An expert has shared a pretty scary warning about why you shouldn’t spend more than 10 minutes at a time sitting on the loo.
Most of us are guilty of spending longer in the bathroom than necessary, whether it be by accidentally getting engrossed while scrolling your phone, or simply killing a few extra minutes during the workday.
Some people might even go as far as taking a magazine to the toilet with them, ensuring they get a few minutes of absolute peace and quiet.
Dr. Roshini Raj, a gastroenterologist at NYU Langone, revealed to Launcher: “You generally don’t want to spend more than about on average about 10 minutes.”
Sitting on the toilet for prolonged periods can lead to hemorrhoids, or even painful, swollen veins in the anal area, according to the doctor.
Dr. Raj says that part of the issue is down to the design of a modern toilet, explaining: “So the actual anorectal area is hanging a little bit lower than the part that’s supported — your thighs.
The doctor added that it’s not necessarily only an issue when a person is doing their business, but even just sitting on the bowl doing something else entirely can be detrimental, adding: “So even if you’re not straining, if you’re just sitting there thinking of something else, doing something else, there is some pressure being applied to those veins.”
Yikes.
And Dr. Raj advises against using your phone while sitting on the loo for other reasons as well as protecting your undercarriage, adding: “I see a lot of people who get food poisoning or catch different things by not having good hygiene practices in the bathroom.
“I just think generally speaking, if you’re on the toilet having a bowel movement or trying to have a movement, you shouldn’t be using your fingers on anything else.”
According to a NordVPN study of 9,800 adults, 65 percent said they took their phone with them to the toilet, with 26-41-year-olds being guilty of doing it the most.
Unsurprisingly, Gen Z came in second place, with Spain being the country where people are most likely to use their phone on the toilet, with almost 80 percent of respondents saying they use it to keep themselves occupied while doing their business.
Given those stats, it’s probably about time we all started wiping down our phones with antibac more often… or just biting the bullet and leaving them outside the bathroom when nature calls.