Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Updated : February 13, 2021 4:31 PM IST
Barring some very disciplined people in the older age group, almost everybody keeps their phones close to them at all times, sleeping with it and even carrying it along when answering the call of nature.
In earlier times, some things were sacrosanct. Being alone and in a reflective mood while answering the call of nature used to be one of them. But this has been subtly replaced with playing a game on the phone, sending an email or even conducting a meeting virtually. Nowadays, the smartphone has become a constant companion for most people. Many cannot bear even a second's separation without getting anxious. Things are so bad that, barring some very disciplined people in the older age group, almost everybody keeps their phones close to them at all times, sleeping with it and even carrying it along when answering the call of nature.
Is this a harmless idiosyncrasy of people or does it affect your health in ways you may not suspect? You will probably be surprised by the fact that you are putting yourself at risk by picking up this seemingly harmless quirk. Here we list how carrying a smartphone to the loo can have a serious impact on your health and well being.
This is just another name for piles. Yes, when you lose track of time while browsing your smartphone, you end up sitting for too long and this puts pressure on the rectum leading to haemorrhoids. This is nothing by a collection of veins inside and outside the anus. We are all born with haemorrhoids. Everybody on this planet has them. But when it becomes engorged, we have a problem. This may happen when you sit for too long on the toilet seat. The added and unnecessary pressure exerted on your rectum may very well lead to pain, swelling and bleeding.
Phones attract a lot of germs. But when you take it with you to the loo, you may place it on the basin, or toilet paper roll, while you go about your business. But who knows what hands touched those places before you? Fecal bacteria like e.coli thrive in toilets and urinals, toilet seats, handles, sinks, and faucets, are covered in disease causing germs. And, when it gets transferred to your smartphone, the heat generated by the phone offers the perfect environment for the pathogens to thrive.
If you are in the habit of browsing you phone in the loo, you know that there are times when you are so engrossed in what you are looking at that you don't even realise where you are. If this happens, you may just get up without a care and slip and fall. You may also bump your head against the wall and suffer a head injury. And, falls, as many experts say, are the second most common cause of death from unintentional injury.
Your time in the loo is yours and it gives your mind a chance to recharge and reflect. This is necessary for creativity to bloom. If your mind is constantly engaged with technology, how will it ever find time to stoke the fires of creativity?
