How Long Should You Sit on the Toilet to Avoid Hemorrhoids?

This article breaks down exactly how long experts recommend sitting on the toilet, why time matters so much, and practical ways to keep your bathroom visits short and hemorrhoid-free.

The Expert Recommendation: How Long Is Too Long?

Most gastroenterologists and colorectal specialists recommend keeping toilet visits short — generally under 10 minutes, with 3 to 5 minutes being ideal. 

Dr. Farah Monzur, director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Stony Brook Medicine, advises people spend an average of five to ten minutes on the toilet. 

Other specialists suggest an even tighter window, recommending three to five minutes as the ideal target once you're actually having a bowel movement.

Some experts give slightly more room, citing 15 minutes as an upper limit before it becomes a problem, but the consistent theme across colorectal and gastrointestinal specialists is the same: 

The shorter, the better. If you're regularly sitting for 10, 15, or more minutes, especially without a clear digestive reason, that's a signal worth paying attention to.

Why Sitting Time Matters So Much

The Toilet Seat Puts You in a Vulnerable Position

Dr. Lai Xue, a colorectal surgeon at UT Southwestern Medical Center, explains that the open, oval-shaped toilet seat compresses the buttocks and keeps the rectum in a lower position than sitting on a couch or chair would. 

Combined with gravity, this creates a kind of "one-way valve" effect, where blood enters the lower body more easily than it can return, increasing pressure in the surrounding veins and blood vessels.

Unsupported Sitting Increases Pressure

Unlike a regular chair, the toilet seat doesn't support the pelvic area the way a normal seat does. 

As one physician put it, when your body isn't supported the way it is on a chair, everything is essentially "hanging out there," which increases pressure specifically on the hemorrhoidal cushions in the rectum.

It's a Cumulative, Often Unnoticed Effect

The pressure doesn't build all at once — it accumulates minute by minute, often without you realizing it. This is part of why phone use is so strongly linked to hemorrhoids: 

A 2025 study published in PLOS One found that smartphone users on the toilet were significantly more likely to sit for over five minutes, and this prolonged sitting time — not increased straining — was the key factor linked to a 46% higher risk of hemorrhoids.

Prolonged Sitting Affects More Than Just Hemorrhoids

Beyond hemorrhoid risk, sitting on the toilet for too long can strain your pelvic floor muscles, which may contribute to constipation, a sense of incomplete emptying, or ongoing straining during future bowel movements. Some doctors also note that extended sitting can lead to numbness or discomfort from nerve compression, and in older adults, may even contribute to skin breakdown.

How to Keep Your Toilet Time Short

Leave your phone (and any reading material) outside the bathroom. This alone eliminates the biggest reason people unintentionally linger.

Go when you feel the urge — don't sit and wait. Sitting down "just in case" and waiting for something to happen extends your time unnecessarily.

If nothing happens within a few minutes, get up. It's better to try again later than to sit and strain or wait it out.

Support easier bowel movements overall. A high-fiber diet, adequate water intake, and regular physical activity all make bowel movements quicker and easier, reducing the temptation — or need — to linger.

Consider a footstool. Elevating your feet slightly can put your body in a more natural position for elimination, which may help you finish more efficiently.

Set a mental timer. If lingering is a habit, giving yourself an actual time cue (even a phone timer left just outside the door) can help you stay mindful of how long you've been sitting.

When to See a Doctor

Prolonged toilet time on its own usually isn't a medical emergency, but you should check in with a healthcare provider if you notice:

• You regularly need more than 10–15 minutes to have a bowel movement, even without distractions
• Ongoing straining or a sense of incomplete emptying
• Rectal bleeding, pain, or a lump near the anus
• Hemorrhoid symptoms that don't improve within a week of shorter toilet visits and better hydration/fiber intake
• New or worsening constipation that doesn't respond to basic lifestyle changes

Conclusion

There's no need to watch the clock obsessively, but the research and expert consensus are clear: keeping your toilet visits to roughly 5–10 minutes, and getting up if nothing is happening, meaningfully reduces your risk of hemorrhoids. 

Most of the excess time people spend on the toilet today comes down to distraction — usually a phone — rather than an actual digestive need. 

Leaving your phone outside the bathroom, supporting your digestion with fiber and water, and listening to your body's natural signals are simple, effective ways to protect yourself. 

If you're already dealing with hemorrhoid symptoms that persist despite shorter toilet time, it's worth having a doctor take a look.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What's the ideal amount of time to spend on the toilet? 

Most experts recommend somewhere between 3 and 10 minutes, with 3–5 minutes considered ideal once you're actually having a bowel movement. Regularly exceeding 10–15 minutes is associated with a higher risk of hemorrhoids.

2. Why does sitting on the toilet longer increase hemorrhoid risk, if I'm not straining? 

Research suggests the toilet seat's shape and lack of support increase pressure on rectal veins simply from prolonged sitting, independent of straining. This is why phone use — which extends sitting time without necessarily increasing effort — has been linked to higher hemorrhoid risk.

3. Is it the sitting itself or the straining that causes hemorrhoids? 

Both contribute, but recent research suggests time spent sitting may matter just as much as straining, if not more, since prolonged unsupported sitting increases pressure on rectal veins on its own.

4. Does bringing a phone to the bathroom really make that much of a difference? 

Yes. Studies show smartphone users are significantly more likely to spend over five minutes on the toilet compared to non-users, and phone use on the toilet has been associated with a 46% increased risk of hemorrhoids.

5. What should I do if I regularly can't finish a bowel movement within 10 minutes? 

This may signal constipation or another digestive issue rather than just a habit. Try improving fiber and water intake first, and see a doctor if the problem persists.

6. Can sitting too long on the toilet cause problems besides hemorrhoids? 

Yes. It can strain pelvic floor muscles, potentially worsening constipation, causing a sense of incomplete emptying, and in some cases contributing to numbness or nerve-related discomfort.

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• Best 7 Hemorrhoid Squatty Potty Toilet Foot Stools.

📚 Medical Sources

1. Mayo Clinic — Hemorrhoids
2. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) — Hemorrhoids
3. American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons — Hemorrhoids
4. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), Treatment of Hemorrhoids 
5. Cleveland Clinic, Hemorrhoids: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment 
6. Harvard Health Publishing, Hemorrhoids and what to do about them
7. CNN / AOL – Don't Sit on the Toilet for More Than 10 Minutes, Doctors Warn
8. PMC / NCBI – Smartphone Use on the Toilet and the Risk of Hemorrhoids (PLOS One, 2025)
9. Parade / AOL – You Should Never Sit for More Than This Many Minutes When You're Pooping
10. WebMD – Home Remedies for Hemorrhoids