How to Keep Your Kidneys Healthy | Tennessee Valley Urology Center

Reminders to take care of your kidneys aren’t as strong in the medical world as reminders to take care of things like your heart health, but we’d argue that taking care of your kidneys is just as important!

In fact, kidney health and cardiovascular health are more connected than you might think. As you get older, you are more likely to suffer from kidney and urinary tract problems, and these problems can also increase the risk of other conditions such as cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) disease.

In short, the healthier your kidneys are, the healthier you are!

Ways to Keep Your Kidneys Healthy

High blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of kidney failure are some of the biggest risk factors for developing a future kidney disease, but it’s still equally as important to take care of these critical organs if you don’t have any of these common risk factors.

  • Stay a healthy amount hydrated. If you are worried about your kidney health, over-hydration won’t actually help. Aim to drink around 1.7 liters of water a day, which is about seven glasses full.

  • Eat healthy. Most kidney problems stem from other medical conditions, like high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Because of this, implementing and maintaining healthy eating habits like controlling your intake of processed foods will help control your weight and blood pressure, thus resulting in good kidney health.

  • Avoid a sedentary lifestyle and exercise regularly. Exercising often provides the same kinds of benefits as eating healthy foods: It helps to keep weight and blood pressure at bay to promote good kidney health. If you are new to exercise, however, be careful to avoid overexerting yourself.

  • Quit or refrain from smoking. Smoking damages blood vessels, which decreases the flow of blood in the kidneys. When your kidneys don’t have adequate blood flow, they can’t function at optimal levels. Additionally, smoking also increases the risk of high blood pressure as well as the risk of kidney cancer.

Tennessee Valley Urology Center is dedicated to providing the proper urological care to get you feeling better than ever! If you are concerned about your urological health or have any other questions about kidney health, don’t hesitate to call us or make an appointment today.