A new medical study has set up that using smartphone while sitting on the toilet can significantly increase the threat of hemorrhoids.
Researcher from Beth Isreal Deaconess Medical Center in Bostan studied 125 adults witnessing colonoscopy wireworks.
Participants completed survey about their toilet habit, diet and exercise routine. The results, published in PLOS One, revealed that those who carried phones into the toilet were 46 percent more likely to have hemorrhoids than people who did not.
The study noted that 66 of respondents admitted to using their phones in the toilet, among them 37 percent spent further than five minutes on the toilet, compared with only 7 of non phone users. Most people reported scrolling social media or reading news while seated.
Doctors explain that prolonged sitting on a toilet restroom seat places extra pressure rectal vein. Over time, this pressure can create swell and come painful, leading to hemorrhoids. Looking down at a phone may also worsen posture and affect bowel movements.
Trisha Pasricha, the study’s elderly author, said restroom time should be limited. “If the magic hasn’t happened with five minutes, you should get up and try again later," she advised.
Specialists add that hemorrhoids are decreasingly being diagnosed in youngish cases, a trend linked to changing habits and life factors.
To reduce the threats, experts recommend avoiding phones in toilet and keeping toilet time between three to five minutes.