- Extended Bathroom Sessions Linked to Hemorrhoids, Weak Pelvic Floor
- Doctors Recommend Limiting Toilet Time to 5-10 Minutes
Health professionals are cautioning against the growing trend of prolonged toilet sessions due to phone usage, warning that extended bathroom time can lead to serious health issues.
Dr. Lai Xue, a colorectal surgeon at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, explained that sitting for too long increases pressure on the veins around the anus, often resulting in hemorrhoids.
“Many patients with complaints come to me, and a primary factor we discuss is extended time on the toilet,” Xue said.
Spending more than five to 10 minutes in the bathroom, according to Dr. Farah Monzur, director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Stony Brook Medicine, can strain the pelvic area and lead to weakened anal muscles and pelvic floor dysfunction.
The shape of the toilet seat and gravity’s pull contribute to restricted blood flow, making it difficult for blood to circulate back from the rectum.
“It’s like a one-way valve where blood flows in but can’t easily flow out,” Xue noted, which increases the risk of hemorrhoids. Phone distractions can make people spend unintentional extra time on the toilet, causing muscle strain and weakening the pelvic floor.
Dr. Monzur added that prolonged sitting could raise the risk of rectal prolapse, where part of the large intestine slips out of the anus.
With recent reports from the American Cancer Society showing a rise in colorectal cancer rates among people under 55, these risks are even more concerning.
To minimize time spent in the bathroom, Dr. Lance Uradomo, an interventional gastroenterologist at City of Hope Orange County, suggests making the bathroom environment as uninteresting as possible.
“Avoid going in with the mindset that it’s a place to linger,” Monzur emphasized. Dr. Xue also recommended taking a brief walk after 10 minutes if a bowel movement hasn’t occurred.
For those experiencing persistent difficulties or discomfort with bowel movements, experts advise considering it a potential sign of gastrointestinal conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, or even colorectal cancer, which can block stool flow.
