One habit on the toilet could increase risk of haemorrhoids by 46%

It's bad news folks, as one very common bathroom habit could be increasing your risk of getting haemorrhoids by nearly 50 percent.

When you think about it, very few of us are swiftly in and out the bathroom when it comes to doing our business.

Our grandparents took books and newspapers, our younger selves were likely accompanied by games consoles and for most people nowadays, the thought of being sat on the loo without our phones to scroll on sounds like pure nightmare fodder.

After all, there's a reason why concepts such as 'doomscrolling on the loo' and 'bathroom camping' are so popular these days.

When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone back in 2007, chances are he had very little idea about how these small electronic rectangles with touch screens would take over our lives.

It's a daily occurrence for most of us (Getty Stock Images)

18 years on and smartphones are pretty much glued to our hands 24/7, as a recent YouGov poll revealed that 57 percent of Brits admitted to browsing their phone while on the toilet.

However, everyone who spends an extended period of time scrolling social media while sitting on the can might want to stop doing that right away... unless you want to increase your chances of getting haemorrhoids.

Also known as piles, haemorrhoids are a lumps in and around the rectum

Symptoms of this delightful condition include (according to the NHS):

• itching around the anus
• having bright red blood in your poo
• pain and lumps around the anus
• mucus coming from your bottom

So, what's the link between haemorrhoids and using the toilet then? According to a recent study from medical journal PLOS, there is evidence which suggests spending extended periods of time on the loo doomscrolling increases your risk of piles.

Led by Chethan Ramprasad from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, their team asked 125 adults undergoing a colonoscopy a series of questions about smartphone usage while on the toilet.

However it's not a good habit to keep (Getty Stock Images)

66 percent reported using smartphones on the toilet, with 37 percent of these respondents admitting they can spend five minutes or more scrolling while on the throne – compared to 7.1 of people who leave their phones outside the bathroom.

After reviewing the findings, researchers concluded that taking your smartphone to the toilet increases your risk of getting haemorrhoids by 46 percent. Which is just great.

This is because sitting on the toilet for extended periods of time increases pressure on the rectal veins. Combine this with the pressure of gravity and you have a recipe for disaster.

Ideally, we should be aiming for around five to 10 minutes on the loo, according to Dr. Farah Monzur (via CNN), which means its time to banish your phone from the bathroom.