A recent study revealed that, poor and insufficient sleep may worsen kidney function in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Ana Ricardo, one of the researchers, from the University of Illinois at Chicago in the United States, said that, "Short sleep and fragmented sleep are significant yet unappreciated risk factors for CKD progression."

According to the researchers, there is increasing evidence that sleep disorders are common in individuals with CKD, its link with CKD progression is unknown.

"Our research adds to the accumulating knowledge regarding the importance of sleep on kidney function, and underscores the need to design and test clinical interventions to improve sleep habits in individuals with CKD," she added.

The study includes 432 adults with chronic kidney disease, who were examined by Ricardo and her colleagues. Participants wore a wrist monitor for five to seven days to measure sleep duration and quality, and their health was followed for a median of five years.

All participants slept an average of 6.5 hours per night. The follow-up shows, 70 individuals developed kidney failure and 48 individuals died.

The researchers said, they calculated that each additional hour of nighttime sleep was linked with a 19 per cent lower risk of developing kidney failure.

The study which was presented at ASN (American Society of Nephrology) Kidney Week 2016 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, also found, the patients who experienced daytime sleepiness were 10 per cent more likely to die during follow-up than those who were not sleepy during the day.

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Nandini