Handling Hemorrhoids

It started with a bit of doomscrolling, it ended with a hemorrhoid. These are the dangers of using your phone while sitting on the toilet. Hemorrhoids are swollen veins in the anus and lower rectum, which is one of the largest gastrointestinal complaints in the United States. Some contributing factors of hemorrhoids are constipation, straining, a low-fiber diet, and prolonged sitting. The consequences can be miserable, ranging from anemia, immense pain, infections, bloody stool, and itching/swelling around the anus. A 2025 study conducted by BIDMC shows that people who use their phones while sitting on the toilet are 46% more likely to develop hemorrhoids. 

The correlation between scrolling on the toilet and hemorrhoids is simple. When a person brings their phone to the bathroom, they tend to stay seated much longer than necessary. In fact, smartphone users are five times more likely to spend more than five minutes on the toilet compared to non-users, and studies have shown the most common activities during this time are “reading news” (54.3%), and using “social media” (44.4%). Prolonged sitting in this position naturally places the rectum in a position where gravity causes more blood to pool in the veins of both the rectum and the anus. The longer a person sits, the more that pressure builds up. If they are pushing or having trouble passing stool, that adds even more stress. Since the average person poops between three times a day to three times a week, this repeated pressure can gradually stretch and weaken the lower veins, leading to swelling, otherwise known as hemorrhoids. 

While science explains why hemorrhoids occur, generational behaviors influence who is most at risk. These days, younger adults are significantly more likely to use smartphones on the toilet in comparison to older adults, suggesting changing behaviors across generations and their health implications. Furthermore, women were more likely to reach out for help than men, likely due to gender norms. Research shows that women tend to have more frequent and open interactions with their providers about their body, especially through routine gynecological visits. Thus, they are more comfortable talking about more sensitive bodily issues. On the contrary, men have been conventionally encouraged to “tough it out” and ignore pain, particularly around topics considered embarrassing, like bowel health. Talking about hemorrhoids can feel awkward or emasculating, so many men delay care until the symptoms become unignorable.

To avoid hemorrhoids and uncomfortable conversations, try to implement the following habits into your life. Avoid bringing your phone with you to the bathroom and when you have bowel movements, use a stool. Stay physically active, which improves blood circulation and reduces the risk of constipation. Aim for 25–30 g of fiber per day and approximately 75–100 fl oz of water, spread throughout the day. Fiber makes stool softer, which reduces strain during bowel movements. Water hydrates the stool, which makes it less dry and easier to push out. 

Treatment options for hemorrhoids are different between mild cases and severe cases. Mild cases can be treated at home with sitz baths, cold compresses, and over-the-counter creams. For more grave cases with excessive bleeding, doctors perform sclerotherapy or rubber band ligation. Sclerotherapy is a treatment for smaller hemorrhoids which involves inserting a thin tube into the rectum which injects a chemical solution into the hemorrhoid, causing it to shrink. Rubber band ligation is used for larger hemorrhoids which entails inserting a small tube into the rectum and attaching a rubber band around the hemorrhoid. This cuts off blood circulation, causing the hemorrhoid to shrink and fall off. Both of these procedures take about 10 minutes per hemorrhoid. If a hemorrhoid doesn’t respond to other treatments, it will be surgically removed. To avoid getting to that point, remember: doomscrolling on the toilet can strain more than your mental health. Do yourself a favor and keep the phone out of the bathroom.