Why Staying Hydrated Is Important for Kidney Health

Your kidneys are two organs about the size of a fist that are located just below your rib cage on either side of your spine. The kidneys play a crucial role in maintaining your overall health – and if they are damaged your health can suffer, so you want to make sure to keep them healthy. For instance, they act as a filter to remove waste from your body, help control your blood pressure and help produce red blood cells, which carry oxygen from your lungs to other areas of your body. They also make vitamin D to keep your bones healthy and control pH levels in your body by removing or adjusting the right amounts of acids and buffering agents.

Role of Hydration in Kidney Health

One of the best ways to make sure your kidneys stay healthy throughout your life is to maintain your hydration. Drinking sufficient levels of fluid on a daily basis is an important part of kidney health. Dehydration can result in conditions such as kidney stones and kidney disease over time. Keeping adequately hydrated can help ensure that kidney stones are less likely to occur. The NHS recommends that women should drink eight 200ml glasses and men should drink 10 200ml glasses per day.

Hydration Tools

Here are some handy tools that can help you make sure you are getting the right amount of fluid per day.

Hydration Calculator

This tool helps you learn how much water you should be drinking each day based on your weight, height, age, physical activity, gender and country that you live in. It’s a simple way to ensure you are consuming the right amount for your body.

Healthy Hydration Challenge

The Healthy Hydration Challenge is a great way to get more information about the types of liquids you are consuming and how hydrating they really are. Some liquids actually do your kidneys more harm than good!

Urine Color Chart

The color of your urine is actually a great way to determine how hydrated or dehydrated you are. This urine color chart can help you recognize the signs of dehydration.

Tips to Stay Hydrated

Follow these tips to make sure you keep your body hydrated and your kidneys healthy:

• Water is the best fluid for hydration.
• Drink a few sips of water at a time but do it all throughout the day instead of drinking whole glasses at once.
• When the weather is warmer or when you are exercising strenuously, you might need to drink more than your normal intake of water. You tend to lose a lot of fluid when you are sweating.
• Track your urine color to make sure it’s not dark – that’s a sign of dehydration.
• Keep water with you all the time, especially if you’re on the move or exercising.

Learn more about kidney health from our blog or contact us if you have any questions.