Every day our minds process tons of information, our bodies perform thousands of actions. Living in this hectic world makes it much easier to miss some messages your body sends you. And the consequences of not communicating and responding to these signals can be dramatic.
We made a list of signs that Early warning signs your kidneys aren’t working as well as they should. How many of these signals has your body been sending to you?
Symptoms Of Kidney Problems
8. Trouble Sleeping
When the kidneys are not working properly, it means that toxins cannot leave the body through urine and remain in the blood. Increased toxin levels make sleep difficult. That is why, when you sleep less, you increase the chances of kidney function decline.
People with chronic kidney disease most often suffer from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes one or more pauses in breathing when you sleep.
These breaks can last anywhere from a few seconds to a minute. After each pause, normal breathing returns with a loud snort. Continuous heavy snoring indicates that it is time to see a doctor.
7. Headaches, Fatigue And General Weakness
Healthy and functional kidneys convert vitamin D in our bodies to keep bones strong and produce a hormone called erythropoietin (EPO). This hormone plays an important role in the production of red blood cells.
When the kidneys do not function properly, they produce less EPO. The decrease in red blood cells (those that carry oxygen) results in rapid fatigue of the muscles and brain.
Warning: It is common for people with chronic kidney disease to have anemia. Anemia can start to progress when someone has 20% to 50% of normal kidney function.
If you are getting enough rest and sleep, but continue to experience tiredness, low energy levels, and general weakness, see your doctor without delay.
6. Having Dry And Itchy Skin
Healthy kidneys do a tremendous job, removing extra waste and fluids from your blood, helping to make red blood cells, and keeping the right amount of minerals in your body.
Itchy skin and dry skin indicate that the kidneys fail to maintain the proper balance of minerals and nutrients, which can lead to kidney and bone disease.
5. Experiencing Bad Breath And Metallic Taste
When waste builds up in the blood, it changes the taste of food and leaves a metallic taste in your mouth. Having bad breath is another sign of having too many toxins and contamination in the bloodstream.
Furthermore, you may stop wanting meat and lose your appetite overall, which can lead to harmful weight loss.
Warning: There are several reasons why foods can taste metallic (from allergies to oral health issues). Generally, the metallic taste in the mouth should go away if the underlying cause has been treated. If the flavor continues to appear, you should contact your doctor.
4. Shortness Of Breath
The relationship between kidney disease and shortness of breath, especially after a little effort, is caused by two factors. First, the extra fluid in the body moves to the lungs when the kidneys are not working properly. Second, anemia deprives the body of oxygen, and this results in shortness of breath.
Warning: There are several reasons for shortness of breath, from kidney failure to asthma to lung cancer or heart failure. If you are constantly out of breath after making very little effort, contact your doctor immediately.
3. Having Back Pain
Kidney failure can cause back pain that is usually deep and lies just below the rib cage. It can be felt in front of the groin or hip region.
Back and leg pain can be caused by kidney cysts, which are large fluid-filled sacs formed in children and are the result of polycystic kidney disease.
Tip: Back pain caused by kidney failure is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, high body temperature, and frequent urination.
Normal back pain that has no correlation with the kidneys behaves differently: the pain is more localized and occurs suddenly, there is no fever.
If you continue to have back pain and pain relief pills are not effective, see your doctor.
2. High Blood Pressure
Your circulatory system and kidneys depend on each other. The kidneys have small nephrons that filter waste and extra fluids from the blood.
If the blood vessels are damaged, the nephrons that filter your blood do not receive enough oxygen and nutrients. That is why high blood pressure is the second leading cause of kidney failure.
Tip: learn to control your high blood pressure to avoid kidney failure. Add foods rich in folic acid, as it is involved in the production of red blood cells and can help prevent anemia.
1. Changes In Urination
Your kidneys are responsible for the production of urine and the elimination of waste through it. Changes in the frequency, odor, color, and appearance of urine should not be ignored. Common types of changes include:
Increased need to urinate, especially at night. Anywhere between 4 and 10 times a day is considered normal.
Seeing blood in the urine. Healthy kidneys filter waste from the blood to make urine, but if the filter is damaged, blood cells can begin to “leak” into the urine.
Having foamy urine. Bubbles in the urine, especially those that require you to wash several times until they disappear, indicate that there are unwanted proteins in the urine.
Have you ever had a kidney problem? Share your experience in the comments.
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