Scrolling on your phone on the toilet has been linked with a horrifying health issue, according to a new study.
A recent survey conducted by QS Supplies found that Americans are spending two whole days per year scrolling on their phones while on the toilet.
However, it is new research that has become the cause for concern among the US population as this habit has been linked with a worrying health problem.
This is according to a study done by a team of researchers at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who discovered that people who take their smartphone with them to the toilet have a 46% higher risk of hemorrhoids.
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From the center, Dr Trisha Pasricha, who is also a senior author of the study, said: “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.
“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?
“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.”
It’s estimated that around one in 20 people in America suffer with hemorrhoids and the condition affects over half of people over the age of 50.
However, people who take their smartphone with them to the bathroom are five times more likely to spend over five minutes on the toilet than people who don’t.
It was found that while straining on the toilet doesn’t increase your risk of hemorrhoids, it is thought that spending too much time sitting on the toilet could increase the pressure in anal tissues which could lead to the condition.