So it’s bad news if you’re reading this while on the toilet.

Lai Xue, a US colorectal surgeon at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre in Dallas has warned that sitting and scrolling on your phone while on the toilet could lead to haemorrhoids and weak pelvic muscles.

"When patients came to me with complaints, one of the areas we had to check deeper was the time they spent in the toilet," he told CNN.

We should be spending between five to 10 minutes on the toilet at a time, but with more people scrolling while on the loo, that is getting longer.

The position of sitting on the toilet changes the way blood circulates, due to gravity. It means blood pools in the anus area, and finds it harder to leave the area.

"This is a one-way value, where blood enters, but blood cannot return easily," said Dr Xue.

Also while mindlessly scrolling, we could be straining more for longer amounts of time.

"Now, we are seeing an increase in the number of people spending longer in the toilet, and this is very unhealthy for an annorectal organ and pelvic floor," said Dr Xue.