Gerrard Kaonga
If you're reading this while on the toilet, you might want to finish up your business and get moving...
We all go to the bathroom, but just how long do you take?
Sure, sometimes, you're in and out in a flash, but what about when you're taking a number two?
A quick trip can quickly turn into an extended 15-minute stay, and not because you're struggling to get things going, but more likely because you have found a way to keep your mind occupied.
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Many of us do end up bringing our phones into the bathroom with us, and scroll social media, or watch YouTube, essentially just sat there, underwear by our ankles, squatting over the bowl.
But beyond getting a dead leg or pins and needles, doctors have warned there are more concerning health issues that can arise from continuously having long stays on the toilet.
Dr. Farah Monzur, an assistant professor of medicine and director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Stony Brook Medicine on Long Island, New York, said that ideally, you shouldn’t be spending more than 10 minutes doing your business.
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Extended time has been connected to an increased risk of hemorrhoids and weakened pelvic muscles, according to health experts.
The issues arise because of the way we use the toilet. The open oval-shaped toilet seat compresses the buttocks, keeping the rectum in a lower position than if you were sitting down normally.
Gravity then pulls the body down; this increased pressure ultimately affects your blood circulation.
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Dr. Lai Xue, a colorectal surgeon at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, said: “It becomes a one-way value where blood enters, but blood really can’t go back.”
He added: “When patients present to me with complaints, one of the main areas we have to delve deeply into is spending a lot of time on the toilet."
Monzur also said people on their phones on the toilet tend to lose track of time and spend longer sitting and straining their muscles to get a bowel movement out.
This can allow hemorrhoids to build, and can cause further issues.
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Xue added: “Nowadays, we’re seeing an increase in people passing more time on the toilet, and that is very much unhealthy for the anorectal organs and the pelvic floor.
So, to keep your body in tip top shape, it's probably worth leaving the magazines and phones out of the bathroom and keeping every trip short and sweet...