Summary: You would never think that playing videos games can lead to kidney disease. However, that is happening more and more. What happens is when one plays video games for long periods of time without taking breaks. Circulation slows, normal functions like using the bathroom are ignored, detoxification slows, less water is consumed, etc. All a recipe for a health disaster. Of course these are extreme cases, but with the popularity of video games increasing we are expected to see more and more cases of kidney disease.
However, if you or your child have kidney disease, it’s better to take more breaks and look after yourself, as even less extreme cases are harmful to a damaged kidney.
The World Health Organization classified excessive video gaming as a disorder last year.
According to the LSU Health Clinical associate Professor of Psychiatry, Rick Costa, there is no defined time limit that a person will have to surpass to be considered addicted to video game – it’s all based on the individual.
Games have playing time trackers and while some individuals can play for a bit and then go onto another activity, when the game become a major priority, over other things like school or work or even eating that’s when it becomes a problem.
He also noted that the things that are neglected while focusing on the game could result in health complications, such as difficulty eating or going to the bathroom. Real health complications could arise from this and could even lead to childhood kidney disease in extreme cases. Another way to know if a person is addicted is the passion the person exhibits while playing the game and their reaction when the game is taken away. If there’s a dramatic reaction, then addiction might become a possibility.
However, Costa pointed out that parents have to practice what they preach; this could be through monitoring the amount of time spent watching TV or making calls because these things too are another form of addiction. We have to watch ourselves and what we tell our kids so we don’t come across as hypocrites. Parents need to make themselves the ideal model for kids before telling them what to do and not do. He went on to say that when a person starts making statements like “I play games to escape reality,” just know that person is close to addiction if they aren’t addicted already.
He also noted that parents shouldn’t be overly concerned if their kids spend several hours playing games and still complete their other tasks and get good grades in school; they just have to watch it to know when the dynamics start changing.
What To Do If You or Your Child Are A Gamer With Kidney Disease:
- Take regular breaks to walk around for a few minutes. Every hour take a 1 to 5 minute break to walk around to increase your circulation.
- Drink water on each video game break. Your kidneys need your body to move around and circulate fluids. You also need lots of good water to keep healthy kidney function and to protect your precious kidneys.
- Aside from moving more, and drinking more you need good food. So every 3 to 4 hours make sure to get a healthy snack or meal and make it kidney friendly. Visit our other articles for kidney friendly foods:
