The health complications that come with stress, if not handled properly, could lead to kidney damage, and as such, there is a connection between the renal system and the way you manage your stress levels. This shows how interconnected the human body is.
In this piece, we shall look at how stress relates to overall health, stress impacts the health and kidneys, tips on stress management, and the positive effect of renal health.
Stress and the Overall Health
As implied earlier, stress could trigger a plethora of health complications such as depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and the like. Typically, the human body experiences stress from time to time as a result of so many reasons such as everyday tasks and responsibilities like work, family, and so on.
As much as stress has its downsides, it also has a plus side on an immediate and short-term basis. It is quite effective in allowing you to manage very serious situations. By default, the body reacts to stress by releasing hormones that enhance breathing and heart beating levels, eventually preparing the muscles to respond adequately.
However, if the stress response is not halted, and the high-stress levels retain their pace longer than needed, it can have quite a negative effect on your body. Chronic stress could be really life-threatening if not properly treated, and it negatively affects various body systems such as the central nervous system, the endocrine system, the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system, the digestive system, and many others.
How Can Stress Impact Your Health and Kidneys?
Stress has been linked to several morphological and physiological alterations or changes in different body organs, especially the renal system. Chronic stress could result in kidney damage. Given the fact one of the kidneys’ functions is blood-filtering, they are prone to problems related to blood circulation.
Scientific studies indicate that high blood sugar and high blood pressure are quite burdensome on the functionality of your kidneys. Thus, people who suffer from such health deficiencies have a high tendency of developing kidney diseases. In addition, if such a person is experiencing chronic stress, the body’s natural reaction to stress could be quite “serious” Thus, you should cut down on your sugar consumption and drink enough water to aid the functionality of your kidneys. Having enough water in the body ensures the renal system does not struggle in filtering the circulating blood, passing out excrement, and the like.
Tips to Manage Stress
Maintain Good Nutrition and Physical Exercise
Good nutrition and consistent physical exercise are good ways to manage stress. When your body is healthy, so will be your mind. It has been proven that physical exercise greatly relieves stress and also improves your overall quality of life. Nutrition on the other hand is quite important as vitamins such as A, C, B complex and E can be depleted by stress.
Connect with People
Naturally, humans are social beings. To feel supported, it is necessary to connect with people. Finding a sense of community whether at your place of work or a religious organization is vital to your well-being. Enjoying quality time and shared activities with people could help to foster relationships that would help you in difficult times.
Practice Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is an amazing way to reduce the activation of your body’s sympathetic nervous system which controls the response of your body to a perceived threat. When deep breaths are taken into a count of 5 seconds, held for 2 seconds, and then released to count another five seconds, your parasympathetic nervous system is activated. This helps to relieve anxiety and stress.
The Effect of Better Kidney Health on the Body
Healthy kidneys are one of the most important organs in the human body. One of the main roles of the kidney is maintaining homeostasis. This means that they help to manage electrolyte balance, fluid levels, and other factors that help keep the body’s internal system consistent and comfortable. Other effects of a healthy kidney are:
Waste Excretion
The kidneys help to remove several waste products and get rid of them in the urine. Two major waste products the kidney relieves the body of are urea and uric acid.
Regulation of Blood Pressure
When necessary, the kidney helps to regulate blood pressure. However, they are also responsible for slower adjustments. This means that they adjust long-term pressure by causing some changes in the fluid outside the cells.
Secretion of Active Compounds
The kidneys are also responsible for the release of several important compounds the body requires. Some of them are erythropoietin which aids the production of red blood cells, renin which manages arteries expansion as well as the volume of blood plasma, interstitial fluid, and lymph, calcitriol which increases the amount of calcium that can be absorbed by the intestines.
Regulation of PH
Kidneys also make sure that the blood plasma doesn’t become too acidic or basic by regulating ions.
Osmolarity Regulation
The kidneys also keep extracellular fluids from becoming too dilute or too concentrated concerning the solutes the fluid carries.
Final Thoughts
The human body is interconnected and the management of stress is linked to the utmost functionality of the renal system. It is best you keep to the tips for stress management and also keep a highly natural diet. As much as working out, taking long periods to rest properly, and staying hydrated are quite helpful, eating more natural foods than artificial is quite beneficial to the renal system, and the overall health of the body.
