CNN
Let’s be honest — people have a habit of bringing their phones to the bathroom. I’ve been guilty of it myself, and chances are that someone is on the toilet reading this article right now. A three-minute trip to the loo can easily turn into 15 minutes of reading, scrolling and posting.
It might seem a harmless way to pass the time when you’re going number two. However, experts warn that what they call prolonged sitting on the toilet can harm your health. It’s even been connected to an increased risk of hemorrhoids and weakened pelvic muscles, said Dr. Lai Xue, a colorectal surgeon at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
“When patients present to me with complaints, one of the main areas we have to delve deeply into is spending a lot of time on the toilet,” Xue said.
Here’s what is going on when you overstay your toilet time.
Potty problems from sitting too long
People should spend an average of five to 10 minutes on the john, according to Dr. Farah Monzur, an assistant professor of medicine and director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Stony Brook Medicine on Long Island, New York.
Why is it a problem if you stay longer? First, here’s a short physics lesson. Gravity keeps us grounded on Earth, but that same gravity also forces the body to work harder to pump blood back up to the heart, Xue said.
The open oval-shaped toilet seat compresses the buttocks, keeping the rectum in a lower position than if you were sitting on the couch. With gravity pulling the lower half of the body down, the increased pressure affects your blood circulation.
“It becomes a one-way value where blood enters, but blood really can’t go back,” Xue said.
As a result, the veins and blood vessels surrounding the anus and lower rectum become enlarged and engorged with blood, increasing the risk of hemorrhoids.
Don’t force it either
Forced straining can also increase the pressure to allow hemorrhoids to build. People scrolling on their phones on the toilet tend to lose track of time, Monzur said, sitting and straining their muscles to get a bowel movement out.
And guess what? Your doctors can tell. “Nowadays, we’re seeing an increase in people passing more time on the toilet, and that is very much unhealthy for the anorectal organs and the pelvic floor,” Xue added.
In addition to weakened anal muscles and forced straining, Monzur said sitting on the toilet bowl for too long can also increase the risk of rectal prolapse. A rectal prolapse is when the rectum, part of the large intestine, slips down and bulges out of the anus.
The pelvic floor muscles are another type of muscle weakened from prolonged toilet sitting. Xue explained that pelvic floor muscles coordinate a significant amount of bowel movement and work with the rest of the body to ensure stool comes out smoothly. The gravitational pressure on the pelvic floor strains the muscles when constantly sitting for long periods.
