You may be aware that getting enough good quality sleep is important to your overall health, but have you wondered if sleep can also affect your kidney health? Studies show that sleep issues are associated with a high risk of diabetes and heart disease, but experts now also believe that disrupted sleep can adversely affect kidney function. Learn more about why they think so, and what research plans are underway.* 

How would sleep quality affect kidney function?

Ciaran McMullan, M.D. of Brigham and Women’s Hospital believes it is clear that sleep impacts the kidneys. With support of a Young Investigators Grant from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), he will study the connection between sleep and the kidneys and what can be done to address those issues.

“Kidney function is actually regulated by the sleep-wake cycle. It helps coordinate the kidneys’ workload over 24 hours,” McMullan said. “We also know that nocturnal (nighttime) patterns can affect chronic kidney disease and that people who sleep less usually have faster kidney function decline.”

Focus on melatonin

Based on previous evidence, melatonin–a hormone our bodies produce naturally to sync our nocturnal functions–can affect our sleep quality. To build on this research, McMullan and his team will recruit healthy participants and place them into groups based on their current sleep levels. 

Participants with healthy sleep routines will be placed under a sleep restriction, and those already experiencing a sleep restriction will be asked to sleep longer. The scientists will monitor and analyze:

• Melatonin levels, 
• Blood pressure, 
• Blood glucose levels, and 
• Kidney function. 

Some participants from the group previously experiencing a sleep restriction will be given melatonin supplements to see how it affects their kidney function. 

What researchers hope to learn

McMullan hopes this study will help to identify new groups of people, such as those who work in shifts or have lifestyles requiring less or disrupted sleep, who may be at risk for developing kidney disease. He also hopes to learn what interventions might delay kidney disease onset in sleep-restricted individuals.

*Studying Sleep’s Impact on Kidney Health. (2016, February 17). National Kidney Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.kidney.org/professionals/studying-sleeps-impact-kidney-health