Your kidneys play a vital role in filtering waste, balancing fluids, and keeping your body healthy.
Kidney disease can often sneak up on you, showing no signs until it’s pretty advanced. If you can spot the early warning signs, you might be able to do something about it before things get really bad.
1. Fatigue and Low Energy
When your kidneys aren’t working right, toxins can build up in your blood, making you feel really tired, weak, and having a hard time focusing. Anemia, which often comes with kidney problems, can also make you feel super drained.
2. Trouble Sleeping
When there’s too much waste in your blood, it can be hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. Plus, people with kidney disease might have sleep apnea, which messes with your breathing at night and makes it hard to get good rest, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
3. Dry, Itchy Skin
Healthy kidneys help keep the right balance of minerals and nutrients in your body. If they aren’t doing their job well, it can lead to dry, itchy skin, which might be a sign of bone and mineral problems linked to kidney disease.
4. Frequent Urination
If you find yourself needing to pee a lot, especially at night, it could mean something’s wrong. Damaged kidney filters can lead to more urine production, which might be an early sign of kidney disease.
5. Blood in Urine
Healthy kidneys filter waste while keeping essential blood cells in your body. If you notice blood in your urine, it could signal disease, infections, or even kidney stones. Never ignore this symptom.
6. Foamy Urine
Excessive bubbles or foam in your urine, similar to what you see when scrambling eggs, may indicate the presence of protein.
Protein leakage in urine is a sign that your kidneys aren’t filtering properly.
7. Swelling in the Feet and Ankles
When the kidneys aren’t able to get rid of too much sodium well, it can cause fluid to build up, making your feet, ankles, and even hands swell. This is a common sign of kidney disease, and you should see a doctor about it.
8. Poor Appetite
Not feeling hungry might seem like a small issue, but it can actually be an early warning of kidney disease because of the toxins that build up in your body. You might also feel nauseous and notice that your taste buds are different.
9. Muscle Cramps
When your electrolytes are out of balance, it can cause muscle cramps. Low calcium and uneven phosphorus levels can make this uncomfortable problem happen.
10. Puffiness Around the Eyes
If you have swelling around your eyes that doesn’t go away, it could mean that protein is leaking into your urine, which shows that your kidneys might not be filtering waste properly. This can be an early sign of kidney damage.
When to See a Doctor
If you notice any of these symptoms, especially if you have more than one at the same time, it’s important to talk to a healthcare professional. Finding problems early can stop more damage and help you stay healthy.
Eating a balanced diet, drinking enough water, and keeping conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes under control can help keep you safe in the future.
