Don't spend more than 10 minutes sitting on the toilet, doctors advise.

According to Dr. Lai Xue, a colorectal surgeon at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre in Dallas, prolonged sitting on the toilet can be unhealthy, raising the risk of haemorrhoids and weakening pelvic muscles. He stresses how crucial it is to deal with this matter when patients voice grievances.

According to Dr. Farah Monzur, an assistant professor of medicine and director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Centre at Stony Brook Medicine, sitting on the toilet for extended periods of time can lead to bowel issues. Compared to sitting on a couch, the open oval-shaped toilet seat keeps the rectum lower by compressing the buttocks. Blood circulation is impacted by this elevated pressure, which raises the risk of haemorrhoids by causing swollen veins and blood vessels around the anus and lower rectum.

Haemorrhoids can form when pressure is increased by forced straining on the toilet. Spending extra time on the toilet is bad for the pelvic floor and anorectal organs. The risk of rectal prolapse, in which the rectum slides down and protrudes from the anus, can also be raised by prolonged toilet use. Long periods of sitting can weaken the pelvic floor muscles, which control bowel motions. These muscles are strained by the pelvic floor's gravitational pressure, which facilitates a smoother stool departure.

In order to avoid spending too much time on the toilet, Dr. Lance Uradomo suggests avoiding the use of phones, magazines, and novels. Make sitting on the toilet bowl as boring as you can instead. If you have trouble letting go, take a ten-minute walk to activate your digestive muscles and induce bowel motions. In order to prevent straining and promote regular bowel movements, Xue also suggests drinking plenty of water and consuming foods high in fibre, such as beans and oats. According to the National Academy of Medicine, each 1,000 calories of food should have 14 grammes of fibre and 2.7 to 3.7 litres of water.

Long bathroom breaks can exacerbate constipation, cause prolonged sitting on the toilet, and cause gastrointestinal problems like Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome. According to the American Cancer Society, the number of new instances of colorectal cancer in individuals under the age of 55 has increased since the mid-1990s. This year, there were an expected 106,590 new cases of colon cancer and 46,220 new cases of rectal cancer. Consult a doctor if you have constipation or spend more than three weeks sitting on the toilet. The doctor may recommend that you see a colorectal surgeon or gastroenterologist for additional testing.