Chijioke Iremeka
Doctors have warned that sitting more than 10 minutes on the toilet seats increases the risks of hemorrhoids, weakened pelvic muscles, and infections.
The experts cautioned that reading through pages of newspapers or surfing the internet on cell phones while using the toilet increases the time spent on the toilet seats.
The physicians, who stressed that many Nigerians had the habit of taking their phones or newspapers to the toilet, said this practice increased their stay in the toilet and impacts their health.
They urged Nigerians to leave their devices and books behind when using the toilet, insisting that too much time spent on the toilet seats may be unhealthy for the population that practices this.
Recall that some medical practitioners had earlier warned against sitting on toilet seats longer than 10 minutes, and noted that the practice increases the risks of an individual developing haemorrhoids and contracting infections.
Dr. Olufunmilayo Ogunsanya, popularly known as ‘OurFavOnlineDoc on Instagram and Twitter, explained that many people developed jedi-jedi (haemorrhoids), not as a result of consuming sugar or sweet drinks, but because they usually sit for too long in the toilet.
He tweeted, “You have piles and itchy anus because you turned your toilet into a lounge and phone booth. A mobile phone has 17 times more germs than a toilet seat, and using it in the toilet can predispose one to stomach ache and diarrhea.”
According to an online medical portal, WebMD, haemorrhoids are swollen veins, similar to varicose veins, in the lowest part of your rectum and anus, stating that this happens when the walls of these blood vessels stretch so thin that the veins bulge and get irritated, especially when pooping.
Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise in different interviews, the experts said that avoiding spending too much time in the toilets and keeping phones, magazines, and books out of the toilet would reduce the time spent in the loo.
A Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Dr Isaiah Abali, said the open oval-shaped toilet seat compresses the buttocks, keeping the rectum in a lower position than if you were sitting on the couch.
He noted that with gravity pulling the lower half of the body down, the increased pressure affects the blood circulation, and it becomes a one-way value where blood enters, but blood can’t go back.
Abali said, “As a result, the veins and blood vessels surrounding the anus and lower rectum become enlarged and engorged with blood, increasing the risk of haemorrhoids, weakened pelvic muscles, and bleeding.”
He emphasised that forced straining could also increase the pressure to allow haemorrhoids to build, insisting that people scrolling on their phones on the toilet tend to lose track of time, sitting and straining their muscles to get a bowel movement out.
“Nowadays, we see an increase in the number of people spending more time on the toilet, and that is very unhealthy for the anorectal organs and the pelvic floor.
“The pelvic floor muscles are another type of muscle weakened from prolonged toilet sitting. It coordinates a significant amount of bowel movement and works with the rest of the body to ensure stool comes out smoothly. The gravitational pressure on the pelvic floor strains the muscles when constantly sitting for long periods,” he said.
In addition to weakened anal muscles and forced straining, he noted that sitting on the toilet bowl for too long can also increase the risk of rectal prolapsed, which occurs when the rectum, part of the large intestine, slips down and bulges out of the anus.
Abali urged the masses not to take their newspapers and phones in the toilet, advising them not to make their toilet too comfortable so that they would not relax for more than 10 minutes.
He noted that many people, distracted by their phones, end up spending far longer on the toilet than they realise, which can affect the blood circulation around the region, strain their muscles, and weaken the pelvic floor.
Abali added that going into the toilet with phones can lead to infections, especially where there are children, saying that while in the toilet, the phone will become a home for germs, and when brought into a living space with children, it can increase their risks of infections when they come in contact with the phones, including diarrhoea.
On the other hand, a Professor of Clinical Haematology and Blood Transfusion at the Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Akinbami Abduljaleel, differs from Abali in the blood circulation around the buttocks.
While he would not give detailed information on hemorrhoids like a surgeon would do, he noted that sitting on the toilet seat may not affect blood circulation.
Abduljaleel said, “I don’t want to speak on hemorrhoids because I am not a general surgeon. The general surgeon will speak more on this. However, for blood circulation, I don’t think sitting on the toilet seat would affect it. But for hemorrhoids, general surgeons would better speak on this; they are the ones that deal with hemorrhoids.”
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