Monday marks the start of a busy, stressful week. With this, a feeling of anxiety comes in as the weekend winds down and the work week begins. Monday blues come with emotions, discomfort and low energy. It’s not just a feeling of tiredness after the weekend – it’s the emotional toll of transitioning from a relaxed period to the work week. Monday blues range from mild irritability to feeling very anxious and depressed.This leads us to resort to higher caffeine intake to keep up with the work stress. In addition, poor hydration levels and erratic sleep cycles during the weekend can silently damage your kidney health, leading to high cortisol levels, hypertension, inflammation and hormonal imbalance.
Impact on kidneys:
1) Increased blood pressure – Chronic stress can lead to hypertension, which is the leading cause of hypertension
2) Inflammation – Stress can cause inflammation, which damages kidney tissues.
3) Hormonal imbalance – Kidney function is also impaired when there is a hormonal imbalance due to altered sodium and water balance.
How to overcome?
Exercise – Physical activity releases endorphins, a mood booster that can help reduce stress. A morning walk, yoga, or quick workout can make a huge difference in maintaining your overall health.
Hydration – Start the week by drinking plenty of water.
Avoid excessive caffeine – Caffeine can increase blood pressure. It has a mild diuretic effect, which can also increase the risk of dehydration.
Relaxation – Make time to practise mindfulness and deep breathing exercises – even 5 min can help reduce cortisol levels.
Healthy diet – Stress is common among people who engage in unhealthy lifestyle choices like poor eating habits and smoking. To reduce stress level and its impact on the kidneys, adopt a diet beneficial to kidneys such as low in sodium, processed food, and add plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, along with adequate protein intake. Please remember, excessive protein can increase workload on our kidneys.
Sleep – Studies have shown that poor sleep quality can impair kidney function. Sleep time is when our body repairs itself, and erratic sleep schedules can prevent the kidneys from performing optimal function. Lack of sleep leads to an increase in cortisol, compounding the effects of stress and kidney damage. Follow a calming bedtime routine/sleep hygiene as it can help with getting high-quality sleep and support mental and kidney health.
(The author, Dr. Maria Bethsaida Manual, is a Consultant – Nephrology & Transplant Physician, at Manipal Hospital Whitefield.)
