Don't use your phone when you go to the toilet. It has more impact on your health than you think! I regret not knowing this earlier...

Nowadays, people may not remember to bring toilet paper when going to the toilet, but they will definitely remember to bring their cell phones.

Once you take your cell phone to the toilet, you have to add a "0" to the end of the original 3-minute toilet time, making it 30 minutes.

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If this is "paid shitting", wouldn't it be like earning dozens of yuan for free for the time it takes to go to the toilet? Going to the toilet two or three times a day, you can earn hundreds of yuan...

However, does “paid shitting” only bring money and no risks? Absolutely not!

01

The dangers of taking too long to defecate

1. Prone to constipation

Playing with your phone during bowel movements or focusing on it will interfere with the brain's command of the defecation nerves, causing the original urge to defecate to disappear. Without the urge to defecate, poop cannot be excreted. The poop that is not excreted accumulates in the intestines and tends to become hard and dry, which can lead to difficulty in defecation and may cause chronic constipation in the long run.

2. Prone to hemorrhoids

There are currently two opinions about "long bowel movements can cause hemorrhoids":

Varicose veins. When defecating, people will squeeze their abdomen hard, which will increase abdominal pressure. If the defecation time is too long, the increased abdominal pressure will hinder the return of venous blood, causing the anus to be congested and edematous, which can easily cause varicose veins, hemorrhoids, and eventually hemorrhoids.

Theory of anal cushion descent. There is an anal cushion under the mucosa of the human anal canal. The anal cushion is like a valve core. It is elastic and can contract. It is responsible for opening or closing the anal canal to control defecation. However, if the defecation time is too long and the abdominal pressure is elevated for a long time, the elasticity of the anal cushion will be weakened and it will fall down to form hemorrhoids.

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3. Increased risk of sudden death

Toilets are places with a very high rate of sudden death. A Japanese study collected data on 18,458 patients who died suddenly outside hospitals, of which 4.6% occurred in toilets.

If you strain too much during bowel movements, the risk of sudden death will increase dramatically. When people hold their breath and strain to defecate, it will cause increased abdominal pressure, which will increase the amount of blood returning to the heart and increase blood pressure in the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems . The pressure in the cerebral arteries can increase by more than 20 mmHg, and the risk of cerebral vascular rupture and bleeding will also increase dramatically.

On the other hand, for people who already have cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, when blood pressure rises, myocardial oxygen consumption also increases, which can induce angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction and severe arrhythmia . Since the toilet is a closed space, it is more difficult to get help after these accidents than in open spaces, which leads to many cases of sudden death in the toilet.

4. You may faint easily after standing up

When you defecate while sitting or squatting, blood oxygen is concentrated in the lower body. If you defecate for too long and suddenly stand up, the brain is prone to insufficient blood and oxygen supply, which may cause postural hypotension, transient cerebral ischemia, temporary blackening of the eyes, dizziness, and even fainting and falling, leading to fractures, which may be life-threatening in severe cases.

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5. Lower limb venous thrombosis

The blood return of the lower limb veins requires the assistance of muscle contraction. If the defecation time exceeds 15 minutes, the muscles will not move for a long time, and the contraction will slow down accordingly, resulting in a slowdown in the blood flow rate in the veins, which can easily cause leg swelling and numbness. If the defecation time is too long, it will cause lower limb venous thrombosis, and even cause potentially fatal lower limb deep vein thrombosis.

02

Scientific defecation

Remember the 3 “No’s”

We have to defecate almost every day, but many people do not know how to defecate scientifically, putting themselves at risk. We must remember the three words "no", learn to defecate scientifically, and avoid the risks of going to the toilet.

1. Don’t hold back when you feel the urge to defecate

Many people do not go to the toilet for various reasons after they feel the urge to defecate, and they hold back their poop. This is a very bad habit. If you do this too many times, the nerve reflex will disappear and constipation will gradually form. In severe cases, the poop will stay in the intestine for a long time, increasing the risk of colorectal cancer. It is recommended to go to the toilet within 5 minutes after you feel the urge to defecate and excrete the poop in time.

2. Don’t push too hard when you poop

If you feel the urge to defecate, do it if you can. If you can't, don't push too hard. When you sit on the toilet at home to defecate, you can try putting a small stool under your feet and leaning forward slightly, so that you can defecate with less force. If you use too much force when squatting, the abdominal pressure will be greater. For people with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, the risk of accidents is greater. Therefore, people with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases should give priority to sitting on the toilet.

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3. Don’t use your phone in the toilet

Playing with your phone can easily make you forget the time, which can lead to a long bowel movement. Each bowel movement should be controlled within 10 minutes. You can set a 10-minute alarm for your phone, or limit the screen time to 10 minutes. If you still haven't defecate after more than 10 minutes, don't force it . You can end the bowel movement first and come back the next time you feel like it.

Some patients with orthostatic hypotension can hold on to something when getting up, stand up slowly, and then sit down after a while. It is not recommended to have a bowel movement for more than 30 minutes at a time.

03

Do these 3 things

Easy defecation is not a dream

1. Drink more water

Drink more water every day consciously, and adults should try to drink 1500 ml. Drinking too little water will promote the large intestine to over-absorb the water in the stool, making the stool dry and hard, thus causing difficulty in defecation.

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2. Eat more dietary fiber

Dietary fiber can promote intestinal peristalsis and stool excretion, increase the volume and weight of stool, and retain moisture to prevent stool from being too dry. You should eat more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains that are rich in dietary fiber , such as:

Vegetables: lotus root, celery, water spinach, broccoli, eggplant, leek, winter melon, Chinese cabbage, spinach, leek, etc.;

Fruits: kumquat, pear, banana, blueberry, etc.;

Coarse grains: red beans, mung beans, corn, buckwheat, etc.

3. Exercise more

People who lack exercise will have weaker abdominal muscles and will not be able to exert enough strength to defecate, so we must stay away from sitting for long periods of time and move around to prevent and improve constipation.

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It is recommended to exercise 3 to 5 days a week, with at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise every day. You can choose brisk walking, jogging, swimming, dancing, playing ball, etc. It is especially recommended to increase abdominal muscle training to make bowel movements more powerful.

For middle-aged and elderly people with loose anal sphincter, it is recommended to do ani lifting exercises twice a day, tightening and relaxing the anus 30 times each time. This can enhance the function of the anal sphincter and has a positive preventive effect on rectal prolapse.

References:

[1] Kosuke Kiyohara et al. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the toilet in Japan: a population-based descriptive study. Acute Med Surg. 2018.

Author: Zeng Xinyue, popular science creator

Reviewer: Wang Qiang, deputy chief physician, Department of Gastroenterology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital

Planning Editor: Cui Yinghao

Editor-in-charge: Cui Yinghao

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