Is it better to sit or squat? Should you close the lid when flushing the toilet? Many people have been wrong all along...

Expert of this article: Wang Xiaohuan, Doctor of Medicine, Fudan University

November 19th is World Toilet Day.

Eh? Are you wondering, do toilets also have festivals?

That’s right! According to statistics, people spend more than 1.5 years of their lives in the toilet.

We go to the toilet every day, but if you are asked some little knowledge about toilets, you may not be able to answer correctly.

Is it better to sit or squat? Should you close the lid when flushing the toilet?

Come and follow the article to find the answer!

What are the dangers of using your phone in the toilet?

1. Not good for eye health.

Toilets generally have poor lighting, while mobile phone light is relatively bright, which increases the burden on the eyes and causes visual fatigue.

At the same time, the space in the toilet is limited, and it is difficult to keep the phone at a suitable distance from the eyes. Looking at the phone at close range for a long time will also increase eye fatigue.

2. May cause anorectal diseases.

We all know that we should wash our hands after going to the toilet because there may be some bacteria on our hands. If we don’t wash our hands, the bacteria may enter the intestines and cause disease.

If we bring our mobile phones into the toilet to play with them, the phones may be contaminated with bacteria, but we don’t “wash our phones”, so the bacteria on the phones will be spread, which will also pose a health risk.

Furthermore, playing with mobile phones while going to the toilet can easily distract your attention, and the brain center's command over the defecation conduction nerves will be disturbed, which will make it easy to ignore the "urge to defecate", resulting in a prolonged "urge to defecate", which will artificially cause constipation over time.

In addition, there is a layer of elastic anal cushions under the mucosa of the human anal canal, which is responsible for the opening and closing of the anal canal to control defecation. When squatting for a long time, the abdominal pressure will increase, which will weaken the elasticity of the anal cushions and move downward to form hemorrhoids. At the same time, squatting for too long will also cause compression of the rectum and anal canal at the bottom of the abdominal cavity, causing venous blood reflux in the rectum, leading to venous congestion and expansion, exacerbating the formation of hemorrhoids.

3. Numbness in the legs.

The blood circulation in the lower limbs of the human body relies on muscle contraction to assist. When squatting on the toilet for too long, the muscles will not move for a long time, and the contraction will slow down accordingly, causing swelling and numbness in the legs. In addition, blood circulation is blocked, resulting in insufficient oxygen supply to cells, causing numbness in the legs.

Is it better to sit or squat?

In fact, both sitting toilets and squatting toilets have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Squat

advantage:

1. Squatting is not as comfortable as sitting, but it can reduce the time spent in the toilet.

2. When maintaining a squatting position, the effect of abdominal pressure will be more obvious, making bowel movements smoother to a certain extent.

3. When squatting, the body does not need to directly touch the toilet bowl, avoiding the chance of direct contact with bacteria and is relatively more hygienic.

shortcoming:

When squatting, the knee joints and lower limbs will be under greater pressure, which is not suitable for some elderly people or people with mobility impairments.

Toilet

advantage:

1. The sitting posture is relatively more relaxed, and the mind and body are relaxed, which is beneficial to defecation to a certain extent.

2. The abdominal pressure is relatively small when sitting, and the pressure on the anal cushions and rectum and anal canal is smaller than that on squatting when using the toilet for a long time.

3. The seating position is relatively comfortable and safer for the elderly, people with mobility impairments, or people with high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol.

shortcoming:

1. Because sitting is more comfortable, it may invisibly prolong the time of bowel movements.

2. When sitting, the muscles exert different force compared to squatting, and the rectum bends, so defecation may not be as smooth as squatting.

Do public toilets spread diseases?

All we can say is that there is a possibility of transmitting certain diseases.

1. The possibility of transmitting diseases such as syphilis and AIDS is low.

Because syphilis is sensitive to heat, cold, and dryness, as well as to commonly used chemical disinfectants, and HIV is quickly inactivated once it leaves the human body, the possibility of contracting this type of disease through daily contact is very small.

2. Diseases such as scabies and genital warts may be contagious.

For example, genital warts are mainly caused by low-risk HPV infection. HPV can exist outside the body for up to 48 hours. If you use a public toilet and have direct physical contact with a patient with this disease during this period, you are likely to be infected with genital warts.

Do you need to close the lid when flushing the toilet?

Flush toilet lid is necessary.

Because water mist is produced when flushing, some invisible microorganisms such as pathogenic bacteria are likely to float away in this process and spread to the human body through air, water droplets, etc.

According to a study, the concentration of bacteria detected in the toilet environment after flushing with the lid open can be as high as 12 times that when flushing with the lid closed.

Therefore, it is recommended to keep the toilet lid closed when flushing.

How to go to the toilet more safely?

Control your toilet time

If you stay in the toilet for a long time, some pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella may infect the human body or enter the body through the respiratory tract and cause health problems.

Therefore, it is necessary to control the time of going to the toilet, generally 5-10 minutes is appropriate.

Develop good toilet habits

Wash your hands promptly after using the toilet and do not bring mobile phones, reading materials, etc. into the toilet.

Maintain proper toilet posture

When sitting on the toilet, you can step on a small stool and lean your upper body forward slightly so that your thighs and stomach are about 35 degrees. This is more conducive to smooth bowel movements.

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