Imagine what happens when your kitchen pipes are clogged. It’s exactly what would happen to your body if your kidneys aren’t functioning properly. Kidneys are vital organs in the human body that carry out essential tasks in order to maintain good health. Maintaining the health of your kidneys is essential to your overall well-being.
Kidney failure is one of the most severe conditions that one can suffer from. When your kidneys give up, you need to undergo dialysis. If not managed well, it can be life threatening. So, why risk it? It’s a barter: Take care of your kidneys and they will take care of you.
What can you do to keep your kidneys happy? Here’s 5 golden rules to follow:
1. Keep Active & Fit:
Staying on your feet will help in maintaining an ideal body weight which in turn maintains your blood pressure. Checking your BMI is the best way to monitor weight and maintain it at a healthy level. Moderate-intensity exercises like jogging, swimming and yoga for 20-30 mins every day is needed for proper health. Building a good immune system will ensure good health and also prevent many diseases.
2. Stay Hydrated:
Help your kidneys to function properly by consuming enough fluids. Prevent dehydration by taking notice of how concentrated (yellow) your urine is and accordingly drink the right amount of liquids. Taking into consideration your location, weather conditions and health conditions and modify your water diet. Eat enough fruits and vegetables along with water to maintain healthy levels of water intake. But, keep in mind not to over hydrate your body and stress your kidneys as it may lead to hyponatremia, a condition that is very harmful. Balancing your fluid intake levels by customising it to your convenience and needs is of high importance.
3. Maintain healthy diet:
A balanced diet ensures your body gets all the nutrients for proper functioning. Avoid consuming a lot of salted foods and limit the intake of fatty food. Add an apple to your daily diet. Kidney beans are good for your kidneys. Along with which sweet potatoes and dark green leafy vegetables can be a beneficial addition to kidney health. A healthy diet helps in maintaining body weight, improves your immune system, optimises blood pressure, prevents diabetes and cardiovascular diseases which can ultimately lead to kidney disease. In addition to this, also keep in mind not to take pills like ibuprofen and naproxen regularly for a long period of time. This can cause kidney damage. If unavoidable, discuss the prescriptions and health conditions with your doctor.
4. Keep your blood pressure in check:
A healthy practice, in general, is to get your blood pressure checked at regular intervals. This way, any abnormalities can be detected at the initial stages and appropriately treated. Everyone knows that high blood pressure is the cause of strokes and heart attacks, but it also leads to kidney diseases. Anything above 130/85 needs care. Bring it to the notice of a doctor if you’re suffering from any conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol and heart diseases, which can be associated with kidney damage.
5. Refrain from smoking, drinking or doing drugs:
Smoking is considered to be the cause of many health conditions, among which kidney cancer is also one. Smoking affects kidneys by slowing down the flow of blood meddling with normal functioning ability. This damages the blood vessels as well as disrupting your normal health. Smoking and drinking increase your blood pressure which is one of the main causes of kidney disease. Alcohol consumption also reduces the kidney’s ability to filter blood. Alcohol dehydrates your body in turn affecting the kidneys.
If you’re suffering from health conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes or obesity, get your doctor to check for kidney dysfunction regularly. Take necessary measures to prevent your kidneys from getting damaged. Be mindful of getting treated for common diseases that can harm your kidneys. Make it a priority to focus on keeping your kidneys in good shape by maintaining a healthy lifestyle.