Recent research has uncovered a scary relationship between smartphone usage in the loo and the increase of haemorrhoids. This prevalent anorectal health condition is on the rise in Australia. Haemorrhoids, often caused by straining during bowel movements, are prevalent among adults, with a new study suggesting that prolonged time spent on the toilet while using smartphones could exacerbate this condition.
A new study published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE in early September suggests otherwise, surveying 125 adults. The findings revealed that two-thirds of respondents confessed to using their smartphones during toilet time. Those who cultivated this practice spent more than five minutes per appointment on average. This was much longer than among those who did not use their devices. People who use their phone and scroll while sitting on the toilet are in grave danger. They are 46 percent more likely to have haemorrhoids than those who don’t use their phones.
Professor Rupert Leong, a gastroenterologist focused on gut health, outlined the health dangers associated with extended sedentary periods. As he detailed, such behavior is a preceptor to overexertion. He noted, “This activity may be prolonging the defecation process, resulting in excessive straining, which can then increase the pressure of the blood vessels that lead to vascular swelling, and eventually rupture of the vessels that lead to bleeding.”
Dr. Jarrah Dowrick, one of the study’s contributors, made it clear that this is critical. Perhaps the key challenge is not so much widespread smartphone use as it is the increased amount of time that people spend anticipating a bowel movement. He stated, “What it really boils down to is it’s not a good idea to be sitting on the toilet for ages, waiting and hoping for something to happen, and especially straining to achieve that.”
Haemorrhoids usually begin as small internal swellings but can cause issues if they prolapse down through the anus. Graeme Young, a colorectal surgeon at Flinders University, said pain on defecation is usually a harbinger for haemorrhoids. Finding blood after wiping is another classic sign, he noted. “Usually, when you’re wiping yourself after passing a bowel action, you will feel something is not right,” he explained.
The study found that most people take their smartphones into the bathroom. Going on social media and reading news articles were the main activities they did. She hypothesized that these sorts of distractions may interfere with gut-brain communications to increase sitting time and perhaps others.
Graeme Young, head of research at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, said improving constipation should be a focus for preventing haemorrhoids. “If there is a real problem of constipation — and by constipation we mean not going to the toilet often enough — then you really need to get the constipation dealt with by dietary fibre, and discuss with the doctor if that doesn’t work,” he advised.
Professor Leong echoed these sentiments, advocating for regular visits to a general practitioner to rule out more serious conditions such as bowel cancer. He remarked on the non-specific nature of haemorrhoid symptoms: “The symptoms of haemorrhoids are non-specific — so a passage of red blood can be something as benign as a haemorrhoid or it can be something more sinister that includes bowel cancer.”
