Do you take a newspaper or magazine into the bathroom?
Reading on the can is a pretty common practice, especially in men.
But before you make yourself comfortable there’s something you should know — it’s pretty bad for your health.
Studies have shown that the more time you spend on the throne, the more likely you are to get piles.
It sounds odd, but there are two reasons for the painful problem.
Firstly, the longer you are sitting on the loo, the more stress and strain you are putting on your bottom region, which causes haemorrhoids.
Secondly, stating seated on the toilet for too long can restrict blood flow around the anal area, which can make them worse.
If you’re there for long enough to read half of War and Peace you probably have constipation which causes the piles in the first place, and you should get more fibre in your diet to help ease the passage, so to speak.
If you text on the toilet it’s even worse news.
As well as risking haemorrhoids, you are subjecting your phone screen to germs, pathogens and bacteria from the intestinal tract – mostly from faecal matter.
Yuck.