A new study reveals that using a smartphone during toilet visits can increase the risk of hemorrhoids by 46%. The research, conducted by Harvard Medical School, highlights how prolonged sitting due to mobile usage contributes to increased pressure on blood vessels, leading to hemorrhoids.
Using Your Smartphone on the Toilet Increases Hemorrhoid Risk by 46%
Using Your Smartphone on the Toilet Increases Hemorrhoid Risk by 46%
Surfing on your smartphone during a toilet visit seems to be a bad idea. It increases the risk of hemorrhoids by 46%, according to a new study.
Hemorrhoids are partly caused by increased pressure on the blood vessels in and around the rectum, and one reason for this pressure increase is prolonged sitting. Researchers have now investigated whether mobile usage during toilet visits can contribute to more problems.
"It's incredibly easy to lose track of time when we scroll on our smartphones—popular apps are designed precisely for that purpose. But it's possible that it can increase the risk of hemorrhoids to constantly sit longer on the toilet than intended," says the study's lead author Trisha Pasricha at Harvard Medical School, in a press release.
46 Percent
After ruling out other possible causes of hemorrhoids—such as low physical activity, old age, and low fiber intake—researchers found that those who took their phones to the toilet had a 46% higher risk of hemorrhoids than those who did not. The time mobile users spent on the toilet was significantly higher than among non-users. Of them, 37% sat for more than 5 minutes at a time, compared to only 7.1% of non-users.
The study involved 125 participants who answered questions about their mobile and toilet habits and also underwent a bowel examination.
The study is published in Plos One.