Although the AKI biomarkers measured in this study are considered sensitive to ischemia–reperfusion injury and can be modulated within hours of kidney injury (Cruz et al., 2010), our findings suggest that moderate intermittent hypoxemia is not sufficient to acutely strain kidney function and increase plasma concentrations of NGAL, IL‐18, L‐FABP, and KIM‐1. Here, IL18 is linked to acute kidney injury.