Let’s be honest. When we visit the toilet we have the habit of spending at least 15 minutes inside since the mobile phone has become an integral part of our life and in this habit. So, for a maximum of 5 minutes we end up spending a quarter watching videos, scrolling and reading.

However, experts warn that prolonged sitting on the toilet can harm health. It has even been linked to an increased risk of hemorrhoids and weakened pelvic muscles, said Dr. Lai Xue, a colon surgeon at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

“When patients come to me with complaints, one of the main areas we need to dig into is whether they spend a lot of time on the toilet,” Xue said.

The risk of hemorrhoids

The people they should spend an average of 5 to 10 minutes on the toiletaccording to Dr. Farah Monzur, assistant professor of medicine and director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Stony Brook Medicine in Long Island, New York.

But why is it considered a problem if we sit higher? Here the answer is given through the law of physics. Gravity keeps us grounded on Earth, but that same gravity also forces the body to work harder to pump blood back to the heart, Xue said. The open oval toilet seat compresses the buttocks, keeping the rectum in a lower position than sitting on the sofa. With gravity pulling the lower half of the body down, the increased pressure affects your blood circulation.

“There’s a one-way street where the blood goes in, but the blood really can’t come back,” Xue said.

As a result, the veins and blood vessels surrounding the anus and the lower part of the rectum become enlarged and saturated with blood, increasing the risk of hemorrhoids.

People who spend time on their phones on the toilet tend to lose track of time, Monzur said, sitting up and tensing their muscles to get the bowel moving.

And guess what? Doctors can tell you. “Today, we see an increase in people spending more time on the toilet, and this is very unhealthy for the anal organs and pelvic floor,” added Xue.

In addition to weakened rectal muscles and forced strain, Monzur said sitting on the toilet for too long can also increase the risk of rectal prolapse. Rectal prolapse is when the rectum, part of the large intestine, slides down and bulges out of the anus.

The pelvic floor muscles are another type of muscle weakened by prolonged toilet sitting. Xue explained that the pelvic floor muscles coordinate a significant amount of bowel movement and work with the rest of the body to ensure that stool comes out smoothly. Gravitational pressure on the pelvic floor strains the muscles when we sit continuously for long periods.

Leave phones outside the toilet

To avoid spending too much time on the toilet, Dr. Lance Uradomo, an interventional gastroenterologist at City of Hope Orange County in Irvine, California, advised keeping phones, magazines and books out of the bathroom.

“You don’t want to go in with the mindset that you’re going to be there for a long time. Because then you’ll want to bring something to keep the mind occupied,” Monzur said. “Make sitting on the toilet as uneventful as possible.”

If you find it difficult to relieve yourself, Xue advised stopping after 10 minutes. Instead, walk a bit – as movement can stimulate the bowel muscles. Xue also recommended staying hydrated and eating high-fiber foods like oats and beans to produce regular bowel movements and avoid straining.

The National Academy of Medicine recommends 2.7 to 3.7 liters of water daily. Additionally, the USDA recommends 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories of food. Xue said that fiber and water soften the stool, making it easier to pass from our bodies.

Colon cancer risk

There are times, however, when people have to spend an unusual amount of time on the toilet. Constant difficulty or discomfort during bowel movements can be a symptom of gastrointestinal problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease.

Worsening constipation or having to sit on the toilet for a long time can also be a sign of cancer. “If a growth inside the colon grows large enough, it can block the flow of your stool, which can cause constipation and bleeding,” Uradomo said.

The American Cancer Society recently reported an increase in colon cancer rates among people under 55 since the mid-1990s, and the nonprofit estimated there would be 106,590 new cases of colon cancer and 46,220 new cases of rectal cancer this year. .