North Carolina Medical Professional Warns Against Taking Phone Into Bathroom

It's time to fess up. Do you take your phone or tablet into the bathroom with you? If you do, you're not alone. However, a North Carolina medical professional specializing in urology says you should break that habit for your own long-term health.

According to Fox News, two surveys regarding cellphone use reveal that seven out of 10 Americans take their phones into the bathroom. A NordVPN survey from March 2022 said 70.8% of Americans admit to doing it. A June 2021 consumer survey released by Vioguard, Inc., a UV-C device sanitizing company, shows that number to be 73%.

The problem with taking your smartphone, tablet, or laptop into the bathroom is not so much about the germs that could come into contact with your device. Although, that's actually a pretty compelling reason to keep electronics away from the commode. Gross! The bigger issue is that using your device in there can keep you sitting on the toilet longer.

Aleece Fosnight, a medical advisor at Aeroflow Urology, a bladder control supply and catheter company in Arden, North Carolina, says all that toilet time can bring about a number of problems. For one, putting excess pressure on your pelvic organs from the prolonged sitting can cause hemorrhoids. Fosnight adds that the bathroom-phone habit can also lead to dysfunctional voiding, constipation, and potential prolapse.

So it's not even really about the phone or tablet. It's the time on the toilet. You could run into the same problem by going into the bathroom with a book or magazine. Just take care of business and get out of there! You can read what other health professionals, such as dermatologists and chiropractors, say about the problems of prolonged time on the toilet HERE.

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