A somnologist dispelled the myth about the connection of nighttime awakenings with kidney diseases

The claim that nighttime awakenings are associated with kidney disease has no evidence base and is more common in alternative medicine. Maxim Novikov, a somnologist at JSC Meditsina (Academician Roitberg Clinic), explained the nature of nocturnal awakenings in an interview with Izvestia on September 11.

"Waking up at three in the morning is not a diagnostic sign of kidney failure. There is no confirmed evidence in the medical literature that it is at this time of day that the kidneys "activate" or "signal" their dysfunction through awakening," he stressed.

The somnologist explained in detail that chronic renal failure can cause sleep disorders through a complex of mechanisms. Thus, with renal insufficiency, the excretion of nitrogenous toxins, electrolytes, and acids is disrupted, which leads to systemic intoxication.

The accumulation of urea, creatinine, and other uremic toxins directly affects the central nervous system, causing discomfort, itching, anxiety, and cognitive impairment. The expert also noted the important role of nocturia (night urination), which is one of the most common causes of awakenings in patients with chronic kidney disease.

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Regarding other causes of nighttime awakenings, Novikov pointed out stress, anxiety, depression, apnea, GERD, circadian rhythm disorders.

"At 3-4 a.m., the fourth sleep cycle ends, which often ends with the REM phase, the lightest phase when a person is most susceptible to waking up," the doctor said.

In case of sleep disorders, the expert recommended keeping a sleep diary, eliminating caffeine and alcohol after 2 p.m. If there are risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, edema, tests should be performed: creatinine, urea, OAM, glomerular filtration rate.

"Healthy sleep is not only the absence of awakenings, but also the restoration of all body systems. Don't look for the "secret clock of diseases" — look for scientifically proven causes and treat them comprehensively," Novikov concluded.

Earlier, on April 16, SM-Clinic oncologist Vadim Maklakov told Izvestia about which people are more susceptible to melanoma than others. According to him, red-haired people have an almost four times higher risk of developing melanoma than dark-haired people.

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