the flow of blood to your kidneys because your blood gets concentrated. This will hamper the ability of your kidneys to remove toxins from your body, which can lead to many health problems. The National Kidney Foundation recommends that a healthy adult has to drink at least 10 – 12 glasses of water or fruit juice per day to keep the body well hydrated and the kidneys healthy. Nevertheless, remember that taking too much water may also be hard on the kidneys. Therefore, avoid overdoing it.

2. Take Analgesics Regularly

Many people often take analgesics (also called over-the-counter painkillers) in order to control pain and relieve inflammation and fever. However, this may harm different organs in the body, including the kidneys.

According to a research, analgesics can reduce the flow of your blood to your kidneys and deteriorate the functioning of the kidneys. In addition, long-term or heavy use of analgesics may cause acute renal failure and chronic kidney disease called chronic interstitial nephritis. In case, you suffer from decreased kidney function, avoid taking painkillers without consulting your doctor. Even when you have a normal kidney function, you should also use analgesics as directed, at the low dose and for a short time.

3. Drink Excessive Alcohol

Drinking alcohol in moderation may be fine, but excessive drinking causes huge damage to the kidneys. Alcohol is known to a toxin that puts the stress on the liver and kidneys.

When you experience a high intake of alcoholic beverages, it will cause uric acid to get deposited in the renal tubules, which results in tubular obstruction. Over time, this will increase the chance of kidney failure. In addition, alcohol may cause dehydration and disrupt the normal function of your kidneys.

If you still like to drink, do it at a moderate level. An adequate amount is often considered two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for older people and women.

4. Excessive Intake Of Caffeine

Too much consumption of caffeine may cause high blood pressure and this, in turn, puts a strain on the kidneys. Over time, this may damage your kidneys. According to a study published in the Kidney International in 2002, caffeine consumption has a close connection with kidney stones. It can also increase the excretion of calcium in the urine.

In fact, caffeine consumption in moderate amounts won’t cause health issues for most people. You may drink one to two cups of coffee, three cups of tea a day. In addition, limit your consumption of other caffeine sources such as soft drinks, chocolate, cocoa, some medications, and energy drinks.

5. Lack Of Sleep

Nowadays, many people do not pay attention to the importance of sleep due to their busy life. A sound sleep of six to eight hours per day is essential for the overall health. When you sleep, the organ tissues will be renewed. Hence, when you don’t get sound sleep, it will interrupt the renewal process, which leads to damage to your kidneys and other organs.

Some studies also recommend that sleepless nights can cause high blood pressure as well as more atherosclerosis. This, in turn, raises the chance of kidney disease.

6. Maintain A Full Bladder

If you do not empty your bladder timely or delay the urge for a long time, you will have a chance to get kidney problems.

When the urine remains in your bladder for a long period of time, it may cause the bacteria in the urine to multiply. The harmful bacteria may cause an infection in the urinary tract or kidney infection. In addition, retaining urine may increase pressure on your kidneys and result in renal failure & incontinence.

If you often delay the urge, it is time to avoid it for the health of your kidneys. Whether you are busy or not, empty your bladder.

7. High Consumption Of Salt

Consuming too much salt may also cause damage to your kidneys and other health issues. The kidneys are in charge of metabolizing 95 percentages of the sodium taken through food.

When the intake of salt is at a high level, the kidneys have to work harder to remove the excess salt. This may result in decreased kidney functions, which causes water retention in your body. Water retention may cause high blood pressure & increase the chance of kidney disease. Some studies have also suggested that the salt consumption increases the level of urinary protein, the major risk cause of kidney disease.

The proper amount of salt intake is no more than five grams per day. More than this is harmful to the kidneys and the overall health. A teaspoon of salt is approximately 6 grams.

8. A Diet High In Protein

Although protein is good for the health, excessive intake of red meat and some other protein-high foods may increase the chance of kidney disease.

The kidneys are responsible for metabolizing and excreting nitrogen by the products from the protein digestion. A high intake of protein will increase the metabolic load of your kidneys by chronically raising the glomerular pressure & hyper-filtration. This will cause you to get a high chance of kidney problems.

Therefore, limit your consumption of red meat for your kidney health. Furthermore, people who suffer from kidney issues must avoid consuming red meat because it may worsen the problem.

9. Smoke Cigarettes

As you know, smoking is completely bad for all organs of your body, including your kidneys. Some studies have also shown the link between smoking and diseases related to kidneys. In a point of fact, smoking is one of the leading causes of end-stage renal disease.

Smoking may cause high blood pressure, increase heart rate, narrow the blood vessels in your kidneys, and reduce blood flow. It may even accelerate the loss of functioning of kidneys and make existing kidney diseases worse. Smoking is bad for your body parts, quit it immediately. Take the help from your family members, friends, or professionals to quit smoking.

10. Ignore Common Infections

If you tend to ignore common infections such as the flu, colds, coughs, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, and others, you can be a higher chance of kidney problems. In a point of fact, people who suffer from kidney diseases often have a habit of not resting if they are sick. Furthermore, people suffering from kidney disease are often more sensitive to the changes of weather and usually get sick.

The viruses or bacteria that cause common infections may damage the kidneys if you do not use the proper treatments timely.

In the next time, if you get a common infection, treat it properly and fast. Take medicines properly and give your body a deep rest until you are fine.

Guest Post by Nga Do

Author Bio:

This guest post is by Nga Do, a beauty and health blogger with over 10 years of experience on searching the effective remedies for skin & hair care and health problems.