According to the experts if you're spending more than five minutes sitting on the loo at a time then you're doing it wrong.
Research from Topps Tiles reckons that Brits spend about three and a half hours on the toilet each week, split up into stints of about five minutes on average and between four and seven trips a day.
If you're thinking five minutes on average sounds like a lot of time to be doing your business, especially when not all of them are a sit down job (at least for the men), that's because Brits spend a lot of toilet time on their phones.
Advert
In defence of the toilet texters, it's one of the few places you can go for full privacy and are unlikely to have people asking questions about how long you were in there.
We all need a bit of time in the day to ourselves, and for many people those few minutes of sitting on the loo are precious blips of tranquillity in a busy day.
However, experts warn that spending so much time on the loo can be bad for you as all that time on the loo can increase your risk of haemorrhoids, and aren't you glad now you decided to read this?
Advert
If you're reading this on the loo and have been sitting down for about five minutes it might be an idea to stand up for a bit.
According to the Mayo Clinic, sitting for a long time on the toilet or really having to strain yourself to force something out can cause haemorrhoids, also known as piles, which can be very painful.
The science-y bit is that all that sitting and pressure can pile the pressure onto the veins around your bum, which can cause all sorts of health problems.
Luckily any negative effects should clear up given enough time, though more serious cases might require you to take an embarrassing trip to the doctor.
Advert
The risk of piles grows as you get older and is more likely the less exercise you do, so healthy lifestyles really are worth following.
A healthy diet also helps, as not to get too detailed about it, but a high fibre diet will require less effort on the toilet.
Meanwhile, if you're been on the loo for five minutes or more not because you're on your phone but because nothing's coming out, then it's probably a sign to go and do something else for a bit and try again later.
Featured Image Credit: Westend61 GmbH / Andriy Popov / Alamy Stock Photo