Habits That Can Affect Your Kidneys Badly

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, located against the back muscles in the upper abdominal cavity just below the rib cage, one on each side of the spine. Primary function of the kidneys is to remove excess water from the body. 
To stay healthy, it is essential to keep the kidneys functioning properly.

Here is a list of 10 common habits that can harm your kidneys.

Lack of Water

Maintenance of good hydration is the most important factor for the kidneys to perform in proper way. But if you don’t consume enough water toxins and wastes cannot be able to flush out completely from your body.

Smoking

Smoking increases your heart rate, narrows the blood vessels in your kidneys, damages arterial branches, and causes arteriosclerosis in the renal arteries.

Smoking can affect medicines used to treat high blood pressure. Uncontrolled or poorly controlled high blood pressure is a leading cause of kidney disease. Smoking slows the blood flow to important organs like the kidneys and can make kidney disease worse.

Constantly Holding Urine

Nature’s call is meant to be answered in a regular, timely manner and if you don’t answer it on time, your body and kidneys particularly retain all the toxins meant to be expelled which actually lead to kidney failure.

The constant holding of urine can also lead to kidney stones.

Excessive use of Sugar

We all know that excessive use of sugar is not good for our health.

Sugar contributes to obesity which increases your risk of developing high blood pressure and diabetes, two of the leading causes of kidney disease. 
In addition, having excess sweet foods like desserts, candy, chocolates, packaged snacks and sodas can also affect your kidneys badly.

Eating too much Animal Proteins

Excessive protein, especially from red meat sources, in your diet increases the risk of kidney damage. 
Too much red meat boost metabolic load on kidneys.

Animal protein generates high amounts of acid in the blood that can be harmful to the kidneys and cause acidosis.

When you eat a lot of protein, the kidney goes into an overdrive mode and begins hyper filtration which directly leads to kidney damage.

Excessive use of Salt

Consumption of too much salt can lead to hypertension and kidney damage.

High levels of sodium in your diet, whether in the form of salt in your cooking or more commonly through hidden sources, are potentially problematic, especially if you have a tendency for hypertension.

Sleep Deprivation

Kidney function and sleep cycles are closely linked. Not sleeping enough is connected to a rapid decrease in kidney function. Poor sleep also affects the heart and insulin levels

If the quality of your sleep is not good, it could block your arteries which raise your blood pressure.

The kidneys are two hard-working organs in the body which can suffer from the long-term consequences of poor sleep.

Deficiency in Vitamins and Minerals

The health of our organs depends on what we eat and that goes for the kidneys as well. Therefore, lack of nutrients (vitamins and minerals) such as Mg and B6 will decrease the kidneys function.

A study indicates that a deficiency in vitamins B6 and D increases the risk of kidney damage and stones. This study also claims that magnesium is a very important mineral for the body. Without it, the body cannot get rid of excess calcium and this causes kidney stones.

Excessive use of Caffeine

The excess amount of caffeine puts a great stress on the kidneys.
A research study proved that long-term drinking of too much caffeine would lead to chronic kidney failure because it increases blood pressure and puts a lot of strain on the organ.

Drinking Alcohol in Excess

Only one drink a day can significantly impact the kidneys and liver.

Alcohol is extremely dehydrating, and an excess level of alcohol in your body can cause your organs to be inadequately hydrated and hamper their performance.