A recent survey reveals that many of us are hooked on our smartphones, and this habit might be more harmful than it seems. If you’re someone who can’t even go to the bathroom without your phone, there are some risks you should be aware of. Not only can it negatively affect your health, but it can also impact your mental well-being and productivity.
At Bright Side, we care about your health, so we’ve compiled a list of key research findings about the risks of using your smartphone while on the toilet.
It can spread lots of harmful bacteria.
A recent study revealed a surprising and unpleasant fact: phones are often dirtier than toilet seats. Research involving secondary school children found that mobile phones were contaminated with E. coli, a bacteria linked to intestinal issues like food poisoning. However, E. coli isn’t the only harmful bacteria you can pick up in the bathroom, making it even more important to be cautious.
It may increase your chance of getting hemorrhoids.
This likely occurs because spending extended time on the toilet puts pressure on our organs, which remain unsupported over the toilet bowl.
While more research is needed to confirm this link, cases of hemorrhoids have increased since smartphones became widespread. So, although scrolling on your phone in the bathroom might feel relaxing, it could also be contributing to some uncomfortable health issues.
It can limit our thinking capacity.
Cell phones can disrupt our focus and problem-solving abilities, even when we’re not actively using them or when they’re turned off.
This makes it crucial to have moments free from phone distractions, as switching off our devices and spending time alone can be exactly what our minds need. Bringing our phones to the bathroom, however, robs us of these valuable mental breaks.
It can cause pelvic floor dysfunction.
Spending too much time on the toilet while distracted by our phones can weaken our muscles, particularly the pelvic floor. This muscle supports organs like the bowel, bladder, and vagina, and if it becomes too weak, these organs can shift or “slip.”
This issue is partly due to our posture while sitting on the toilet, especially if we’re hunched over our phones for extended periods.
It increases your reliance on your phone.
While smartphones connect us to the world in unprecedented ways, they are also incredibly addictive. Shockingly, 1 in 10 millennials would rather lose a finger than give up their phone. This alarming statistic highlights how deeply attached we’ve become to our devices, often at the cost of disconnecting from the world around us.
What do you think about society being addicted to their mobile devices? Are you for it or do you agree that it can be harmful?
credits by: Brightside.me
