Kidney Health Tracker

Water intake and kidney function

The Water Intake field accepts 0–20 glasses per day. Adequate hydration supports kidney function by helping the kidneys filter waste and maintain appropriate concentration gradients. For most adults, 8 glasses (roughly 2 liters) daily is a general starting guideline, but the appropriate amount varies by body size, climate, activity level, and any fluid restrictions your provider has set. People with advanced CKD or heart conditions may have fluid restrictions — log your actual intake, not a target, and follow your provider's specific guidance.

The Hydration Level KPI displayed on the dashboard categorizes your daily intake as low, adequate, or high based on the standard reference range. The trend line for water intake across a week is often revealing — many people who believe they drink adequately find that their actual logged intake is significantly lower than their impression, particularly on busy workdays.

Sodium intake and kidney load

The Sodium Status field offers four tiers: Low, Moderate, High, and Very High. Sodium directly affects blood pressure and kidney fluid management — the kidneys regulate sodium excretion, and chronically high sodium intake raises blood pressure, which in turn accelerates kidney function decline in people with CKD. Dietary sodium reduction is one of the most recommended lifestyle modifications in kidney disease management.

For general guidance, most kidney health programs suggest keeping sodium under 2,300 mg per day, with some guidelines recommending under 1,500 mg for people with CKD or hypertension. Estimating daily sodium requires checking food labels and being honest about processed food, restaurant meals, and condiments, which are the primary sodium sources in most Western diets. Logging your estimate consistently matters more than precision.

Swelling as a kidney health signal

The Swelling Level field (0–10) tracks edema — fluid retention that typically presents in the ankles, feet, legs, or around the eyes. Edema in kidney disease results from the kidneys' impaired ability to excrete excess fluid and sodium. It is a meaningful clinical signal: worsening edema alongside declining kidney function often indicates a progression in disease activity or medication adjustment may be needed.

Logging swelling alongside sodium intake and water intake often reveals a direct relationship: high sodium days producing increased next-day swelling, or fluid restriction successfully reducing edema. That pattern is informative for your nephrologist when discussing whether current management is achieving adequate fluid balance. Even logging a swelling score of 0 on consistently well-managed days is useful — it confirms that current interventions are working.

CKD Stage and what the tool adapts around it

The CKD Stage field — At Risk, Stage 1 through Stage 5 — provides critical context for the Kidney Health Score's interpretation. Stage 1 CKD (GFR 90+) involves kidney damage with preserved function; Stage 3 (GFR 30–59) is moderate function decline with meaningful dietary and medication management needs; Stages 4–5 involve severe decline and typically require specialist nephrology management and preparation for renal replacement therapy.

The tool does not estimate your GFR — that requires a blood test. Enter your current stage based on your most recent nephrology assessment. The stage field changes which inputs the tracker emphasizes: At Risk status emphasizes prevention habits; later stages emphasize medication adherence and fluid management more heavily.

Medications and the timing considerations

Medication Adherence for kidney health covers a range of possible medications: antihypertensives (particularly ACE inhibitors or ARBs, which are protective for kidney function), phosphate binders, erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, vitamin D supplements, diuretics, and diabetes medications if applicable. Many kidney medications interact with diet, timing, and each other — logging adherence daily creates a record that helps your nephrologist interpret kidney function changes over time.

Some over-the-counter medications — NSAIDs like ibuprofen and naproxen — are contraindicated or require caution in CKD because they reduce kidney blood flow. If you need pain relief, discuss kidney-safe alternatives with your provider. The medication adherence log is also a place to note any OTC medications you took, giving your care team relevant context. Start your daily kidney log free — your hydration, sodium, and swelling history stays private until you choose to share it with your nephrologist.

How to use it

1. Log Water Intake in glasses throughout the day — count each glass as you drink it rather than estimating at the end of the day.
2. Select Sodium Intake tier (Low through Very High) based on your food choices today, checking labels for processed or restaurant food.
3. Enter Swelling Level (0–10) — 0 being no observable swelling, 10 being severe edema affecting daily function.
4. Choose your CKD Stage from the dropdown based on your most recent assessment and select Medication Adherence for today.
5. Review your Kidney Health Score and the callouts on each input, then note any unusual dietary choices or symptoms in the log.

Who it's for

• Person with Stage 2 CKD monitoring progression — Logs water intake, sodium status, and swelling daily for six months between nephrology appointments, bringing the trend data to show whether lifestyle management is maintaining stable function.
• Diabetic adult at high risk for kidney disease — Uses the At Risk CKD stage alongside daily hydration and sodium tracking to establish healthy kidney-protective habits before any functional decline is documented.
• Person with Stage 3 CKD adjusting to a low-sodium diet — Tracks sodium intake alongside swelling scores for eight weeks during a dietary transition, documenting whether the dietary change reduces edema measurably.
• Someone preparing for a nephrologist follow-up — Brings three months of daily water intake, sodium level, swelling, and medication adherence logs to their appointment rather than reconstructing habits from memory.

Key terms

eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate)

A measure of how well the kidneys are filtering blood, calculated from blood creatinine. The primary measure used to stage CKD.

Edema

Swelling caused by excess fluid accumulating in body tissues. Common in kidney disease when the kidneys cannot adequately excrete sodium and water.

CKD (chronic kidney disease)

A condition of progressive, irreversible loss of kidney function over months or years. Staged 1–5 based on eGFR, with Stage 5 representing kidney failure.

ACE inhibitor/ARB

Classes of antihypertensive medications that also reduce proteinuria and slow kidney disease progression. First-line treatment in CKD with hypertension or diabetes.

Frequently asked questions