Common toilet habit increases risk of medical condition, study says

A new study suggests that using your mobile phone on the toilet could increase the chances of developing hemorrhoids.

The condition, also known as piles, causes swollen, enlarged veins to form inside and outside of a sufferer’s anus and rectum. The Cleveland Clinic describes symptoms as including itchiness or irritation around your anus, hard lumps that feel sore or tender, pain or an ache around your anus when you sit and also bleeding when you wipe.

Needless to say, it’s not something you want to be living with if you can help it. Which you can, by the way. The condition can be caused by a number of factors, including being overweight, lacking fiber in your diet, and having chronic constipation or diarrhea.

And, according to a new study conducted at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, a common habit many of us are guilty of can increase our chances of suffering from hemorrhoids.

The study in question analysed the habits of 125 adults who underwent a colonoscopy and responded to an online survey relating to their lifestyle and toilet habits.

Having endeavored to control certain other risk factors, including exercise and fiber intake, the study found that people who used smart phones while doing their business had a 46 percent higher risk of hemorrhoids than those who did not.

Not only that, but the people who spent their time in the bathroom scrolling on their mobile device also, unsurprisingly, extended the total time they were in there. 37 percent of people, for example, sat on the toilet for longer than five minutes, compared to just 7.1 percent of people who didn’t use a phone.

Now, these two findings are linked, with the second set of data definitively impacting the first.

Using smartphones while on the toilet – be it for scrolling through social media, playing mobile games, or simply reading the news – naturally means we spend longer in a specific seated position, which in turn means increased pressure on anal tissues… which in turn can lead to hemorrhoids.

Trisha Pasricha, senior author of the study, said: “We’re still uncovering the many ways smartphones and our modern way of life impact our health. It’s possible that how and where we use them – such as while in the bathroom – can have unintended consequences.

“This study bolsters advice to people in general to leave the smartphones outside the bathroom and to try to spend no more than a few minutes to have a bowel movement. If it’s taking longer, ask yourself why.

“Was it because having a bowel movement was really so difficult, or was it because my focus was elsewhere?”

She concluded: “We need to study this further, but it’s a safe suggestion to leave the smartphone outside the bathroom when you need to have a bowel movement.”

Do you often use your smartphone while sitting on the toilet? Let us know in the comments!