Using your phone on the toilet increases the risk of hemorrhoids, study says

Using your phone while on the toilet may put you at risk for hemorrhoids, according to a new study that compared the hygiene habits of those who use and those who don't use smartphones in the bathroom.

The survey of 125 people was conducted by a team of doctors and scientists from various institutions, including Harvard Medical School's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic in the US.

"Time spent on the toilet was significantly greater among smartphone users than among non-users," the research team found, with reading the news and using social media the most reported smartphone activities among those who tend to stay on the "throne."

"The results of this study suggest that there is an increased incidence of hemorrhoids in people who use smartphones while sitting on the toilet," the researchers said in a paper published in the journal PLOS One.

Almost four in ten phone users spend more than five minutes in the toilet, according to the survey, compared to only 7 percent of those who do not use their phones, KosovaPress reports.

"Smartphone use may inadvertently increase toilet time, potentially increasing pressure on anal tissues, which can then lead to hemorrhoids," the team warned, explaining that they conducted the survey following a popular theory that phone addicts are more likely to suffer from hemorrhoids than others.

"It's incredibly easy to lose track of time when we're scrolling through our smartphones, and popular apps are designed entirely for this purpose," said Trisha Pasricha, known for her "Ask the Doctor" column in the Washington Post.

Phone addiction has been linked to insomnia and anxiety in other recently published studies, while others have linked the spread of scams and malware as another possible cause of mental health problems among phone users.