Bathroom Scrollers Beware! Phone Use On The Toilet Could Up Your Risk Of Hemorrhoids By 46 Percent

Both hemorrhoids and smartphones are common features of 21st century life, but this study, led by gastroenterologists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is the first to bring them together in this way. 

“Despite anecdotal evidence that length of time spent on the toilet is a risk factor for hemorrhoids, a multivariate analysis of smartphone use has not been performed,” the authors write. 

Hemorrhoids are responsible for nearly 4 million doctor’s visits, cost more than $800 million, and cause untold pain and discomfort every year in the US. Also known as piles, they’re swollen blood vessels in and around the anus and rectum. 

In the case of external hemorrhoids, you may be able to feel the lumps; they can be painful or itchy and may bleed. Internal hemorrhoids typically can’t be felt, but they can sometimes prolapse – i.e. emerge – out through the anus. 

They rarely cause serious issues, but it’s always worth remembering that if you develop new symptoms such as blood in your poop, you should seek medical advice to rule out anything more sinister.

That’s pretty much exactly what the subjects of the new study were doing – they were recruited while undergoing routine screening colonoscopies to check for early signs of colon cancer. 

The researchers surveyed 125 adults, asking them questions about their lifestyle and toilet habits. They were also checked for signs of hemorrhoids using an endoscope.

Phone use on the toilet was a common habit, with 66 percent of people saying they indulged. Of those, many reported that they used the time to read the news (and we can only hope IFLScience features heavily), while the next most common activity was browsing social media (find us “@IFLScience” on all major platforms). 

Aside from potential infection control issues, using your phone in the bathroom may sound innocuous – after all, we wouldn’t bat an eyelid at someone taking a newspaper or magazine in there with them. But the problem comes when being distracted by your phone causes you to spend more time on the toilet than is strictly necessary.

The data showed that 37 percent of smartphone users spent more than 5 minutes at a time on the toilet, versus just 7.1 percent of non-users. A longer time spent sitting on the toilet, where the pelvic floor is unsupported, can increase pressure on the tissues of the anus, making hemorrhoids more likely. 

Interestingly, the authors didn’t find a link between hemorrhoids and straining when you poop. This is something that’s often been hypothesized in the past, but based on their results, they suggest prolonged toilet time might be a better predictor than straining alone (that doesn’t mean you can scrimp on fiber, however).

“Using a smartphone while on the toilet was linked to a 46 percent increased chance of having hemorrhoids,” said senior author Trisha Pasricha in a statement. That was after adjusting for other factors like age, as hemorrhoids are generally more common in older people.

“We’re still uncovering the many ways smartphones and our modern way of life impact our health. It’s possible that how and where we use them – such as while in the bathroom – can have unintended consequences.”

The advice? Leave the smartphone at the door. Don’t ignore the need to poop – that’s linked to hemorrhoids too, as well as other problems – but equally try not to spend longer in there than you need to.

“If it’s taking longer, ask yourself why. Was it because having a bowel movement was really so difficult, or was it because my focus was elsewhere?” Pasricha added. “It’s incredibly easy to lose track of time when we’re scrolling on our smartphones – popular apps are designed entirely for that purpose.”

“We need to study this further, but it’s a safe suggestion to leave the smartphone outside the bathroom when you need to have a bowel movement.”

And if you do have troublesome hemorrhoids, we would strongly urge you to seek medical advice from qualified professionals, rather than resorting to such folk remedies as sticking potatoes up your butt.

The study is published in the journal PLOS One.