This habit in the bathroom increases the risk of hemorrhoids by 46%
Sep 04, 2025
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Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Massachusetts conducted an online survey of 125 adults undergoing colonoscopy, analyzed their lifestyle and toilet use, and published the results in the international journal `PLOS One.'
The researchers said "People who use smartphones in the bathroom have a 46% higher risk of hemorrhoids than those who do not."
According to the study, 66% of respondents use smartphones in bathrooms, and 37% of them stay for more than five minutes at a time.
54.3 percent of people who use smartphones in bathrooms watched the news, and 44.4 percent accessed social media.
On the other hand, only 7.1% of people who do not use smartphones stay for more than 5 minutes.
The researchers explained "Using a smartphone in the bathroom can unintentionally increase bowel time and put pressure on anal tissue, causing blood vessels to inflate."
Contrary to the conventional belief that 'strengthening during defecation' increases the risk of hemorrhoids, the study emphasized that long stays caused by smartphone use actually have a greater impact. The researchers recommended leaving smartphones outside the bathroom and limiting bowel movements to less than 10 to 15 minutes.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
