For some people, the toilet can be a place of sanctuary from the stress and noise of day-to-day life – whether that be to take the time to read a newspaper or perhaps scroll through your phone, or simply just have a moment alone with your thoughts.
However, there’s some bad news concerning this particular habit...
Spending those precious minutes of peace and quiet sitting on the toilet can actually be harmful to your body, with one doctor warning on TikTok that the habit can cause haemorrhoids.
According to the NHS, piles (haemorrhoids) are lumps inside and around your bottom (anus). They often get better on their own after a few days.
But if they don’t go away and non-surgical treatments fail to work, then surgery may be needed to remove them – and nobody wants that.
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Dr. Karanr (@dr.karanr) has helpfully explained three things you should NEVER do if you want to avoid haemorrhoid surgery.
Straining
“Fun fact everyone has anal cushions, these are there to stop us pooing ourselves, they also contain blood vessels,” he explained.
Dr. Karanr detailed how straining on the toilet can cause these blood vessels to “swell-up” which consequently can cause haemorrhoids.
Spending your life on the toilet
While some sit on the toilet to have some quiet time, or to catch up with what’s happening on social media, spending too much time on the toilet isn’t helpful for your body.
Dr. Karanr recommends not to spend on average more than 10 minutes on the toilet, as he told viewers that “gravity is not your friend.”
“The longer you spend on the toilet, the longer the blood can pool in these rectal veins causing haemorrhoids,” he said.
Don’t skip out on fibre in your diet
When it comes to our diet, in order to avoid haemorrhoid surgery Dr Karanr advises us not to skip fibre in our diet, for example, foods such as beans, oats and wholegrain cereals.
“Unless you have a specific medical condition, you should be aiming for 20-30g of fibre a day so you don’t always have to cut the crusts off your bread, and keep the skin on your fruit and veg,” he concluded in the video.
So, there you have it. Maybe it’s time to find an alternative area of the house to seek a bit of peace and quiet.
