Smartphones have become an almost permanent part of daily life, even in places that were not associated with any activity other than relieving themselves! Many people take their phones to the bathroom to browse the news, follow social media platforms, or respond to messages, without realizing that a few extra minutes of sitting may have health repercussions.
A study published in the journal PLOS One found an association between using a smartphone while sitting on the toilet and a higher risk of developing hemorrhoids. This does not mean that the phone itself causes disease, but researchers suggest that its use may cause a person to remain sitting for a longer period, which may increase pressure on the vascular cushions in the anal area.
Therefore, the problem does not lie in the phone itself, but rather in the behavior that accompanies it, specifically prolonged sitting on the toilet without an actual need.
What did the study find?
The study included 125 people aged 45 years and over who were undergoing colonoscopy examinations for preventive screening purposes, which means that the sample does not necessarily represent all age groups or the general population.
The researchers asked participants about their bathroom habits, including smartphone use and how long they spent on the toilet, along with other factors that may be linked to hemorrhoids, such as straining during defecation, level of physical activity, and the amount of fiber in the diet.
It was observed that 43% of the participants suffered from hemorrhoids, while about 66% reported that they use their phones while they are in the bathroom. But one of the most noticeable differences between the two groups appeared in the duration of sitting.
37.3% of phone users said they spend more than 5 minutes on the toilet each time, compared to only 7.1% of people who do not use a phone there.
After the researchers adjusted the results to take into account other factors, including age, gender, body mass index, physical activity, fiber intake, and straining during bowel movements, using a phone in the bathroom was still associated with a 46% higher risk of hemorrhoids.
This percentage does not mean that the probability of infection for every person who uses his phone necessarily increases by 46%.
What happens during prolonged sitting?
Hemorrhoids are defined as cushions of tissue and blood vessels that function normally in the anal canal. The term pathological is used when these pads become enlarged or prolapsed and cause symptoms such as bleeding, itching, pain, or a feeling of a lump around the anus.
Hemorrhoid symptoms are linked to several factors, including chronic constipation, straining during defecation, lack of fiber intake, and some lifestyles that increase pressure on this area. Prolonged sitting on the toilet may be an additional factor in this equation.
Researchers believe that sitting on a toilet seat, which does not provide full support for the pelvic floor, may increase pressure on the vascular cushions in the anal area, especially if sitting continues for a long time. But the study did not test this mechanism directly, and therefore it remains a possible explanation for the association it observed, not a proven causal fact.
The phone changes the sense of time
One of the main problems is that the phone makes staying in the bathroom a separate activity from the physical need itself. A person who enters the bathroom to spend a few minutes may start browsing a video, reading a series of posts, or responding to messages, and then discover that he spent much more time than he needed to.
This makes the phone an indirect factor that may prolong the period of sitting. Medical opinions reported by CNN indicate that some people may not realize the amount of time they spend on the toilet seat when their attention is diverted to phones, while the problem is not in practicing a specific mental activity, but rather in the continued sitting position and the pressure associated with it.
The phone is not a direct cause
Despite the clarity of the link observed by the study, caution must be taken in dealing with its results. The study was cross-sectional, meaning that it monitored the behavior of the participants and the presence of hemorrhoids in them over a specific period, and did not follow them over a period of years to find out who became infected with the disease after starting to use the phone in the bathroom.
Therefore, you cannot prove that the phone caused hemorrhoids. It is also possible that there are other factors that the study was not able to fully monitor, or that some people who already suffer from problems during defecation spend more time in the bathroom, and use their phones during this period.
The number of participants in the study is relatively limited, which makes there a need for larger and more diverse research to confirm the results and understand the relationship more accurately.
However, the study highlights a simple behavioral factor that may be easy to modify: avoiding turning the toilet into a place to sit and browse for long periods.
Is there a safe amount of time to sit?
There is no established medical time limit that applies to everyone, and the study used five minutes as a limit for comparison between participants, and researchers also suggested keeping phone use on the toilet to less than five minutes. But this number should not be treated as definitive.
If defecation does not occur easily, staying longer and constantly straining does not necessarily mean that the matter will improve, but rather may increase pressure on the area.
That’s why reducing straining during defecation and maintaining softness in stool is linked to other important habits, such as eating enough fiber, drinking fluids, and engaging in regular physical activity.
As for the phone, it can make applying this simple rule more difficult, because it turns the minutes of waiting into entertainment time, and may encourage the person to remain seated even after his need is finished.
When should you consult a doctor?
Hemorrhoids should not be considered the only cause of bleeding from the rectum. Therefore, it is advisable to consult a doctor if bleeding recurs, symptoms do not improve, or a lump or unusual changes appear around the anus.
Heavy or continuous bleeding, the appearance of large blood masses, or feeling severe pain require urgent medical care.