Both learning you have a condition or disease, like chronic kidney disease (CKD), and living with this illness can be a significant source of stress. It’s normal for the body to exhibit a stress response when faced with perceived danger, but too much stress can damage your health and exacerbate existing medical conditions. Understanding how stress can impact your health and what you can do to manage it will help you protect your well-being and improve your quality of life.*

What is stress?

A stressor can be anything that surprises us, challenges us, overwhelms us, presents a threat (whether real or imagined), or otherwise disturbs our equilibrium, such as pain, worry, or conflict. Stress is our body’s physical and emotional response to those stressors. 

To prepare us for life’s challenges, various biochemical changes take place in the body, such as:

• Breathing and heart rate increase 
• Blood pressure spikes
• Muscles tense
• Pupils dilate
• Fat and sugar levels can increase 
• Digestion and other secondary functions are paused
• Adrenal glands flood the body with hormones

While these responses are normal, healthy, and helpful in situations where we need to react quickly and competently, they are intended to last only until we are out of immediate danger. After that, all our systems should return to their original settings. What happens, though, when real or perceived dangers don’t come to an end?

How can stress affect my kidneys?

When a state of stress continues without abating, the physical reactions that are supposed to protect and save us can harm us instead. Over time, increased blood pressure, heart rate, and fats and sugars in your bloodstream can lead to certain health problems, including:

• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Heart disease
• Kidney damage 

Diabetes and hypertension are the leading causes of kidney disease, and heart disease is the leading cause of death for people with kidney disease. All three conditions put a high strain on the tiny filtering units inside your kidneys—weakening them and interfering with their function of cleansing your blood of toxins, wastes, and excess fluids. 

The efficiency of your kidneys affects every other system in your body. CKD is progressive, and long-term kidney damage is not reversible. It often results in the need for dialysis or a kidney transplant. 

What steps can I take to manage my stress?

While it can be difficult to avoid stressful situations in life, you’re not powerless when it comes to mitigating the effect of stress on your health. Here are some tips for reducing stress-related tension and its harmful physical and psychological impacts: 

• Eat healthy foods, such as lean proteins, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Limit your intake of salt, sugar, saturated fats, caffeine, and alcoholic beverages. 
• Set aside time to relax and unwind, and pay attention to your body’s need for rest.
• Practice relaxation and mindfulness techniques, such as yoga and meditation.
• Engage in prayer and/or devotional practice.
• Talk to a friend, loved one, spiritual leader, or healthcare professional.
• Keep a personal journal or diary in which you can safely record your thoughts and feelings, as well as work out solutions to any challenges you’re facing.
• Set realistic goals and expectations for your health and other areas of your life.
• Establish a regular sleep schedule, and find ways to get adequate, quality sleep.
• Focus on optimism, gratitude, and abundance.
• Take vacations, even if they’re just weekend getaways.
• Exercise regularly and frequently, whether with formal workouts or informal, aerobic activities that elevate your heart rate.

Speak with your doctor and healthcare team before starting a new diet or exercise regimen to make sure it’s safe for your unique situation.

*National Kidney Foundation. (2020, June 5). Stress and Your Kidneys. https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/Stress_and_your_Kidneys