Relationship between kidney stones and water: Know how to avoid them

Water deficiency and risk of kidney stones

In today’s busy lifestyle, we often do not pay attention to our diet and water intake. Between work, mobile and stress, we overlook one important thing: drinking adequate amount of water. Many people are satisfied by drinking only 2 to 3 glasses of water a day. Do you know that lack of water can cause serious problems like kidney stones? Kidney stones are a condition that causes sudden, sharp and unbearable pain, felt in the abdomen, lower back or side. This pain can be so intense that you may have to be hospitalized. Apart from this, symptoms like blood in urine, vomiting, fever and burning sensation while urinating may also occur. The main cause of this disease is drinking less water and dehydration.

Relation between dehydration and kidney stones

When we do not drink enough water, our body becomes deficient in fluids. It has a direct effect on our urine. Drinking less water makes urine more concentrated, in which elements like calcium, oxalate and uric acid get accumulated in large quantities. These elements together form small crystals, which gradually turn into kidney stones. If dehydration persists for a long time, the body cannot dissolve or expel these crystals.

Kidney stone identification

Kidney stones are solid particles or stone-like formations that form inside the kidneys. These can be as small as a grain of sand or sometimes as large as a golf ball. Small stones sometimes pass through the urine without causing any symptoms, but larger stones can become stuck in the urinary tract, causing extreme pain.

Symptoms of kidney stones

Kidney stones can have many symptoms. These include sudden sharp pain in the side, back, or lower abdomen, pain that spreads to the thigh or groin, burning or pain when urinating, blood in the urine, frequent urge to urinate, nausea and vomiting, fever and chills, and smelly or cloudy urine. Sometimes, small kidney stones may pass without causing any pain.

Kidney stone prevention by drinking water

The simplest and most effective way to prevent kidney stones is to drink adequate amounts of water. Drinking water keeps urine diluted, due to which minerals and salts easily dissolve and come out. This greatly reduces the chances of crystal formation. Doctors generally recommend that you should drink enough water to keep your urine light yellow.