Spending too long on the couch raises risks of serious illness – and poor posture can add digestive problems to the list. Photo / 123rf
From only taking 10 minutes for lunch to using your phone on the loo, experts reveal the small behaviours that carry hidden risks.
For many of us, the lavatory is a sanctuary: the smallest room in the house where you can hide from the children or from your spouse. It allows for quiet contemplation or, if you’re the efficient type, the space and time to tap out an email or an Ocado order.
Sadly, it appears your valuable me-time in the loo could be bad for the bottom. In 2023, a gastroenterologist in San Francisco, Dr Saurabh Sethi, claimed that taking your phone to the loo increases the amount of time you spend there, leading to “increased strain on your rectum and anus,” which can result in piles, anal fissures and even rectal prolapse.
This theory was confirmed in a study published this month in the journal PLOS One, which concluded that there is an increased prevalence of haemorrhoids among people who use smartphones while sitting on the loo.
And it is not just the habit of taking your phone to the throne that is ruining your health. Life is full of micro habits that can damage your wellbeing.
Here are some of the worst offenders.
Social media is full of influencers extolling the virtues of fasting. Even the late Dr Michael Mosley was an advocate. But skipping breakfast is not beneficial for everyone. One 2019 study highlighted correlations between not having breakfast and cardiometabolic risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.
“We found that people who regularly skipped breakfast were about 21 per cent more likely to suffer a cardiovascular disease or die from it than people who regularly ate breakfast,” the authors wrote.
Bini Suresh is a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association and head of dietetics at Cleveland Clinic London. She says: “Intermittent fasting can be helpful, it can improve insulin sensitivity and support weight loss for some, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution.
“For others, regularly skipping breakfast can backfire, leading to intense hunger and higher-calorie food choices later in the day. Research has linked breakfast skipping with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and poorer blood glucose control.”
What to do instead
Suresh says that your first meal of the day, whether at 7am or 11am, should be balanced with protein, wholegrains and fibre. Protein helps stabilise blood sugar levels and keeps you feeling fuller, which helps reduce snacking. Wholegrains release energy slowly, and fibre also keeps you feeling fuller and is beneficial for gut health.
Inhaling lunch, or any meal for that matter, can be a precursor to health problems, as a 2019 cross-sectional analysis found. Published in the journal Nutrients, it concluded that eating faster increases the risk of hypertriglyceridemia [having too many triglycerides (fats) in your blood], a recognised risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Suresh explains that eating quickly has shorter-term health impacts too.
“Eating very quickly, particularly in a stressful environment, can impair digestion. When we are stressed, the body can prioritise the “fight-or-flight” response over digestion, which can reduce gut motility, the movement of food through the gut. This could lead to symptoms such as bloating, discomfort or, for some, reflux,” she explains.
What to do instead
Mindful eating, more slowly and without distractions, has been shown to improve satiety. The act of taking time to eat allows the so-called “satiety hormones,” such as GLP-1, to signal fullness more effectively. In simple terms, the slower you eat, the less likely you are to overeat, as your stomach signals that it is full before you are tempted to pick up another biscuit.
Dodging daylight is not something you should make a habit of. Daylight stimulates the production of vitamin D in our bodies, which in turn stimulates melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating our body clock and supporting good sleep. It also supports our immune system: a 2020 review in Nutrients concluded there is an “indisputable relation” between vitamin D and the immune system.
When you’re having a “working lunch” at your desk, you’re not getting your fix of vitamin D, higher levels of which are also linked to improved mood.
What to do instead
The more natural light you can expose yourself to, as early in the day as possible, the better. Gurprit Lall is professor of neuroscience at the University of Kent. He explains that the human body takes vital cues from the different spectrums of light at certain times of day, all of which help keep us happy and alert. “Even on a dull day, you’re getting two or three orders of magnitude more blue light [the highest-energy light within the visible spectrum] outside than you get from artificial light indoors. Anything you can do to enhance that during the day is a bonus.”
“When you walk outside in the day, cells in your retina register and react to the different light intensities. In the daytime, they signal to the brain to boost cortisol and serotonin, which reduces the risk of depression and cognitive decline. Daylight exposure during the day enhances your alertness,” he says.
Tempting as it is to spend every night crashed out on the couch, studies show that too much loafing is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Extended couch time is also associated with a 91% increased risk of type 2 diabetes and a 24% greater risk of colon cancer, even among people who exercise regularly.
And even the way you sit can create problems. Slouching or reclining with your hips lower than your knees can compress the abdominal organs, which may slow digestion and contribute to issues such as acid reflux or bloating.
What to do instead
The key, according to Ash James, director of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, is to change position frequently.
He says: “There is no one bad posture, but if you remain in that posture for a long time, pain will follow. “The key is to take regular breaks, move, and ensure that you’re not sitting in any one position for too long.”
While napping for short periods can boost energy levels, taking longer sleeps during the day at the weekend can significantly disrupt sleeping patterns.
Dr Lindsay Browning, sleep expert at Trouble Sleeping and author of Navigating Sleeplessness, explains that after around 30 minutes of sleep, the body moves into a deeper sleep stage. “When you wake from that after around 45 minutes to an hour of napping, you can find you feel groggy with sleep inertia,” she says.
“People who regularly take longer naps of around an hour or more, compared with those who only occasionally nap or nap for a shorter time (no more than 20 minutes), tend to have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and a higher BMI,” she says.
What to do instead
Browning advises keeping naps to around 20 minutes and setting an alarm to help you stay in the light sleep phase. Timing is important. Keep a nap to lunchtime, ideally no later than 2pm, because your body experiences a natural dip in alertness then.
Do not leave it until 4pm or 5pm, when it is harder to fall asleep at bedtime.
Excessive TV-watching, defined as four or more hours daily, is associated with a greater risk of developing brain-based disorders such as dementia and depression.
A 2023 study looked at data on more than 473,000 adults aged 39 to 72 enrolled in the UK Biobank. Compared with people who watched TV for less than an hour each day, participants who reported watching four or more hours of TV daily had a 28% higher risk of dementia, a 35% greater risk of depression, and a 16% higher risk of Parkinson’s disease.
Unfortunately, modern streaming TV strategies are designed to keep us hooked.
“When we binge-watch a TV series, the brain releases dopamine, the chemical neurotransmitter linked to pleasure and reward,” says Helen Wells, clinical director and psychotherapist at The Dawn Rehab and Wellness Centre.
“Continually chasing this kind of instant gratification makes it harder for us to tolerate boredom or delay, and in some cases, it may increase our vulnerability to other attention-grabbing behaviours. Consistently relying on quick dopamine ‘hits’ can impact focus, attention span, and overall wellbeing.”
It can also wreck your sleep.
“Artificial light from digital devices confuses your brain because at nighttime when we look at them, the signal they’re giving is that it’s daytime,” explains Prof Lall.
“Your body is trying to put itself into a nighttime mode, but you have that conflict. So, you get a poor night’s sleep, and if you habitually do it, your body becomes used to this cycle.”
What to do instead
It seems obvious, but simply keeping your phone or remote control out of your bedroom, and picking up a book instead, will work wonders for your health. Researchers have shown that even six minutes of reading can lower your stress levels by 60%, slow down your heart rate, and relieve muscle tension. One micro habit to keep up with.