Does this mobile device habit elevate chances of hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids rank among the most common gastrointestinal issues in the United States, leading millions to clinics and emergency departments every year, with the healthcare system incurring costs in the hundreds of millions. Despite their widespread occurrence, the underlying causes are still not clearly understood. Constipation, straining, pregnancy, and diets lacking in fiber have all been identified as potential factors, but physician-investigator Trisha Pasricha and her team speculated that the contemporary practice of spending extra time in the restroom with a mobile device might also contribute to this condition.

In a research involving 125 adults undergoing standard colonoscopy at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the team questioned participants regarding their restroom routines, mobile phone usage, dietary habits, and activity levels, before comparing their answers to direct colonoscopy results. The findings highlighted some unexpected trends:

We inquired with Pasricha about what these results, published in PLOS One, imply for patients and how they might reshape our understanding of routine restroom practices.

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What motivated your research on hemorrhoids and mobile device usage?

I’m a gastroenterologist currently writing a book set to release in the spring titled “You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong.” One of the sections I’m working on focuses on hemorrhoids.

My colleagues and I in gastroenterology frequently advise our patients to refrain from spending more than a few moments on the toilet. We all share the belief that remaining on the toilet too long is detrimental. However, while composing this book chapter, I revisited the literature and questioned the validity of the five-minute guideline. The existing data is rather limited.

I stumbled upon an intriguing old study from 1989 in The Lancet concerning hemorrhoids and reading materials in the restroom. It was a straightforward study involving around 100 patients. The researchers assessed how many individuals read during their restroom visits, and then doctors examined how many of them experienced hemorrhoids. That made it into The Lancet! 

This study did establish a correlation, indicating that more individuals who read on the toilet had hemorrhoids. Fast forward to 2025, I don’t believe anyone reads newspapers anymore, but we know that everyone is on their phones in the restroom. Thus, I thought we ought to refresh this research for the current TikTok generation.

“Let me just state it: We suspected there would be a gender divide. We divided our data by gender, and there’s a noticeable trend that men are spending more time in the restroom.”

What aspects did your team examine, and what conclusions did you reach?

In our research, around two-thirds of individuals reported using smartphones in the bathroom. When we asked those users if they ever lingered on the toilet longer than planned due to their phone, only about half acknowledged this.

However, here’s the compelling detail: Smartphone users were five times more likely to remain seated for over five minutes compared to non-users. Clearly, individuals are spending more time — yet only half of them recognize their phone as the reason.

We also examined if constipation or straining could account for this extra time, but there were no notable differences among the groups. This implies that the phone itself is influencing the behavior. I believe that time seems to extend when scrolling, and people don’t realize how much longer they’re sitting. Half admit it, while the other half remain unaware of their connection to this behavior.

Let’s cover the basics — what exactly are hemorrhoids? How serious can they be?

Well, they are more of an inconvenience than a fatal condition, but they can significantly affect someone’s quality of life. Regarding healthcare costs, they rank as the third most frequent reason individuals visit their doctors.

Everyone has hemorrhoidal cushions — vascular structures consisting of blood vessels, connective tissue, and smooth muscle — located at the end of our gastrointestinal tract. It’s a normal feature of our anatomy. It’s only when they become engorged that we become aware of them, which is when symptoms like discomfort arise, leading to the designation as hemorrhoids.

Hemorrhoid cushions provide a barrier between the stool and gas in your body and the external environment. They help distinguish between solid, gas, and liquid, assisting in determining when it’s appropriate to pass gas without a full bowel movement in public. They act as a protective cushion that prevents … social awkwardness.

When they become engorged internally, they may bleed and cause discomfort. External hemorrhoids can lead to itching and a sensation that something is present, making them difficult to maintain clean. This subsequently creates a vicious cycle of increased discomfort and irritation. As they become more inflamed, the likelihood of bleeding rises, and the situation can spiral out of control.

How do social dynamics, particularly gender differences, affect bathroom behaviors and associated health concerns?

I appreciate you bringing that up. Let me just say it: We suspected there would be a gender disparity. We stratified our data by gender, revealing a trend that men tend to spend more time in the restroom. This didn’t come as a surprise to anyone in our group. However, we lacked the statistical power to substantiate that, so that is a question we should pursue in our next study.

Moreover, there’s a general trend in which women are more inclined to seek assistance with gastrointestinal issues. They typically seek treatment more than men, who may be less likely to discuss their concerns with healthcare providers. Often, we see men who come in, having been encouraged by their partners, insisting they don’t have an issue. Yet, their wives might say, “You spend 40 minutes in the bathroom every morning. There is an issue.”

Sometimes, hearing it from someone else can help you realize that your experiences are not typical.

Why is it vital to normalize dialogue around digestive health and other “taboo” subjects?

I entered the field of gastroenterology because I recognized as a medical student and early in my career that you can possess almost everything you desire in life, but if you cannot enjoy the food you love and experience bowel movements comfortably, your quality of life diminishes significantly. If we shy away from discussing these matters, we cannot secure help, and physicians cannot assist our patients.

It is a significant passion of mine to work towards normalizing these discussions. The gut is just as important as any other part of your body, and I believe we ought to treat it with the respect and care it deserves.