Scrolling on your phone in the bathroom may increase your risk of hemorrhoids

Smartphone use has been implicated in a range of health problems including depression, anxiety and sleep disruption. Now, it also has been linked to an increased risk of hemorrhoids.

A study published Wednesday found that scrolling on smartphones while sitting on the toilet is associated with a 46% higher risk of developing hemorrhoids.

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"This study bolsters advice to people in general to leave the smartphones outside the bathroom and to try to spend no more than a few minutes to have a bowel movement," the study's senior author, Trisha Pasricha, said in a news release. "If it's taking longer, ask yourself why. Was it because having a bowel movement was really so difficult, or was it because my focus was elsewhere?"

Hemorrhoids are caused by swollen veins in the anus and rectum. They can be quite painful, and they are very common. Nearly half of people develop them by age 50, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Risk factors for hemorrhoids typically have been associated with constipation and straining, obesity and being sedentary. Some women develop them during pregnancy due to increased stress on blood vessels in the pelvis.

But the new study – which involved 125 people undergoing colonoscopies who completed questionnaires about their smartphone use in the bathroom – found that scrolling is more predictive of hemorrhoid development than straining.

Among the participants, 66% said they used smartphones while sitting on the toilet — and the majority of those people said they used their phones in the bathroom most of the time.

People who scrolled while on the toilet also spent significantly more time sitting there – often more than 5 minutes – than people who left their smartphones out of the bathroom. Spending more time on the toilet increases pressure on veins in the anal tissue, the researchers hypothesized.

"It's incredibly easy to lose track of time when we're scrolling on our smartphones — popular apps are designed entirely for that purpose," Pasricha said. "But it's possible that constantly sitting longer on the toilet than you intended because you're distracted by your smartphone could increase your risk of hemorrhoids. We need to study this further, but it's a safe suggestion to leave the smartphone outside the bathroom when you need to have a bowel movement."

Symptoms of hemorrhoids may include itching, pain and irritation, as well as the appearance of blood on toilet paper. Treatment may call for increased fiber intake, topical creams or surgical interventions, depending on the severity, according to the Mayo Clinic.