We have many vital organs in the body that needs extra care. And one of these is the kidney which performs important functions. Our kidney filters blood, absorbs needed minerals, produces hormones, eliminate toxins, neutralize acid, and remove excess fluid in the body by producing urine.

Some of our habits, however, contribute to damaging our kidneys over time. This includes:

Smoking. People may see smoking as one way of relieving their stress but know that this is bad for any organ of our body, especially the kidney. Smoking slows down the flow of blood to vital organs in our bodies.

A taste of salty foods. Yes, we do need sodium in our everyday diet but on a minimal amount only. High salt intake increases the urinary protein in our body, which is a major risk factor for developing not only kidney diseases but cardiovascular diseases as well.

Too much alcohol intake. As they say, too much anything is bad. And this goes very well with a person’s alcohol consumption. Moderate drinking is acceptable but too much of it will result in diseases that affect the heart, liver, and kidney. It will also likely cause high blood pressure, among other health complications.

Less water in a day. Admit it or not, most of us consume more cups of coffee or tea and bottle of soda or soft drinks than drinking water. It is general advice that a person should have 8 glasses of water in a day. This helps the kidney function well in eliminating toxins and waste materials in our body to avoid damage to other vital organs.

Delaying the time to urinate. This is one practice that most of us do, especially when we are too engaged in whatever it is we are doing. But this habit is also one of the main reasons for kidney damage. Preventing or delaying the urge to urinate can cause a bacterial infection which can lead to urinary tract infection or worst, renal failure or incontinence with continued practice. No matter how busy we are, take the time to urinate when our body tells us to. Our job can be delayed, but the damage we’ll be doing to our kidneys can’t be.

Now that we know these common habits that contribute to damaging our kidneys, we can now do something to reduce or eliminate such practices as frequently as possible. Because once our kidney fails to function properly, other organs in our body will be affected too. And soon, we will be weak enough not to do a simple task, like urinating properly.