Have you ever considered how your posture affects your bathroom experience? The way you position yourself on the toilet can significantly influence your comfort and ease during bowel movements. So, what is the proper posture on the toilet and why use a toilet stool?
The ideal posture for using a toilet stool involves elevating your feet to rest them on the stool and then leaning forward slightly. This position mimics a natural squatting stance, which straightens the rectum and relaxes the puborectalis muscle, making bowel movements smoother and more comfortable.
What Is The Proper Posture For a Toilet Stool? A Short Answer
Proper toilet posture resembles a modified squat, with feet elevated and the body leaning slightly forward. This position mirrors the natural squatting stance that humans have relied on for centuries. Elevating your feet helps align the rectum in a straighter position, relaxing the puborectalis muscle and promoting easier, more complete waste elimination. By simply adjusting how you sit on the western pedestal toilet, you can significantly improve your digestive health and overall comfort.
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The Science of Squatting
The natural squatting posture, universally recognised as the optimal position for bowel movements, aligns the body in a way that promotes smoother and more complete elimination. In a squat, the knees are positioned above the hips, creating an angle that straightens the colon. This alignment reduces the bend in the rectum and allows for a clear and direct pathway for stool to pass, minimising strain and discomfort.
Modern pedestal toilets, while standard in most western homes, do not support the natural squatting position. Instead, they promote a seated posture that can actually hinder the bowel movement process. This unnatural positioning can lead to increased abdominal pressure and a need for more straining and pushing, which are risk factors for conditions like haemorrhoids and constipation.
How To Optimise Your Posture on a Modern Toilet
To replicate the squatting position effectively on a contemporary toilet, start by using a toilet stool to elevate your feet. This adjustment raises your knees above your hips, mimicking the natural squat.Â
Lean slightly forward, resting your elbows on your knees or thighs to maintain balance and enhance the straightening of your colon. This position facilitates a more natural angle and relaxes key muscles that can otherwise obstruct or complicate the passage of stool.
A simple toilet stool like PROPPR can be a game-changer for achieving the correct posture. Choose a stool about 18-24cm (7-9 inches) high to properly elevate your legs. This height is generally sufficient for most people to simulate a squat position effectively.
The Benefits of Squatting
Adopting the proper posture on the toilet can offer significant advantages that facilitate more natural and efficient bowel movements. Understanding these benefits can help improve not only your immediate comfort but also your long-term digestive health.
- Straightens the Anorectal Angle: Adopting a squat-like posture helps straighten the anorectal angle. This helps in the effective removal of the kink in the sigmoid colon. This straightening facilitates a smoother passage for stool, reducing the need for straining.
- Relaxes the Puborectalis Muscle: The squatting position naturally relaxes the puborectalis muscle, which encircles the lower part of the rectum. This relaxation decreases the natural bend in the rectum, allowing a more direct pathway for stool to exit.
- Reduces Straining: By optimising the angle and muscle tension in the lower bowel, squatting minimises the physical effort required to evacuate. This significantly lowers the risk of developing haemorrhoids, anal fissures and other complications associated with chronic straining.
- Helps with Complete Excretion: Improved posture promotes more complete and efficient elimination. This can decrease the frequency of bowel movements needed and help prevent the uncomfortable feeling of incomplete evacuation.
- Decreases Time Spent on the Toilet: With an anatomically favourable position, the body can perform its natural functions more quickly. This efficiency improves gastrointestinal health and contributes to overall wellbeing by reducing the time spent in a potentially strained position.
- Supports Pelvic Floor Health: Proper toilet posture helps in maintaining optimal pelvic floor function by reducing undue pressure and strain. This is particularly beneficial in preventing long-term issues like pelvic floor dysfunction.
Exercise Suggestions For Improved Bowel Health
Exercise is not only good for overall health but also crucial for regular bowel movements. Here's how physical activity can benefit digestive health:
- Enhances Muscle Activity: Regular exercise helps strengthen the muscles in the abdomen and pelvic area, aiding in the digestive process and helping to move stools through the intestines.
- Improves Blood Flow: Physical activity increases blood flow to all parts of the body, including the digestive system, which can help maintain healthy gut function.
- Reduces Stress: Stress is a common cause of digestive issues, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Exercise is an effective stress reliever, which can help alleviate some digestive symptoms caused by stress.
- Encourages Regularity: Regular physical activity helps to establish a more predictable bowel routine, reducing the likelihood of constipation.
Things To Remember
The way you sit on the toilet can lead to several physical and health-related issues. Embracing a squatting posture, even on a modern toilet, is a simple yet effective way to improve your comfort and overall health.
Using a toilet stool to elevate your feet and leaning slightly forward mimics the natural squatting position. This alignment helps straighten the rectum and relax key muscles, leading to easier, more complete bowel movements. It reduces strain, easing the discomfort that can contribute to haemorrhoids, constipation and other digestive issues. By making this small adjustment, you can enhance your bathroom experience and support long-term wellbeing.