Not Getting Enough Sleep May Increase Your Risk Of Developing Chronic Kidney Disease

Getting enough sleep is considered to be one of the most satisfying things that can happen to anyone. A new study has recently revealed that not getting enough sleep may make the kidney function worse that could later lead to kidney failure.

According to reports, the finding that will be presented at the ASN Kidney Week 2016 at McCormick Place in Chicago claimed that not getting enough sleep was associated with the worsening of kidney condition in patients with chronic kidney disease.

"Short sleep and fragmented sleep are significant yet unappreciated risk factors for chronic kidney disease progression," said study author Dr. Ana Ricardo, of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

"Our research adds to the accumulating knowledge regarding the importance of sleep on kidney function, and underscores the need to design and test clinical interventions to improve sleep habits in individuals with chronic kidney disease," she said in a news release from the American Society of Nephrology.

However, it is not clear from the study that a lack of sleep is what really caused the kidney failure to worsen. Indian Express reported that researchers said that the study was only able to see a connection between these factors.

The researchers of the study, which included 432 adults with chronic kidney disease, monitored the participants' sleeping habits for about a week via wrist monitors. After that, the researchers tracked their health for a median of five years.

The study revealed that the participants slept an average of 6.5 hours a night. It also showed that 70 of the total participants developed kidney failure and 48 died, reported Health Day.

After considering the statistics so they would not be thrown off by other risk factors such as weight or heart disease, the researchers were able to relate each hour of additional nighttime sleep to a nearly 19 percent lower risk of kidney failure.

It is also important to note that there was also a significant link between the quality of sleep and kidney failure risk: each 1 percent increase in sleep fragmentation was linked with a 4 percent increased risk of developing kidney failure.

Also, the patients who experienced daytime sleepiness were 10 percent more likely to die during follow-up investigation than those who were not sleepy during the day.

"Short sleep and fragmented sleep are significant, yet unappreciated risk factors for CKD progression," said Dr. Ricardo. "Our research adds to the accumulating knowledge regarding the importance of sleep on kidney function, and underscores the need to design and test clinical interventions to improve sleep habits inindividuals with CKD," she added.