Don't sit on the toilet for more than 10 minutes, doctors warn

Toilet time & health concerns

• Several anecdotes link long toilet sessions (e.g., reading entire books) with hemorrhoids and even surgery; others report decades of toilet reading with no issues.
• Some see “toilet time” as valuable ritual and are willing to accept hemorrhoid risk; others say needing >10 minutes regularly signals dietary or exercise problems.
• Question raised whether kegels could help; one reply suggests they might for prolapse but not hemorrhoids, and that long sitting itself is problematic.

Squatting vs sitting

• Multiple comments argue western sitting toilets weaken pelvic/hip muscles and worsen constipation; squatting (on squat toilets, with a “squatty potty,” or even on top of a western toilet) is promoted as more natural.
• Others find squat toilets confusing, messy, or “disgusting” and worry about stepping in waste; defenders say half the world uses them successfully and explain how clothing is positioned.
• One commenter raises a specific concern that male genitals can touch western toilet surfaces, allegedly causing chronic urinary infections; others do not directly confirm or refute this.

Smartphones, hygiene & disease

• Strong concern about people using phones on the toilet, then touching them while preparing food; focus is on invisible microbial contamination rather than visible feces.
• Emphasis on handwashing after bathroom use and before eating; some see declining hygiene standards in “the West” compared to places like Japan or certain immigrant-run food shops.
• Toilet flushing aerosols are cited as a contamination source for phones and surroundings; suggestion to periodically wipe phones with alcohol.

Water intake, sitting & coding

• Confusion over high water-intake recommendations; clarification that guidelines often include fluids in food.
• Some report drinking 2–3+ liters per day; another raises concern about excessive intake (hyponatremia).
• Question whether prolonged sitting and coding can cause the same issues as long toilet sitting; one reply suggests not, due to different posture/pressure.

Bidets, dual-flush & toilet design

• Several discuss bidet adoption in the US: some see rapid uptake in their social circle, others insist usage is still rare.
• Debate on whether bidets increase or reduce overall water use; some describe routines that significantly reduce toilet paper.
• Concerns about “aerosolizing” feces with bidets are raised and disputed.
• Dual-flush toilets: common elsewhere but perceived as rare and often unreliable in the US, possibly due to poor designs or mismatch with bowl size.
• Some users dislike dual-flush buttons for aesthetic or hygiene reasons; others like water savings and note hidden dual-flush mechanisms (e.g., handle hold vs tap).

Attitudes toward medical advice & public health

• A few comments portray doctors or “they” as overreaching or trying to remove small pleasures like extended toilet sitting.
• Others defend public health measures as necessary to protect people from each other’s poor hygiene.
• COVID-era public health failures are cited as a reason for declining trust in authorities.