you’re able to take steps to improve your kidney health.

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1.

Without the correct balance, nerves, muscles, and other tissues in your body may not work normally.

A person drinking water from a sports water bottle outdoors

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How much water you need depends on your age, body weight, and other factors.

Water needs can also increase when you sweat a lot in hot weather or while exercising.

Speak with your healthcare provider.

Stay Active

Good physical health is linked to good kidney health.

Exercise helps by increasing circulation through the kidneys, keeping blood vessels flexible.

It also increasessensitivity to insulin, lowering blood sugar.

People with and without CKD are advised to engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.

Exercise can be broken into 25- to 30-minute sessions, so you work out most days of the week.

Exercise is moderate-intensity when you are breathing harder than normal and can talk but not sing during exercise.

Diet plays an important role in mitigating these risks.

This would involve:

Additional changes may be needed if yourkidney functionis decreasing.

Manage Your Weight

Having obesityis associated with all three main risk factors for kidney disease.

With a BMI of 35 and greater, the risk increases by as much as sevenfold.

To this end, the best way to avoid kidney disease is to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Rapid weight loss can lead to a greater loss of lean muscle mass compared to body fat.

This can speed up the progression of CKD rather than slow it down.

Watch Your Blood Sugar

Diabetesis the leading cause of CKD.

Even with treatment, diabetic nephropathy remains the most common cause ofend-stage kidney disease.

With that said, having diabetes does not mean that you are destined to have CKD.

Can a Kidney Cleanse Help?

Maintain a Healthy Blood Pressure

Hypertension(high blood pressure) is the second leading cause of CKD.

In the United States, nearly one of every two adultsroughly 108 million peoplemeet the diagnostic criteria for hypertension.

Hypertension places extreme stress on blood vessels, causing them to narrow and stiffen.

This vicious cycle can continue, eventually leading tokidney failure.

Stress management can also help.

A 2021 review of studies reported that mindfulness-based stress reduction is especially useful in lowering your diastolic blood pressure.

This includes practices likemeditation,guided imagery, anddiaphragmatic (“belly”) breathing.

Avoid Taking OTC Pain Medication Too Often

Certain medications can harm the kidneys.

NSAIDs work by blocking hormone-like compounds calledprostaglandinsthat trigger inflammation and pain in the body.

Prostaglandins also triggervasodilation(the widening of blood vessels), which the body uses to regulate blood pressure.

If NSAIDs are overused, the inhibition of prostaglandins can prevent vasodilation.

This, in turn, can decrease blood flow to the point whereacute kidney failurecan occur.

Always use the lowest possible dose.If given a prescription NSAID, use the drug exactly as prescribed.

Certain medications safe for most people may be less safe for people with CKD.

These includeantibiotics, which may require a dose adjustment to avoid kidney injury.

Stop Smoking

Cigarettes are linked to an increased risk of CKD and a faster progression to end-stage kidney disease.

While quitting cigarettes can be difficult, numerous smoking cessation aids are available to help.

The renal function test consists of blood and urine tests that evaluate how well your kidneys are functioning.

What Happens When Kidney Function Gets Worse?

If caught early, medical and lifestyle changes may help slow or prevent CKD progression.

Some are infectious, while others aremetabolic,autoimmune, orcongenital(meaning something you are born with).

In rare cases, cancer may be involved.

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