Beware Of The Habit Of Playing Mobile Phones When Defecating Can Trigger Serious Diseases

Illustration of playing with a cellphone while defecating (Freepic)

JAKARTA - Many people take the habit of bringing cell phones to the toilet lightly. Whether to read the news, watch videos, open social media, or reply to messages, this activity is considered a way to fill time during defecation (BAB).

Reporting from the Science Alert page, this unhealthy habit can have a negative impact on health, one of which increases the risk of developing ambeien.

A survey presented at the Digestive Diseases Week (DDW) conference in San Diego, United States, revealed that the use of mobile phones in toilets could increase the risk of ambeien by 46 percent.

This study involved 125 people who were undergoing colonoscopic examination. As a result, more than 40 percent of them have ambeien, and 93 percent admit to using cell phones while in the toilet at least once a week.

Beth Israel's Satya Pasricha Winess Medical Center, Boston, explained that of the respondents, about half used time on the toilet to read news, 44 percent accessed social media, and 30 percent sent emails or messages.

Not only that, most of the respondents also admitted that they spent longer time in the toilet because they were busy playing on their cellphones, some even sat for more than 6 minutes on a visit to the bathroom.

Ambeien or hemorrhoids occur when blood vessels around the anus and lower rectums swell due to excessive pressure. Although everyone actually has a blood vessel pad in the area to help the exhaust process, this condition becomes a problem when the tissue is inflamed or bleeding.

According to experts, sitting too long in the toilet and straining too hard can increase the risk of the emergence of ambeien. When someone is engrossed in their cell phone, they tend to linger unconsciously and this position can trigger blood vessels widening in the anus.

Some studies suggest that we don't sit in the toilet for more than 10 minutes, some even suggest a maximum of only 3 minutes. Because the longer you sit, the greater pressure you put on the lower rectum area.

Although ambeien is not a life-threatening disease, this condition can be very disturbing. Symptoms include pain during defecation, bleeding, and lumps around the anus. In the United States, nearly 4 million visits to doctors and emergency rooms each year are related to ambeien. Unfortunately, the public's understanding of this disease is still low.

More concerning, there is no new national data regarding the prevalence of ambeien. The last major survey was conducted in 1989 and has yet to be updated.

Seeing the potential for serious risks, a number of health experts suggested that toilets be used as mobile zones. The main focus in the bathroom should be to finish defecating efficiently and cleanly, instead of being complacent with the phone screen.

"Maybe it's time for us to make the bathroom a smartphone-free zone." wrote the research team in a paper in 2024.

So, if you are among those who are often 'scrolling' while in the toilet, you should start changing that habit from now on. Remember, temporary comfort can lead to disturbing health problems. Limit time in the toilet, and make defecation a priority, not a cell phone notification.