The National Kidney Foundation reveals that more than 90,000 Americans die of kidney disease every year. The number is higher compared to that of both prostate and breast cancer. Needless to say, our kidneys are very important in living a long, healthy life. You can keep them healthy and prevent kidney disease by making even small changes in your sleep habits and diet.
Replace Salt With Herbs
Food tastes better with the addition of salt, but the balance in our blood can also be upset because of it. Our kidneys need to work much harder in removing water from our bodies. The Journal of Clinical Hypertension carried out research in 2018 which proved that too much salt intake can directly cause kidney disease. Limiting sodium intake to a teaspoon per day is recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), but the average American consumes three times as much.
Limit Your Intake Of Painkillers
The New England Journal of Medicine did a study which found that each year, 5,000 kidney failure cases in America result from heavy use of painkillers, such as Advil or Tylenol. It is most dangerous to take a painkiller after you have been fasting. Painkillers are bad because they cause a reduction in the blood going to the kidneys, which after some time, can cause significant stress on your kidneys. However, popping an occasional painkiller for a backache or headache is generally okay.