A lot of us are addicted to our smartphones, according to a recent survey, and it may not be as harmless as it sounds. If you’re someone who simply can’t go to the bathroom without your cell, there are some risks you ought to consider. Not only can it be harmful for our health, but it also impacts our minds and how well we work.

Because we care about your health here at Bright Side, we’ve made a list of the key research points related to using your smartphone while on the toilet.

It can spread lots of harmful bacteria.

A recent study shows that phones are dirtier than the toilet seat itself, a pretty disgusting fact.

Mobile phones were found to be covered in E. coli during a study of secondary school children. This harmful bacteria is linked to intestinal problems such as food poisoning, but that’s not the only harmful bacteria you can pick up in the bathroom.

It may increase your chance of getting hemorrhoids.

This likely happens because of the amount of time spent on the toilet where pressure is put on our organs, which go unsupported over the toilet bowl.

Although more research is needed to verify this connection, hemorrhoid cases have risen since the introduction of smartphones. Therefore, while getting lost in our phones on the toilet can be relaxing at times, it may be causing some uncomfortable health problems.

It can limit our thinking capacity.

Cell phones actually interrupt our concentration and thinking, limiting our ability to work on a problem, even when we’re not using them or they’re turned off.

Therefore, time without the distraction of having our phone out is essential for our minds, and switching it off and spending time alone is sometimes exactly what we need. This means that taking our phones with us to the bathroom takes away the precious breaks our minds need.

It can cause pelvic floor dysfunction.

Spending extended time on the toilet while being distracted by our cells can mean problems for our muscles. In particular, our organs such as the bowel, bladder, and vagina can slip because the pelvis floor muscle is no longer strong enough to support them.

This is partly because of our posture while seated on the toilet, especially if we’re bent over our cells for a long time.

It increases your reliance on your phone.

While smartphones connect us to the world like nothing else can, they’re also highly addictive. In fact, 1 in 10 millennials would actually prefer to lose a finger than their cell. This is obviously not a good sign as it shows that we’ve begun to turn off to our surroundings.

What do you think about society being addicted to their mobile devices? Are you for it or do you agree that it can be harmful?

13