Hydration is one of the latest fads. If we’re guessing right, almost every influencer would’ve told you by now that hydration should be one of your daily life goals.
Now, what if we tell you that you’re missing out on one more important life goal?
Nope! It’s not earning money or taking care of mental health. It’s kidney health. Yep, you’ve read it right. Kidney health is a very important component of your daily health.
Curious to know why? Read ahead.
1. Why is Kidney Health Important?
Let’s say that you have an important day tomorrow.
You have your clothes pressed, your shoes polished, and your other important things prepped and ready. But as soon as you wake up, your stomach is upset and you are nauseous.
This might be a sign that your kidneys are malfunctioning. Now because your stomach is upset and you’re feeling nauseous.
You can’t think straight, you’ll be feeling pukish, you might be experiencing mild fatigue, etc. (1)
What now? Your important day is ruined.
This is proof that even if everything else is sorted, including your fitness and mental health, taking care of your kidneys is equally important.
Image Credits: News18
Now let’s dig deeper into why kidney health is important.
Your kidneys are one of the vital organs and their function is to remove wastes and toxic fluids from your body.
It maintains the bodily balance of salts, minerals, and water content in humans. (2)
They’re crucial for your blood pressure and blood composition. They also ensure that most of the toxic waste is eliminated from your body.
A vital organ such as the kidney can also be weakened at times due to multiple factors. These can range from minor kidney pain to gastrointestinal issues.
But can being dehydrated cause kidney pain? Let’s find out ahead.
2. Signs that your kidney is not healthy
Before we dig into what causes kidney dehydration, let’s look at a few signs that show that your kidney is not really in its best condition.
You might observe the following symptoms if your kidney is not healthy (3)
- Urinating too much or too less
- Fatigue or weakness
- Nausea
- High Blood Pressure
- Itchy Skin
- Chest pain
- Loss of appetite
Image Credits: Healthians Blog
3. Do you have to consult a doctor?
There is a fair chance that you might experience one or more of these symptoms due to other reasons as well.
But if you are experiencing any of the symptoms in severity, an expert opinion definitely helps. Moreover, in multiple cases, early detection of a kidney disease helped in curing it sooner. (3)
There might also be other factors that can make you vulnerable to kidney disease. If you are aware of such conditions, consult a healthcare expert and ask if any tests are necessary to avoid kidney problems.
If you’re experiencing kidney pain it’s likely that your kidneys are not healthy and need help. Is it because of lack of water causing kidney pain?
4. Causes of Kidney Pain: Reasons behind your kidney problems
The following are the reasons you might be experiencing mild or severe kidney pain
Kidney infection
A kidney infection might occur due to an infection outbreak from the bladder to the kidney. In most cases, there might be a blockage in the urinary tract which might cause the bacteria to pile up and cause an infection.
In other cases, a faulty urinary tract can cause the urine to flow backward and cause the bacteria to spread infection in the kidney.
Kidney Stones
Kidney stones are an accumulation of solids such as minerals and toxic wastes which are formed inside the kidneys.
They are said to be formed due to constant malfunction and ill function of the kidneys. Some even say that dehydration causes kidney pain due to kidney stones.
Image source: My Upchar
RECOMMENDED READING: Best Tea For Kidney Stones
Urinary Tract Infection
A urinary tract infection is caused by bacteria formed inside the urinary system. It can cause severe pain or dysuria in the urethra. Other symptoms can include cloudy urine, painful urination, and fatigue.
Polycystic Kidney Disease
Polycystic kidney disease is a condition where sacs of fluid are formed inside your kidneys causing the kidney to malfunction. These sacs are also known as cysts which eventually grow and hinder the functioning of the kidneys.
Renal Cancer
In rare cases, the reason behind your kidney pain might be renal failure caused by renal cancer.
Renal cancer (also known as renal cell carcinoma) is one of the most found kidney cancers. It can be found in people who are usually in their late 60s or late 70s.
Common symptoms include blood in the urine, pain in the lower back, formation of a lump in the side just near the kidney.
5. Is kidney pain alarming?
Kidney pain is one of the first found symptoms of a weak kidney. But the question remains: How serious is a kidney issue?
Usually, kidney pain is an alarm sign that you need to consult your doctor. But minor pains can be treated by taking proper care of your body.
In either case, a doctor appointment is definitely beneficial because early detection of a kidney disorder can help you cure it sooner as well.
If you’re looking for a checklist to cross out for symptoms of serious kidney damage, here you go:
- Discolored Urine
- Painful urination
- Bleeding while urinating
- Frequent or no urination at all
- Noticing chunks of solid in the urine
- Fatigue
When you’re experiencing these symptoms, it’s a sign that you require immediate medical attention. Get tested and wait for your healthcare expert to suggest a course to revive your kidney health.
Image source: Valley County Health System
6. Does Dehydration Cause Kidney Pain: What’s the connection?
To put it forth in the simplest way possible, almost every part of your body requires sufficient amounts of water to function properly.
Why? Different parts utilize water differently, In kidneys, water is vital to remove wastes from your body in the form of urine.
Image Credits: Unsplash
So what happens when you don’t drink enough water?
Can dehydration cause kidney problems? Absolutely!
The water acts as a carrier of nutrients in your body. It helps you transport the nutrients from one place to another. This is also why you feel weak and fatigued when you don’t drink enough water.
It is also true that extreme dehydration causes kidney pain. Research shows that continuous dehydration can also lead to chronic kidney damage. (5)
7. Importance of water: Why does lack of water cause kidney pain
Now for the question of the read: How does drinking less water cause kidney problems?
The answer is simple. It is the water that flushes out all the toxic waste from your body.
It includes wastes and acids that need to be pumped out either through sweat or urine. Due to lack of an outlet, this waste piles up inside your body.
Now imagine large quantities of waste just stuck inside your body waiting to be disposed of. Where does all of this go? It piles up as stones or blockages. These can be kidney stones or can block your urinary tract. (6)
The result? Accumulation of kidney stones leads to a faulty excretory system. Another impact is the formation of urinary tract infections due to blockages in your urinary tract.
Both of these consequences lead to kidney damage and ultimately kidney failure.
8. How do you add more water to your diet?
Back to the influencers again.
You must’ve also taken note of people suggesting hydration reminders and 2 litre water bottles by your side to stay hydrated.
Again, we’re going to suggest a few ways that you might rarely find. Keep reading.
Detox juices
The good old detox juices. But aren’t these for detox? Will they help in hydration? They will. There are various detox juices that are helpful in maintaining everyday hydration.
Image Credits: Unsplash
There are also kidney detox juices which are helpful in both ways by nourishing your kidneys and also hydrating you.
Some of the famous kidney detox juices are Kidney Cleansing Green Juice, Kidney Flush Juice, and many more.
RECOMMENDED READING: Kidney Detox Juice Recipes
Exercising
Right. But doesn’t exercise drain you out of water? True. Exercising drains a lot of fluids from your body. But it also makes you more thirsty and acts as a constant reminder to drink water.
Image Credits: Unsplash
Exercising also flushes out the leftover and accumulated fluids by causing your sweat glands to expand.
Snacking
Good old snacks. But what exactly are you supposed to consume? Citrus fruits make a great snack especially when you are trying to stay hydrated. You can add options to your plate such as oranges, kiwis etc
Image Credits: Unsplash
You can even try out salad options with a mix of strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber etc.
Image source: Weekly Bite
RECOMMENDED READING: Foods Good For Liver And Kidney
Cutting out Caffeine and Alcohol
Caffeine and alcohol are major culprits in draining the water out of your body. It is important that you restrict alcohol whilst you are trying to stay hydrated.
Image Credits: Unsplash
If you’re craving for something, you can try out healthier alternatives such as detox juices, kidney detox smoothie, and lemon water.
As an alternative to coffee, you can try kidney detox tea.
RECOMMENDED READING: Can Coffee Cause Kidney Pain?
9. Precautions while you are dealing with kidney pain due to dehydration
In very few cases the kidney pain can be evaded by taking the correct precautions.
Few of these precautions are.
- Immediate Hydration
- Consuming a calcium rich diet
- Cutting down on sodium-rich foods
- Avoiding Vitamin-C supplements
- Consuming healthy snacks instead of hard to digest food.
- Trying out a juice diet
This can be done in rare cases where the pain is still in its initial stages. However in every possible case, a doctor’s appointment should be mandatory.
Image Credits: Very well health
Have more queries about kidney cleanse? Use our guides to the following topics for support:
1. Can Stomach Pain Cause Kidney Problems?
2. Can Turmeric Cause Kidney Pain?
3. Can Eating Disorders Cause Kidney Problems?
5.Whey Protein Side Effects Kidney
6. Can Energy Drinks Cause Kidney Problems?
10. Wrapping up!
If you’re a millennial stuck in a busy life with a poorly hydrated lifestyle, you need to change the way you’re working.
Turn your life around by staying hydrated. For someone who is already dealing with kidney pain, a healthcare expert is the first person you should see and consult. You’ll soon be out of danger with the required medication and treatment.
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