Using Your Smartphone While on the Toilet Could Increase Risk of Hemorrhoids
Toilet time often feels like the perfect little break in our day to check the news, scroll social media, read emails, or do other phone tasks. But what if extending your bathroom visit longer than necessary poses a risk to your health?
A new study conducted by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston found a link between smartphone use during toilet visits and the risk of hemorrhoids, an assumption that had circulated in the medical field for years but lacked scientific backing.
The results, published in PLOS One, may help medical professionals inform patients about the risks of something as casual as checking your phone.
Hemorrhoid Risks on the Toilet
When the veins inside or outside the rectum swell, it can become uncomfortable or even painful to sit on the toilet. Hemorrhoids are a common condition, affecting people of all walks of life. In fact, more patients seek hemorrhoid treatment each year than care for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis), or colon cancer, adding up to about 4 million doctor visits annually in the U.S.
Known risk factors for hemorrhoids include a low-fiber diet, pregnancy, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle. Another behavioral factor is prolonged sitting on the toilet. “Normal” bathroom visits shouldn’t require more than five minutes, and staying longer can increase pressure on rectal veins, leading to hemorrhoids.
For years, doctors warned against reading newspapers on the toilet. These days, far fewer people carry a newspaper into the bathroom, but many reach for their phones instead. Despite clear evidence that spending extra time on the toilet raises hemorrhoid risk, studies specifically focused on smartphone use have been scarce.
Read More: Squatting and Toilet Paper Won’t Protect You from Public Restroom Germs
Smartphone Users Sit Too Long on the Toilet
To fill the knowledge gap, the research team invited 125 adults to undergo a colonoscopy and answer questions about their lifestyle and toilet habits. Overall, hemorrhoids were found in 43 percent of participants.
Survey results revealed that 66 percent of adults reported using their phones while on the toilet. After statistical analysis, researchers suggested that smartphone users had a 46 percent higher risk of hemorrhoids compared to non-users, even after adjusting for other risk factors.
Time spent on the toilet seems to explain much of the difference: more than one-third of smartphone users sat longer than the recommended five minutes. By contrast, only about 7 percent of non-phone users stayed beyond that mark.
Leave the Smartphone Outside the Bathroom
Unlike other studies, this one did not find a link between straining while moving the bowels and hemorrhoid risk. But based on their findings, the researchers recommend limiting phone use in the bathroom, since the connection to hemorrhoids was clear.
Although hemorrhoids are common and not always preventable, shortening bathroom breaks can help reduce your chances. The research team hopes their work will guide future recommendations from doctors.
“It’s incredibly easy to lose track of time when we’re scrolling on our smartphones — popular apps are designed entirely for that purpose,” said senior study author Trisha Pasricha in a press statement. “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.”
Read More: What Is Smartphone Addiction and Is It Fueling Mental Health Problems?
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