Kidneys Damage

2019-07-30

Kidneys are one of the most essential organs in the human body. Kidneys perform many important functions such as the production of RBCs (red blood cells), regulating the urination process, detoxification, regulation of blood pressure and maintaining minerals level, etc. But unknowingly or carelessly, people continue to carry out certain bad habits that can easily damage your kidneys.

To keep your kidneys healthy always, here are some of the bad habits that you need to avoid.

Excessive Alcohol Intake

Alcohol is consumed by people all around the globe. Although, people might find drinking a good way to celebrate or relax, yet they don’t always realize the right amount of alcohol to be consumed. It has been found in research that regularly drinking more than 4 drinks a day can cause chronic kidney disease. Presence of toxins in alcoholic drinks is the main reason behind this. This is why it is recommended to avoid drinking alcohol or making it an occasional habit.

Taking Painkillers In Excess

Painkillers are one of the most commonly taken medicines by people all around the world. While a painkiller might ease up your pain, but you are not aware of the damage they are causing internally to your body. These include common OTC anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, aspirin, etc. Excessive intake of these kinds of painkillers can easily cause serious damage to your kidneys and kidney-failure too. This might happen due to the blockage in the blood flow, causing the proper functioning of kidneys to deteriorate.

Excessive Salt & Sugar Consumption

Salt is surely an essential taste-maker for most of the foods and drinks, but excessive intake of it can prove harmful for your kidneys. Salty foods are responsible for the sodium content in our body and our kidneys are responsible for metabolizing the sodium. Therefore, a higher intake of salty foods can give rise to the amount of sodium in our body. Ultimately, this will lead to the deterioration in the functioning of your kidneys & water retention will increase in the body, causing high BP (Blood Pressure).

On the other hand, excessive sugar intake can cause health issues like high BP, obesity, and diabetes. These health problems are the biggest known reasons for kidney failure.

Holding Your Pee For Too Long

Resisting the urge to urinate is one of the most common mistakes that most people keep making. This might happen due to an unwanted situation or just the laziness to get up & pee. But this can lead to serious kidney problems like Urinary Infection, Hydronephrosis (risen urinary pressure on kidneys), Urinary Incontinence, Renal Impairment, Multiplied Bacterial Growth, etc. Therefore, it is always advisable to empty your urinary bladder immediately when you get the urge to pee.

Sitting For Too Long

A major percentage of working people often have jobs that involve sitting continuously for several hours. It has been found in research that regular physical activities and exercise help in improving blood pressure and glucose metabolism in our body. Both these help in maintaining proper health & functioning of the kidneys. Therefore, you need to exercise and take a walk regularly. If you have a sitting job for 6-8 hours, then you need to take a break in between & walk around for at least a few minutes.

Extreme Workout

It has been observed that many people start working out extremely to get faster results. But one thing that they don’t realize is that excessive workout can lead to muscle injury and cause Rhabdomyolysis. In this condition, the dead fiber content can directly run into your bloodstreams, causing serious problems like kidney failure. Thus, if are following an excessive workout routine and you notice continuous muscle-ache and dark-colored pee, then consult a doctor right now.

Drinking Insufficient Water

The most important function performed by our kidneys is to flush out all the metabolic wastes from our body. This includes the removal of toxins and sodium through the urine. To keep the kidneys healthy, every person needs to drink at least 1.5 to 2 liters of water daily. But if you don’t drink enough amount of water daily, it can lead to severe kidney problems like the development of kidney stones. Also, it is essential to drink water in its original form as consumption of other drinks doesn’t count as water. If your urine is dark-colored, it can be a sign of a kidney problem and thus, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible.

Lack Of Sleep

This might come as a surprise to many people, but your sleep & wake cycles can directly affect the health & functioning of your kidneys. On average, everyone needs to sleep for 6 to 8 hours every night to keep your kidneys as well as your whole body healthy. Proper sleep helps in regulating the functioning of the kidneys and also, renews the kidney tissues. Improper sleep can cause blockage in the arteries and thus, restricting the blood flow to cause high BP. Eventually, this can lead to kidney failure.

Consumption Of Diet Soda & Caffeine Drinks

In research, it has been proven that regular consumption of diet soda & soft drinks can lead to deterioration in the functioning of the kidneys. The main reason behind this is the presence of caffeine in these drinks. Caffeine is known to cause high BP (blood pressure) and it can overload your kidneys. Thus, regular consumption of these beverages can result in various kidney problems.

Processed Foods

Processed foods are rich in phosphorus and sodium. As the kidneys are responsible for the metabolizing the sodium, excessive intake of it can overload the kidneys and deteriorate their functioning. Moreover, too much phosphorus intake can cause harm to the kidneys as well as bones. Therefore, one should avoid such foods and follow a DASH diet to keep your kidneys healthy.

Smoking

Smoking cigarettes is not only good for your heart & lungs but also your kidneys. It has been medically found that regular smokers are more likely to have protein content in their urine. This is a clear symptom of kidney damage. So it is advisable to quit smoking or prevent over-smoking to avoid kidney damage.

Ignoring Cold, Flu & Other Common Infections

This is surely one of the most common mistakes that everyone keeps making without knowing the consequences. During common bacterial infections such as Cold, Flu, Cough & Tonsillitis, our body generates proteins (antibodies) to fight the infection. The protein molecules usually settle in the kidney filters, causing inflammation. Therefore, prolonged exposure to these common infections can severely damage your kidneys. So, it is really important to look after these infections as soon as possible through OTC antibiotics.

Too Much Meat Consumption

Although, meat is an excellent source of protein, yet eating too much meat can be harmful to your kidneys. The main reason behind this is that animal meat can produce large amounts of acid in the body. This can further lead to Acidosis i.e. inability of the kidneys to remove acid in the requisite time. Therefore, everyone needs to have a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables & meat.

That’s A Wrap!

To always keep your kidneys healthy, these are the top 13 common habits that you need to break as soon as possible.

13 Most Common Habits That Can Easily Damage Your Kidneys

By Forever Expert

Kidneys damage