A survey published by OpinionWay reveals that French people spend on average 45 minutes per day… in the toilet. A habit that could be dangerous for your health.
Whether for small or large errands, going to the toilet is an essential daily step. However, some people tend to spend more time there than necessary, whatever the reasons, which can expose them to health problems.
The survey and marketing research institute OpinionWay was contacted by La Compagnie des Débouchers, a sanitation company, in order to analyze the toilet habits of the French. Some results are puzzling!
For example, 20% of French people spend more than an hour a day locked in the toilet. On average, French people spend 45 minutes per day in the toilet. Periods of time which seem long, much too long in fact, and which can be explained by the superficial use of the telephone when sitting on the throne.
Photo credit: OpinionWay
In fact, more than 6 out of 10 French people admit to using their phone to respond to emails or scroll all the time. A trend mainly observed among 18-24 year olds, who spend on average 66 minutes per day in the toilet.
Photo credit: OpinionWay
-A bad habit that can hurt your butt
This change in behavior is not trivial for health. On the toilet, the sitting position compresses blood circulation in the buttocks. If this position is maintained for too long, it presents an increased risk of hemorrhoids, as Dr. Lai Xue, a colorectal surgeon in Dallas, explains to CNN:
“It is very bad for the anorectal organs and the pelvic floor. When patients come before me with complaints, one of the main areas we need to look at in depth is time spent in the toilet”.
Photo credit: iStock
Faced with this phenomenon, Doctor Lance Uradomo, a gastroenterologist practicing in California, shares a rather radical solution with CNN. According to him, all forms of distraction in the toilet should be banned, whether it be the telephone, but also books.
“You must not leave thinking that you will stay there for a long time (…) You must make sitting on the toilet bowl as uninteresting as possible.”
Finally, the study also reveals that 25% of French people said they had already made one or more major decisions when they were in the toilet. Maybe on their next visit, they’ll scroll to this article and decide not to stay that long to avoid an uncomfortable pain.
