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Bathroom Doomscrolling May Increase Your Risk of Hemorrhoids
Friday September 5, 2025. 02:02 AM , from Slashdot
![]() To test this theory, Pasricha and colleagues oversaw a study of 125 adults who recently received a colonoscopy screening. The patients were surveyed on both their daily lifestyles and toilet traditions, while endoscopists subsequently evaluated them for hemorrhoids. Of those volunteers, 66 percent reported passing time in the bathroom while smartphone scrolling. After factoring in potential hemorrhoid influences like age, exercise habits, and fiber intake, the researchers determined that those who relied on this screentime had a 46 percent higher risk of hemorrhoid problems than non-users. 'It's incredibly easy to lose track of time when we're scrolling on our smartphones -- popular apps are designed entirely for that purpose,' added Pasricha. The survey's results made this abundantly clear: 37 percent of smartphone users spent over five minutes at a time on the toilet, while barely seven percent of non-users reported the same. In general, people opted for reading the news and checking their social media while in the bathroom. Pasricha cautioned against drawing any definitive conclusions just yet, noting the preliminary study's comparatively small sample size. The team intends to investigate the issue further, possibly by tracking patients over longer periods of time, while also experimenting with ways to limit smartphone use. '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,' said Pasricha. '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?' Read more of this story at Slashdot.
https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/09/04/2159215/bathroom-doomscrolling-may-increase-your-risk-of...
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