We’ve all done it. You head to the bathroom, sit down, and scroll through your FYP or start playing a game of Candy Crush. Before you know it, your legs are tingling and 20 minutes have vanished. But according to researchers and medical case studies, that casual habit could be doing some serious damage.
Doctors have linked long bathroom breaks to everything from hemorrhoids to fainting. One study found a 46% spike in hemorrhoid risk for people who use their phones while they go. Others have documented nerve damage, pressure sores, prolapse, and cases where people passed out on the toilet and never woke up. It feels like harmless downtime, but there’s actually a lot of pressure happening—and that’s not good.
Here are the things your body might be going through behind that locked bathroom door:
1. Hemorrhoids
Spending too long on the toilet builds pressure where you don’t want it. The blood vessels around your anus start to swell, sometimes without warning. Hemorrhoids affect most people at some point, often in silence—until there’s blood on the paper or that unmistakable sting. And scrolling for too long can definitely make it worse.
2. Anal Fissures
The thin lining of your anus doesn’t respond well to pressure (as we just learned above). Sitting for too long can stretch and irritate it, increasing the risk of tears. Anal fissures can make every bowel movement feel like you’re passing glass. They usually bleed, and they don’t heal easily if your habits don’t change.
3. Rectal Prolapse
Spend enough time pushing, and your rectum might push back. Sit long enough and your insides might start to give out. Rectal prolapse, even uterine prolapse, happens when the muscles meant to hold everything in start to fail. It’s not common, but when it hits, it’s brutal, it’s painful—and often ends in surgery.
4. Pressure Ulcers
If you’re parked on the toilet too long, your skin pays for it. With less blood flow, tissue starts to break down, and pressure sores follow. It’s the same reason people in wheelchairs must regularly reposition. The toilet doesn’t get a pass.
5. Hiatal Hernia
Pushing too hard can shove part of your stomach where it doesn’t belong—up into your chest. That’s a hiatal hernia. It screws up digestion, causes chest pain, and leaves you feeling full and sour for hours. One in five people deal with it, often without knowing why.
6. Toilet Seat Neuropathy
That numb, tingly leg feeling? It’s called toilet seat neuropathy. Blood flow to your lower limbs gets cut off, and in rare cases, it can lead to nerve damage, gangrene, or worse, especially if alcohol or sedation is involved and you’re stuck for hours. No, seriously, people have died because of it.
7. Fainting
Push too hard and your body might hit the brakes. Straining can shock the vagus nerve, causing vasovagal syncope—a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure. One second you’re scrolling, the next you’re passed out on the bathroom floor.
You’re not supposed to hang out in the bathroom. If you can’t get your business done in less than five minutes, it might be time to drink more water, eat more fiber, and leave your phone on the sink. Your butthole—and your nervous system—will thank you.
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