
25. Not sleeping enough.
Sleep is vital for the whole body. It gives a chance for the organs, muscles, and tissue a chance to regenerate and recharge. The kidneys are no different. They use the âdowntime’ while sleeping to process excess fluids and rest before the next day’s activities. The circadian clock is the body’s biorhythm pattern that distinguishes between sleep and wakefulness. The kidney is programmed to function differently during the night as the demands on it are different. It seems that there is a correlation between declining kidney function and a lack of sleep in women. A study was conducted by researchers at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Sleep-deprived women were shown to experience a more rapid decline in kidney function.

Those who got 5 hours’ sleep or less a night had a 65% higher risk of rapid kidney function decline. That was in comparison with women who were getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night. What concerns academics is that, over the last 20 years, the average amount of sleep people get has decreased. About 20 years ago, an average night’s sleep consisted of 8 hours. In more recent years, it’s declined to 6.5 hours. Moreover, it’s expected to decrease even further. At this stage, experts recommend that adults get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. The study did not prove that sleeping longer improves kidney function. Nor did it establish whether changing your sleeping pattern to include more rest would reverse kidney damage.