Toilets make us sick: Why do we sit on the toilet wrong?

The reason for this lies in the intestines. When we sit on a chair, the rectum is curved and blocked by a muscle called the puborectal sling. This is beneficial in daily life as it prevents us from involuntarily emptying our bowels. “But this can make bowel movements in the toilet more difficult,” says Zieker-Fischer.

The shorter the bowel movement, the better

Specifically, this means that we often need longer to go to the toilet due to the curvature of the rectum and the resulting unnatural bowel position. The following applies: The shorter you go to the toilet, the healthier it is. “Many people feel like they have to push to get the chair,” says Zieker-Fischer. This is inefficient. The more pressure applied, the more blood flows to the anal veins, hemorrhoids, and pelvic floor. “In the long run, this causes hemorrhoids to grow larger and thus become a problem.”

This often occurs incompletely, as most people find it more difficult to empty their bowels in a sitting position. “Then you may have the feeling that you are only partially relieving yourself,” says Zieker-Fischer. As a result, digestive and intestinal problems and constipation occur more frequently. This finding is also supported statistically: In Europe, where sitting toilets are concerned, chronic bowel diseases are most common in global comparison.

A stool for work

In these cases, a toilet stool can be helpful. A few years ago, one manufacturer in particular caused a stir in the USA because of its name: “Squatty Potty”, a potty stool. Zieker-Fischer: “Such a stool could help people return to the original squatting position during defecation.” If our thighs and back now form a 35-degree angle instead of a 90-degree angle, our rectum is no longer curved.

The toilet stool is placed directly in front of the toilet. You can put your feet on it during bowel movements. If you lean your upper body forward a little, you can get the angle you want. A study conducted in the USA in 2019 revealed that the toilet stool facilitated bowel movements in 90 percent of cases and accelerated them in 70 percent of cases.

Communal toilet stools are approximately 20 centimeters high. Depending on your body size and individual needs, higher or deeper stools may also be an option, according to Zieker-Fischer. “It is important to test the use of these types of squat risers yourself.” They’re also not a panacea for digestive problems: “If stool doesn’t provide any relief, there’s probably a deeper problem. This needs to be cleared up medically.”