Your bathroom is the one area where it's just you and your thoughts, where your mind is most active, where you have those wild ideas. Well, that's enough. You and your phone are together now, a behavior that poses a greater risk to your health than you may realize.
It's a fact that most of us bring our phones to the bathroom. The phone is constantly with you, whether you're taking many breaks from work to use the restroom in the morning or during other situations. It's not unlikely that you are reading this on your toilet seat as well.
Gross germs Numerous negative things can occur when you use your phone in the restroom, beginning with the bacteria. We're all aware that the inside is filthy. Using a phone in the restroom introduces dangerous bacteria into the air that may quickly go beyond the restroom and cause diseases like stomach bugs. Even with the well-established link between phones, germs, and toilets, individuals continue to bring their phones with them.
Painful piles (haemorrhoids) Beyond the apparent germ factor, however, this behavior invites a host of other health problems, some of which might be long-lasting, such as haemorrhoids, which are enlarged veins in and around the lower rectum and anus. The illness may make defecation exceedingly uncomfortable.
Although it's becoming more and more usual, using a cell phone in the restroom carries serious health hazards. Long periods of time spent sitting on the toilet might put too much pressure on the veins in the lower abdomen, which can cause hemorrhoids. The body is designed to transport waste out of the body quickly and efficiently, but distractions from cell phones might cause this process to take longer, according to Dr. Mahesh Gupta, senior consultant in gastroenterology at Dharamshila Narayana Hospital in New Delhi.
When you realized you neglected to grab your phone, have you ever made a U-turn on your way to the restroom? If so, you most likely concur that using the toilet seat for longer than required is a waste of time. Doomscrolling and the need to watch one more Reel or complete that program keep you on the toilet seat for much longer than necessary, even when the actual business is finished in a few minutes. In the blink of an eye, thirty minutes had gone by.
Constipation and piles can result from spending too much time in the restroom.
The veins around the rectum and anus may get more compressed as a result of this extended sitting. This region is already under tension from the position of the toilet seat, and the pressure increases when you procrastinate finishing your bowel movement because you're preoccupied with your phone. Haemorrhoids may eventually develop as a result of this recurrent strain, according to Dr. Sukrit Singh Sethi, a consultant in gastroenterology, hepatology, and liver transplantation at Narayana Hospital in Gurugram.
There's a difference between sitting on a toilet seat and a chair. Long periods of sitting are bad for you in any case, but the lack of support beneath you while using a toilet seat for extended periods of time can put too much strain on your lower back.
Dr. Vilas Kedar, an anorectal surgeon and proctologist from Mumbai, says, "As a proctologist and anorectal surgeon, I've noticed a common habit among many of my patients suffering from haemorrhoids: spending 30 to 45 minutes in the toilet, often watching Reels, YouTube videos, or playing games on their phones."
There's a difference between sitting on a toilet seat and a chair. Long periods of sitting are bad for you in any case, but the lack of support beneath you while using a toilet seat for extended periods of time can put too much strain on your lower back.
Dr. Vilas Kedar, an anorectal surgeon and proctologist from Mumbai, says, "As a proctologist and anorectal surgeon, I've noticed a common habit among many of my patients suffering from haemorrhoids: spending 30 to 45 minutes in the toilet, often watching Reels, YouTube videos, or playing games on their phones."
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