Hemorrhoid risk increases through cell phone use on the toilet

Who doesn’t know it – the smartphone must be there when you go to the toilet. And when scrolling, the time on the toilet often runs much longer than actually necessary. What is sometimes the reason for amusement can also result in health consequences. Because a current study shows that there is a connection between cell phone use on the toilet and the risk of hemorrhoids.

The researchers of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston surveyed 125 adults, among other things, to deal with their smartphones during the Klogang and carry out a colonoscopy with them. Two thirds of the respondents at least regularly use the cell phone on the toilet – and spent significantly more time than those who leave the phone outside. In the case of colonoscopy, the researchers found a 46 percent higher risk of hemorrhoids among regular cell phone users.

It has long been known that there is a connection between the length of the session on the toilet and hemorrhoid diseases. Due to the sitting position, the blood builds up at the lowest point of the body and increases the pressure on the blood vessels around the anus. When they increase, one speaks of a hemorrhoidal disease. Experts therefore recommend limiting the toilet to a few minutes. If you really want to pull yourself back to the bathroom longer, you should at least sit on the toilet lid.

In the survey of researchers from the USA, 37 percent of mobile phone users stated that they spend more than five minutes on the toilet. For those who do not take the smartphone with them, it was only seven percent.

If you hold the phone in your hand, it can quickly take longer. “The entire business model of these social media apps is to distract us, let us forget the time and to make us addicted to her algorithm,” explains Trisha Pasicha, main author of the study, which was published in the specialist journal “PLOS”. “We are just beginning to understand how smartphones affect many areas of our lives.”

In view of the results, the gastroenterologist recommends “to leave the smartphone outside the bathroom and try not to need more than a few minutes for bowel movements”.

According to estimates, at least every second adult suffers from problems with hemorrhoids at least once in his life. The disease usually shows up by an itching or burning. Other risk factors are pressed in bowel movements as well as interruptions or unnecessarily long out. Especially in the event of bleeding, those affected should contact a doctor.

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