‘Time’ and how we spend it, is one of the most important aspects of our daily life.
The ‘alone time’ or ‘personal time’ is one of the most premium decisions we will take during the day, which is an essential part of maintaining work-life balance.
Most of us are familiar with the concept of ‘a man cave’, a predetermined area within one’s house that can be used for ‘alone time’ almost always accompanied by an understanding that no one from the household should disturb the individual using it.
Traditionally this is usually a room, study, corner or sometimes even a chair!
However, modern-day challenges of limited spaces and the privacy constraints posed during the pandemic, with the entire family restricted to their houses, seems to have forced a practical innovation trend, the use of washrooms to catch up on time alone!
Pandemic has increased the time spent in the washroom
According to Dr. Kedar Tilwe, Consultant Psychiatrist, Fortis Hospital Mulund and Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi, “To be fair, this was a pattern that did exist before the pandemic, more so in men. However, it was usually restricted to a few minutes like reading a paper and was not a substitute for the ‘study’. But, with better access due to Wi-Fi and restrictions of space in today’s world, the time spent surfing on the loo has amplified exponentially, and for some individuals has completely replaced the designated areas!”
Health concerns of spending too much time on the toilet
Prolonged sitting on a toilet seat may result in hemorrhoids as a result of blood clotting in the rectal veins. An extended period of time spent on the toilet increases the risk of hemorrhoids or piles. Anus and rectum are compressed when someone uses the restroom for extended periods of time. The rectum is lower than the remainder of the backside due to the oval hollow shape of the seat. Blood begins to collect and coagulate in those veins when gravity takes over. Any more strain or pushing out feces would initiate the hemorrhoidal development process.
You run the danger of acquiring contagious diseases and bacteria as well. Fecal-oral infection is a disease that can spread through oral contact and is typically brought on by prolonged toilet use.
Mental health concern of using the loo for longer
Apart from the obvious hygiene related concerns, this form of avoiding daily life chores can lead to serious repercussions for the individual, like precipitating fights and relationship discords. In addition to these habits like doom scrolling and binge watching can actually wreck your schedule resulting in disruption in your daily life!
A few ways by which we can abandon this trend – include making your washroom a screen free zone, setting a time limit to the time spent and designating a separate do-not- disturb zone within your home which may be a chair or even a simple porch on the balcony!
