MOST people are guilty of taking their phones to the toilet either to check mail, scroll social media, or catch up with messages but the bottom line is the practice might lead to haemorrhoids or piles.

The main issue at hand, is the amount of time spent on the toilet while using the cellphone. It is likely that the practice will result in one sitting for a longer period of time and simultaneously using the cellphone, which often results in losing track of time. This puts pressure on the veins of the anus in the lower rectum, resulting in haemorrhoids or piles. These often cause severe pain, swelling and/or bleeding.

General, laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon Dr Alfred Dawes told Your Health Your Wealth that using a smartphone isn’t the problem, rather it is sitting on the toilet and using the phone for a prolonged period of time.

Veins both on the inside of and just on the outside of the anus become the majority of the swollen mass of tissue we call haemorrhoids. These enlarged veins are filled with blood and stretch the lining of the anus, leading to fleshy looking tissue that protrude from the anus. If the veins in the inside of the anal opening are enlarged, we call them internal haemorrhoids. If it is the veins on the outside of the anus that are enlarged, they form external haemorrhoids. Internal haemorrhoids usually cause painless bleeding when you wipe, but if they get trapped in the anal opening this can lead to excruciating pain. External haemorrhoids become painful when the blood in their veins clot, leading to inflammation and even death of the overlying skin. Long periods of time spent on the toilet can unquestionably result in haemorrhoids. According to Dr Dawes, staying longer and straining to pass stool may cause the haemorrhoids to fill up with blood and create pain, swelling, or bleeding.

Dr Dawes also mentioned the possibility of contaminating one’s phone with faecal bacteria when using the restroom. When you flush the toilet, tiny droplets of water may get in the air and contaminate nearby surfaces. E. coli and other microbial nasties may be present on phones and research shows that a smartphone screen is dirtier, on average, than a toilet seat.

While you might take pride in keeping your home spotless, you never know how clean public restrooms are, especially in areas where lots of people congregate, like offices or other workplaces.

So, how should you use the john? Below Dr Dawes gives some tips.

1. Only use the restroom for as long as you need to. Don’t force a bowel movement if it doesn’t come after a few minutes on the toilet. Get up and move on to something else instead. Return to the bathroom whenever the urge strikes.

2. The time it takes to poop should be between one and fifteen minutes; any longer may be a sign of constipation. Spend as little time as possible sitting still and tensing. If you find yourself becoming sidetracked, try setting a timer to alert you when it’s time to stand up and continue if nothing has, so to speak.

3. Invest in a bidet to clean your bottom after using the bathroom (or straining). Your anal muscles may feel better with the help of warm, pressured water from the bidet.

Of course, not just after a bowel movement, you should wash your hands thoroughly after using the restroom.

4. After using, wash your hands with running water for at least 20 seconds.

5. Finally, if you must use your smartphone in the restroom, be sure to close the seat after you flush since every time you flush, faeces contaminated water droplets fly into the air and land on your phone, body parts, even your toothbrush.

6. Use Lysol or Clorox wipes to regularly clean your phone.