Bathrooms used to be filled with dog eared paper backs, newspapers, and back issues of magazines, basically all the reading material one might need while doing their business. These days paper reading material in the restroom is becoming scarce. A survey conducted in 2015 showed that 9 out of 10 people bring their mobile device into the bathroom with them.
How many times have you brought a mobile device into the bathroom, daily, more than once every day? This may be a fun and popular way to catch up or kill time while dropping a deuce, but using mobile devices such as smartphones on the toilet does have some really dirty consequences for your health.
It tends to cause extra time on the toilet for starters, all that sitting and scrolling is bad for your bottom too it turns out, causing excess pressure on your anus and extra bacteria and yourself in general. That prolonged sitting that happens when you are absorbed in a smartphone can increase the risk of hemorrhoids, clinical trials are underway to provide concrete evidence to back up concerned experts. It’s not the actual mobile device use, it’s the prolonged sitting.
Everyone has hemorrhoids, we’re born with them, they are a collection of veins inside and outside the anus. Sitting on the toilet for a prolonged period of time and straining frequently can cause hemorrhoids to engorge with blood causing pain, swelling, and bleeding.
One of the biggest concerns in regards to toilet mobile device use is risk of contaminating it with fecal bacteria. A study of high school student’s mobile devices in 2017 showed that these devices can also harbor E.coli and other microbial nastiness. British studies have shown the average smartphone screen is even dirtier than the actual toilet seat.
Even if one is a stickler for home cleanliness there is no guarantee of the level of sanitation in any public or workplace bathroom, especially in places where multiple people spend a lot time such as schools, offices, and other workplaces. Mobile device use and contamination may be correlated to lack of handwashing skills or ability to do so for not being able to put the device down, and many people still don’t know how to wash their hands properly.
It is best to be a bit more mindful about bathroom habits and time to avoid butt pains and bacterial grossness. One only needs to sit on the toilet for as long as there is an actual urge. If a bowel movement is not produced in a few minutes don’t force it, rather get up and do something else and return when you have to urge to go again. A person can spend anywhere from 3 to 15 minutes having a bowel movement, any longer may indicate an issue with constipation. Sitting and straining for long periods of time should be avoided. Set a timer if you get distracted easily so you know when to move on if nothing has happened. Most importantly always wash your hands before leaving the restroom, not just after a bowel movement, scrubbing all parts of the hand for at least 20 seconds. If one has to use a mobile device while in there, find a way to keep it clean such as a antibacterial wipe, and absolutely close the toilet seat before you flush it, as fecal particles fly into the air and will land on your body parts and device that you place on your face, eyes, mouth and other body parts. Yuck, icky, gross, and all around nastiness.
