Squatting or sitting?
Everybody thinks they know how to go to the toilet but maybe when it comes to poop the shape of the bowl has accustomed us badly because sitting on a toilet with our knees at a 90-degree angle is going to increase instances of constipation and hemorrhoids.
Hemorrhoids, which are bulging veins in the anus and lower rectum, cause itchy and burning symptoms in around half of all people. Poor diet, constipation, pregnancy, and obesity are among the factors that might contribute to this illness. Hemorrhoids are caused by straining during bowel movements, which occurs when patients are constipated. As a result, constipation can cause not just hemorrhoids but also other serious diseases, such as a build-up of toxins in the body.
So can changing your pooping position make a difference?
According to a study published in Digestive Diseases and Sciences, it just might. During the study, participants pooped in one of three positions:
- Using a toilet with a typical height of 16 inches (41 cm);
- Another with a height of 12 inches (31 cm);
- And squatting over a container.
The participants were instructed to keep track of their efforts, such as how long it took them to poop and how much effort it took them to poop successfully. The findings of the several dozen participants were then revealed:
The squatting poopers completed the task in 51 seconds, whereas their high-seated counterparts took 130 seconds. Moreover, those who pooped while squatting described their experiences as being easier.
The idea is that when we squat to poop, the colon releases its pressure on the puborectalis muscle. As a result, this muscle fully relaxes and the colon straightens, which makes it easier and faster to evacuate its contents from the body. The result could be a more thorough elimination of feces.
Squatting to poop may seem unusual to some, yet it is a normal practice in other parts of the world. Around 1.2 billion people do not have access to any kind of toilet, whereas many people in Asia, for example, use toilets made specifically for squatting.
Source health.howstuffworks.com
