Using the smartphone while on the toilet is not a smart move. Medical professionals have often raised an alarm over this practice, saying that this is not healthy and can lead to physical problems. A study has now revealed that people who use their devices in the toilet are at a 50 per cent higher risk of developing haemorrhoids. This is based on an analysis of 125 people who were asked whether they take their phones inside the toilet. Two-thirds of them admitted that they scrolled through their phones while pooping. Such people also spent more time on the commode. Trisha Pasricha at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston, Massachusetts, carried out the study along with a team of doctors. They asked 125 people over the age of 45 scheduled to have colonoscopies to answer questions about their toilet habits, general health and physical activities. They used the data and their colonoscopy images to see if they had haemorrhoids and whether the time spent on their phones in the toilet had an effect.
Smartphone users are at a higher risk of haemorrhoids
Pasricha said two-thirds of the participants said they used their smartphones in the toilet. According to the study, 37 per cent of them said they spent more than 5 minutes using the facilities, as compared to just seven per cent of those who didn’t use their device there. But the participants weren’t aware that their phone time was increasing their toilet time. As far as haemorrhoids were concerned, they found that smartphone use on the toilet is associated with a 46 per cent greater risk of developing the disease since such people spend more time finishing their business.
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This study was conducted on people 45 and older. Pasricha is sure that if the same were done with young college students, “we’re going to find almost nobody who doesn’t bring their smartphone into the loo.” To be perfectly sure of the connection between using a smartphone in the toilet and developing haemorrhoids, the team will carry out an intervention study where participants will be told not to use their phones in the toilet. This will help confirm whether and how much are the two related.
Straining does not cause haemorrhoids
Meanwhile, the team dismissed a common notion about haemorrhoids – that straining causes it. The study noted that there is very limited evidence to establish a link between the two. The study done by Pasricha and her team states that spending more time on the toilet seat is a bigger risk factor.