Of all the crappy ways smartphones have affected our health, this one is a real kick in the pants.
A first-of-its-kind study links excessive scrolling on the phone while sitting on the toilet with hemorrhoids.
(Insert poo emojis.)
Sitting on an uncovered toilet seat offers zero backing for the pelvic floor, leading to increased pressure on rectal veins, causing them to become enlarged and irritated.
Dr. Trisha Pasricha, director of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Institute for Gut-Brain Research in Boston and an author of a newly published study in PLOS One, emphasized that prolonged sitting on the toilet can be detrimental to health.
Smartphones are crafted to engross users for extended periods. In contrast, “People in the 80s who read casually in the bathroom could simply put their newspaper aside and get up,” Pasricha explained, highlighting how today’s devices demand our attention.
Pasricha and colleagues surveyed 125 adults just before they were about to have a routine colonoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer.
The research found that 66% of the respondents confessed to using their phones in the restroom, primarily to stay updated with news or to scroll through social media feeds.
During colonoscopies, gastroenterologists searched for signs of swollen veins, known as hemorrhoids, and found that individuals who used their phones in the bathroom had a 46% higher likelihood of having hemorrhoids than those who did not.
This increased risk persisted even after researchers adjusted for other hemorrhoid-related factors like dietary fiber intake, physical activity, constipation, or straining during bowel movements.
Hemorrhoids aren’t necessarily dangerous, but they can be bothersome, itchy and even painful. They also bleed sometimes, understandably causing concern and leading to nearly 4 million doctor’s office and emergency department visits a year.
Over time, “pelvic floor dysfunction can also lead to incontinence, worsen constipation and be associated with rectal pain,” said Dr. Reezwana Chowdhury, an inflammatory bowel disorder specialist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Chowdhury was not involved with the new research.
What’s more, microscopic particles from urine and feces are sent flying through the air when a toilet is flushed. Taking a phone into the bathroom, Chowdhury said, “is kind of gross.”
Younger patients
In the new study, smartphone users in the bathroom tended to be younger, meaning adults in their 40s and 50s, versus people over age 60.
Dr. Robert Cima, a colorectal surgeon at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said he’s noticed an uptick in recent years of people coming in with hemorrhoids.
“I am seeing younger, earlier- and middle-aged people having more hemorrhoidal complaints, but I can’t tie it to smartphones,” said Cima, who was not involved with the new study. “Maybe it’s because they’re using smartphones or they have better access to care or they’re not eating appropriately.”
The 5-minute rule
The experts agreed that business on the toilet should take no longer than 5 minutes.
More than 37% of study participants who used a smartphone in the bathroom stayed for longer than that, compared to 7% of people who kept their phones out of the bathroom.
Pasricha and other experts do not advocate for taking a phone into the bathroom. If you absolutely must, set a timer.
“If the magic is not happening within five minutes, it’s not going to happen,” Pasricha said. “Take a breather and try again later.”
