We’ve all done it (well, most of us, anyway). Scrolling on your phone while you’re on the toilet is a common habit (and way to pass the time). Now that most of us would admit it.
However, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center at Harvard Medical School have identified a hidden health issue that can result. Another study found that people are doom-scrolling on their phones on the toilet a lot.
“Americans spend about 2 full days (49 hours) a year scrolling on the toilet, while Britons spend approximately 1.5 days (36 hours),” according to a survey by a supply company. “Americans spend more than 4.5 days a year scrolling on Instagram and TikTok while on the toilet.”
And it turns out that this might not be great for you.
Using a Smartphone on the Toilet Came With a Higher Risk of Hemorrhoids
The researchers discovered that people who sit on their phones while sitting on the toilet have a higher risk of hemorrhoids.
“Survey participants who reported using a smartphone while on the toilet had a higher risk of hemorrhoids than non-users,” a Sept. 3 press release on the study’s findings announced.
The study was conducted by Chethan Ramprasad and colleagues for the open-access journal PLOS One.
Trisha Pasricha, senior author of the study, said in the release: “Using a smartphone while on the toilet was linked to a 46 percent increased chance of having hemorrhoids. We’re still uncovering the many ways smartphones and our modern way of life impact our health. It’s possible that how and where we use them—such as while in the bathroom—can have unintended consequences.”
Hemorrhoids Send Millions of People to the Doctor & Emergency Room Every Year in the U.S., the Study Says
Why it matters: “Every year in the U.S., hemorrhoids lead to nearly 4 million visits to the doctor or emergency room and more than $800 million in healthcare spending,” the press release says.
“Hemorrhoids involve swollen veins in the anal or rectal area and can cause pain and bleeding. Anecdotal evidence has linked smartphone use on the toilet with increased risk of hemorrhoids.”
However, the topic hasn’t been explored in many research studies, according to the release.
“To help clarify, Ramprasad and colleagues conducted a study of 125 adults undergoing screening colonoscopy. The participants answered online survey questions about their lifestyle and toilet habits, and endoscopists evaluated them for hemorrhoids,” the release notes.
“Among all participants, 66 percent reported using smartphones on the toilet, and they tended to be younger than non-users. After statistically accounting for other factors thought to possibly be linked with hemorrhoid risk—such as exercise habits, age, and fiber intake—the researchers found that participants who used a smartphone on the toilet had a 46 percent higher risk of hemorrhoids than non-users,” the study added.
The researchers found:
- Time spent on the toilet “was significantly higher for smartphone users than non-users; 37 percent of smartphone users spent more than 5 minutes at a time on the toilet compared to just 7.1 percent of non-users.”
- Reading news and using social media “were the most commonly reported smartphone activities on the toilet. Interestingly, straining while using the toilet was not associated with increased hemorrhoid risk, in contrast to some prior studies.”
Why is this occurring? “On the basis of the findings, the researchers suggest that smartphone use may inadvertently prolong toilet time, potentially increasing pressure in anal tissues, which may then lead to hemorrhoids,” the study found.
“This study bolsters advice to people in general to leave the smartphones outside the bathroom and to try to spend no more than a few minutes to have a bowel movement. If it’s taking longer, ask yourself why. Was it because having a bowel movement was really so difficult, or was it because my focus was elsewhere?” Pasricha said.
