Diabetic nephropathy, or kidney disease, is a serious complication of diabetes, one that patients and their healthcare workers are concerned with preventing. Researchers in Kyushu University and Fukoka Medical and Dental Hospital in Fukoka, Japan, looked at sleep and kidney health to determine the right amount of sleep to help keep a diabetic's kidneys healthy.
Their study, reported on in PLoS One in November 2013, included 4,870 Type 2 diabetics 20 years of age or older. It was found...
- the participants who slept 4.5 hours each night, and
- those who slept 8.5 hours a night
were most likely to have albuminuria, a condition in which protein is excreted in the urine. Albuminuria is a sign of diabetic kidney disease.
From this information it was concluded sleeping 6.5 to 7.4 hours each night is ideal for helping to prevent diabetic nephropathy.
Going to sleep at the same time every night and waking up at a similar time each morning, are helpful for having a good night's rest. A regular routine, such as taking a shower or brushing teeth can help to establish a sleep pattern. Eating, reading, and watching television in bed can make it difficult to sleep. Having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep can be symptoms of anxiety or depression, and can be treated safely with prescription medications. For those prone to oversleep, setting an alarm clock is usually the answer.
Keeping your HbA1c levels below 7.0 per cent with diet, exercise, and medications when necessary, can also help keep your kidneys healthy. Vegan diets low in salt do not present the kidneys with excess protein or sodium to deal with.
Blood pressure should be kept below 130/90. Diabetics should ask their doctor before taking anti-inflammatory medications such as naproxen, as they can be associated with diabetic kidney disease.
Diabetic kidney disease can exist 5 to 10 years before signs and symptoms become apparent. When the condition becomes more advanced, signs and symptoms can include...
- fatigue,
- general feeling of overall illness,
- headache,
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- poor appetite, and
- swollen legs.
During your yearly check-up, your doctor measure your blood urea nitrogen, or BUN, and creatinine levels. If a diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy is suspected, then a kidney biopsy can be performed.
Blood pressure medications known as ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have protective effects on the kidneys and can be helpful even when the patient does not have high blood pressure. ACE stands for angiotensin converting enzyme. ACE inhibitors help the kidneys by lowering the pressure of the blood being filtered through them. ARBs have much the same effect on the kidneys.