How to keep your kidneys stress-free?

Verified by: Dr. Amolkumar Patil, Senior Consultant Urology, Uro- Oncology, Kidney Transplant & Robotic Surgery, Clinical Lead – Maharashtra Region Urology, Kidney Transplant, Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai
Dr. Ravindra Nikalji, Consultant Nephrology & Kidney Transplant Surgery, Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai

“Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day!” All of us have heard about this tip from near and dear ones. Water helps to keep our kidneys functioning optimally. But is water enough to keep your kidney’s healthy and stress-free?

Stress can damage your kidneys too. Symptoms like feeling tired all the time, stressed, dry and itchy skin, swelling in ankles and feet, etc., are potential signs of stress to the kidneys. Learn about some important aspects of keeping your kidneys stress-free.

Tips for healthy individuals

Individuals with no-known history of kidney disease can adapt the following measures to prevent kidney damage from daily stresses.

• Monitor and maintain optimal body weight. Aim for some form of exercise for 5 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes. Monitor your sugar and blood pressure levels through regular health check-ups.
• Choose a healthy mix of food ingredients of your choice but make sure they create a healthy nutritional balance as per your body’s needs. Consult a dietician for a customised diet plan for kidney health.
• Set a sleep routine: One should aim for 7-8 hours of sleep every day with a fixed schedule of sleep and wake time.
• Stop smoking: Individuals with smoking habits must gently taper the habit off and as for others- Do not begin!

Tips for individuals with kidney disease

• Obesity makes an individual prone to diabetes and high blood pressure which can lead to kidney failure. Aim for a healthy maintenance of body weight which will help support your kidneys.
• Those with pre-existing diabetes and high blood pressure need to maintain an optimal health status with medications, diet and exercise to avoid stresses to their kidneys.
• Limit or avoid the consumption of food ingredients that are rich in potassium, sodium and phosphorus if you are on dialysis. Consultation with a dietician is highly recommended.
• Aim for less than 2300 milligrams (1 tablespoon) of sodium(salt) consumption every day.
• Individuals who are advised dialysis must keep up to their dialysis schedule and follow up regularly with your doctor. One must undergo a routine urine albumin test as advised by the treating doctor to monitor the status of the kidney.

Facilities for kidney health at Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai

Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai offers a wide range of services for individuals with kidney disease.

• Health check packages for a comprehensive analysis of the kidneys.
• Dietician Consultation for a customised diet plan for kidney disease.
• Dialysis Units: Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai houses the most advanced Dialysis units with provision for Nocturnal Haemodialysis, Short daily Haemodialysis, Peritoneal Haemodialysis, and Paediatric Haemodialysis. We also provide Haemodialysis at the convenience of your home.
• Kidney transplant at Apollo Hospitals: The Centres of Nephrology and Urology here have a sizeable and comprehensive renal transplant program, having performed both living donor and cadaveric transplants. The Centres also perform minimally invasive surgery for renal donors thereby minimising post-operative recovery time and hospitalisation. The transplant team performs highly complicated transplants with a good success rate including ABO-incompatible (across blood groups) transplants in highly sensitised patients and paediatric kidney transplants.