Once Apple showed off the iPhone, everything shifted dramatically. While Apple’s smartphone (and all its imitators) has opened the door to near-omnipresent access to the internet and the world, new heights of ease, and peak efficiency, it has also introduced numerous insidiously harmful side effects: it has affected the way we think, it isolates and distracts us. Indeed, that’s not even the worst of it. The iPhone has jeopardized one of humanity’s basic rituals: bathroom time.
Chances are you’re reading this while sitting on the toilet. 90% of individuals take their phones with them when they use the restroom, according to a new survey. However, there are several risks to our physical and mental well-being when we use our phones in the bathroom. And before we completely lose it, we need to find a solution to this problem.
Germs, Germs, Germs
Using a phone increases your risk of contracting a disease. Microbiologist and author Jason Tetro remarked, “You can easily detect hundreds of bacteria on phones, as well as fungi and yeast.” Most aren’t harmful, but there are several that could get you sick. And if you’re looking for some very nasty ones, you should look in the head. The potential of further contamination of our phones increases since “many bathroom surfaces” such urinals, toilet seats, knobs, sinks, and faucets are covered in bacteria.
And these microbes are no joke. Tetro claims that E. coli (hello, urinary tract infections!) and the staph infection-causing strain of bacteria, as well as the “opportunistic pathogen” Acinetobacter, which uses every opportunity it can find to infect a host and spreads through the respiratory system, are all possible fecal pathogens.
It’s human nature to make a mistake, even if you make it a habit to avoid touching your phone until after you’ve completely washed your hands. The bathroom is a breeding ground for bacteria and other germs. You can take all the precautions you like, but you have no idea what other people have done (or more crucially, not done) to infect every surface. Until a self-cleaning phone case is developed, you should treat your touchscreen after using the restroom as though it were teeming with bacteria and viruses just ready to jump to your swiping finger.
Hemorrhoids & other toilet-related ailments
It’s an issue when you don’t move from your seat when you’re done because your phone has you completely captivated.
According to Dr. Partha Nandi, creator and host of the Emmy-winning gastro-centric show Ask Dr. Nandi, when you stay on the toilet for upwards of 20, 30, 40 minutes, you are putting unnecessary pressure on the rectum, which can cause hemorrhoids, and undoubtedly make any pre-existing hemorrhoids way worse. When this pressure on the rectum is maintained for a long amount of time, it can induce or aggravate gastrointestinal difficulties, making something as simple as going too much or too little considerably worse.
The goal should be to enter and exit as rapidly as possible. According to Nandi, sitting on the toilet for long periods of time might aggravate hip and nerve issues.
Your Mind Needs a Rest
While some people go to the lavatory to escape work (and get paid for it), many people type. Many people consider the time they spend in the restroom during the workday reading and responding to emails on their phones to be a productive use of their time. But bowl movement could be the brain’s way of saying, “Take a break!” One of the worst things you can do for your productivity is to use your phone in the restroom, according to productivity expert and author Peter Bregman.
Never allowing your mind to wander free will prevent you from coming up with solutions to the more complex, creative challenges that are more vital than a quick email reply. Our best and most original ideas typically emerge during these times of boredom, which we are unfortunately losing more and more frequently.
In addition, if you’re trying to get more done by emailing while you’re in the bathroom, all you’re going to end up doing is making yourself more work. Bregman argued that responding to every email as it arrives just increases the volume of correspondence and, by extension, the amount of messages the recipient must process. To be always connected to technology and ready to act quickly is a waste of time and energy.
The solution: Make your bathroom a place of peace and quiet again.