Leave your devices behind when you head to the bathroom, doctors say.
People commonly bring phones or magazines into the bathroom.
A short trip can easily stretch from three minutes to 15.
The pastime seems harmless when you are going number two.
But experts warn extended sitting on the toilet can harm your health.
They link prolonged toilet sitting to higher risks of hemorrhoids and weakened pelvic muscles.
Dr. Lai Xue is a colorectal surgeon at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
“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,” Xue said.
Bowel movement frequency could influence many other health factors.
Here’s what happens when you overstay on the toilet.
Potty problems from sitting too long
Dr. Farah Monzur directs the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Stony Brook Medicine on Long Island.
She says people should spend about five to 10 minutes on the toilet.
Dr. Xue explains the physics behind the problem.
Gravity pulls blood toward your lower body, making it harder to return blood to the heart.
“It becomes a one-way value where blood enters, but blood really can’t go back,” Xue said.
The open oval toilet seat compresses the buttocks.
That keeps the rectum lower than when you sit on a couch.
The downward pull increases pressure in veins around the anus and lower rectum.
That pressure can enlarge veins and raise the chance of hemorrhoids.
White toilet bowl in a bathroom.
Don’t force it either
People who scroll for long periods often strain to produce a bowel movement.
That forced pushing raises pressure and encourages hemorrhoids to form.
“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,” Xue added.
Monzur says prolonged sitting can also contribute to rectal prolapse.
Rectal prolapse occurs when part of the large intestine slips down and bulges from the anus.
The pelvic floor muscles also suffer from long toilet sessions.
Those muscles coordinate bowel movements and help stool pass smoothly.
Constant gravitational pressure strains those muscles over time.
Woman with stomach ache, menstrual period cramp, abdominal pain.
Be more mindful of bathroom time
Dr. Lance Uradomo is an interventional gastroenterologist at City of Hope Orange County in Irvine, California.
He and other experts advise leaving phones, magazines and books out of the bathroom.
Monzur says you should make the toilet as uninteresting as possible.
“You don’t want to go with the mindset that you will be there for a long time. Because then you’ll want to bring something to keep the mind occupied,” Monzur said.
If you can’t go after 10 minutes, Xue recommends stopping and walking.
Walking can stimulate gut muscles and trigger a bowel movement.
Xue also suggests drinking more water and eating fiber-rich foods like oats and beans.
Fiber and fluids soften stool and reduce the need to strain.
The National Academy of Medicine recommends 2.7 to 3.7 liters of water daily.
The US Department of Agriculture advises 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories.
The young adult male sits on the hospital room couch to talk with the hospital insurance specialist.
Long bathroom times and colorectal cancer
Sometimes people must stay seated because of ongoing difficulty passing stool.
Persistent trouble can signal conditions like irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn’s disease.
“If a growth inside the colon grows big enough, it can block the flow of your stool, which can cause constipation and bleeding,” Uradomo said.
The American Cancer Society reports rising colorectal cancer rates among people under 55 since the mid-1990s.
The nonprofit estimates 106,590 new colon cancer cases and 46,220 new rectal cancer cases this year.
Uradomo recalls seeing younger patients with hemorrhoids and constipation later diagnosed with rectal cancer.
Monzur says if constipation or long toilet sessions last more than three weeks, see your doctor.
Your primary care doctor can refer you to a gastroenterologist or colorectal surgeon.