Study finds phone use on the toilet may cause painful medical condition

Hemorrhoids Affect Millions Each Year

Hemorrhoids are extremely common in the United States. Each year, they account for nearly 4 million visits to doctors or emergency rooms and generate more than $800 million in healthcare costs. The condition involves swollen veins in the anal or rectal area, which can lead to pain and bleeding.

Doctors and patients have long suspected that using a smartphone while sitting on the toilet might contribute to hemorrhoids, but there has been little scientific research examining this possible link.

Study Examines Bathroom Phone Habits

To investigate the question, Ramprasad and colleagues studied 125 adults who were undergoing screening colonoscopies. Participants completed an online survey that asked about their lifestyle habits and their typical behavior while using the toilet. Endoscopists then examined the participants for signs of hemorrhoids.

Two thirds of the participants reported using their smartphones while on the toilet. These individuals were generally younger than those who said they did not use their phones in the bathroom.

After adjusting for factors that could influence hemorrhoid risk, including age, exercise habits, and fiber intake, the researchers found a clear difference. Participants who used smartphones on the toilet had a 46 percent higher risk of hemorrhoids compared with those who did not.

Longer Toilet Time May Play a Role

The researchers also found that smartphone users tended to spend more time sitting on the toilet. About 37 percent of people who used smartphones in the bathroom reported spending more than five minutes there during a single visit. In comparison, only 7.1 percent of non users reported staying that long.

When participants used their phones, they most often said they were reading news or browsing social media.

Interestingly, the study did not find a connection between straining during bowel movements and hemorrhoid risk, which differs from conclusions drawn in some earlier studies.

Based on the results, the researchers believe smartphone use may unintentionally extend the time people spend sitting on the toilet. Sitting for longer periods could increase pressure on tissues in the anal region, which may contribute to the development of hemorrhoids.

Implications for Health Advice

The findings could help doctors offer more practical guidance to patients about bathroom habits. Future studies may build on this research by following patients over longer periods or testing strategies designed to reduce smartphone use while on the toilet.

Trisha Pasricha, senior author of the study, explains: "Using a smartphone while on the toilet was linked to a 46 percent increased chance of having hemorrhoids. 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."

She also noted that the results reinforce a simple piece of advice. "This study bolsters advice to people in general to leave the smartphones outside the bathroom and to try to spend no more than a few minutes to have a bowel movement. 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 that smartphone apps are designed to capture attention and make it easy to lose track of time. "It's incredibly easy to lose track of time when we're scrolling on our smartphones -- popular apps are designed entirely for that purpose. But it's possible that constantly sitting longer on the toilet than you intended because you're distracted by your smartphone could increase your risk of hemorrhoids. 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."

Funding: TP: Funded by the AGA Research Foundation's Research Scholar Award-AGA2022-13-03. The AGA did not play any role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.