Here's the Problem with Sitting on the Toilet Too Long

Sitting on the toilet for too long can take a major toll on your health, especially when it comes to your risk for developing hemorrhoids. But why is that the case? In this post, we explain how extended periods of toilet sitting impact your well-being.

Key takeaways:

• Extended periods of sitting on any surface put added stress on your rectum, but sitting on the toilet adds extra pressure because the cut-out shape of the bowl causes blood to pool in the veins in and around your anus
• Scrolling on your phone in the bathroom tends to extend the time you spend sitting on the toilet
• To reduce your risk for developing hemorrhoids, leave the phone in another room and aim to spend no more than 10 minutes sitting on the toilet.

Table of Contents

1. What are Hemorrhoids
2. How Toilet Sitting Impacts Hemorrhoid Risk
3. Minimally Invasive Hemorrhoid Treatment Options

Sitting on the Toilet for Too Long: What's the Problem?

While there’s no specific period of time that’s safe or unsafe when you’re hanging out in the bathroom, experts suggest spending no more than 10-15 minutes doing your business to reduce your hemorrhoid risk. Ideally, however, you’d avoid distractions like scrolling on your phone, since it can lead to a condition known as ‘TikTok tush. In fact, a recent study published in the journal PLOS One revealed that people who used their phones in the bathroom were 46% more likely to develop hemorrhoids. The researchers concluded that the risk increase resulted from distracted phone users sitting on the toilet for too long. To reduce the risk, they suggest, you should finish passing your bowel movement in five minutes or less. But why is that shorter time-frame so important?

When you sit on the toilet for an extended time-period, you compress some of the nerves in your perineum. (The portion of skin between the anus and scrotum for men, or the anus and vulva for women.) So, right off the bat, you may experience numbness in the area. And, your feet and legs could even start tingling once you stand up after finishing your business.

Moreover, when you're sitting too long on the toilet, you put a lot of pressure on your anus and rectum because remaining in this position causes blood to pool in your anal veins. That's true whenever you sit for too long, but perching on the toilet adds extra pressure to the area because the cut-out center of the seat allows the rectum to sit lower than your buttocks. And, with all that pressure, you're more likely to develop hemorrhoids.

What are Hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids are simply veins in your rectum that become enlarged and swollen. But why does the pressure of sitting too long on the toilet increase your risk for these enlarged veins? Well, when you're sitting down, the force of gravity allows blood to pool in your rectal veins. Then, because the toilet bowl has a cut-out shape that lowers your rectum, the blood may not be able to exit the region. That puts pressure on the veins, impeding blood flow and allowing them to bulge. Soon, you may experience symptoms of internal hemorrhoids. These include:

• Pain
• Itching
• Bleeding when you pass a bowel movement. (That last symptom is associated with internal hemorrhoids, which form inside your rectum.) Blood in the stool that's associated with hemorrhoids tends to be bright red in color, whereas rectal bleeding associated with other conditions may be darker in color.

If you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms, it's time to seek relief with hemorrhoid treatment.

Internal Hemorrhoid Relief in Houston and Dallas

Been sitting on the toilet too long and now you're experiencing unpleasant internal hemorrhoid symptoms? We're here to help! Click here to request an appointment with our interventional radiologists at one of our seven Texas Endovascular locations. When you come in, we'll review your minimally invasive treatment options, including Hemorrhoid Artery Embolization (HAE), a procedure that shrinks grade 1-3 internal hemorrhoids.