Is the Squatty Potty Actually Helpful? Digestive Health & How You Poop
7 minute read
The commercials for the Squatty Potty may have made you laugh and caught your attention, but does elevating where your feet rest really make things better when it comes to pooping?
We are always looking for ways to make life easier or ways to improve health and well-being which is what prompted the invention of the Squatty Potty. With research and personal testimonials supporting the idea, there seems to be some advantage to squatting when you poop. Here’s what you should know.
Squatting to Do Your Business
It is actually not a new concept to squat when you poop. Many countries across the globe offer toilets with the stool so you can squat while going to the bathroom.
Most people probably thought these were primitive toilets rather than ingenious ways to improve bowel movements. As with anything out of the ordinary, using a Squatty Potty can be challenging and even comical, but it is now the recommended way to do your business.
Other cultures that have been using this technique are ahead of the pooping game. Research supports the benefits of pooping at a specific angle. The squatting position is actually more natural, facilitates easier bowel movement, and prevents problems like colon disease, hemorrhoids, constipation, and pelvic floor issues.
The way we sit on standard toilets distorts the angle and could be the cause for many of our bowel-related problems.
The standard sitting position creates an anorectal angle which, based on the curvature of the colon, also creates a kink. This kink allows pressure to build up in the colon, making it harder to get poop out.
As you work against the pressure, you strain muscles to get waste to move, and this can damage the delicate tissues of your colon. When you squat, this position is corrected and bowels can move more naturally with gravity and not against it.
Benefits of Squatting
The typical sitting position that we are all used to may be the reason we have certain health conditions. As we typically turn to our diet as the source of bowel-related issues, we may have been overlooking the cause this whole time.
The way we sit on the toilet can contribute to the following conditions:
Constipation
While not drinking enough water and not eating enough vegetables with dietary fiber does create dry and hard-to-move stools, the sitting position compounds the situation. The excess pressure created by the sitting position means we have to strain and push even harder.
The squat position allows poop to move easier and so can alleviate constipation and unnecessary strain.
Hemorrhoids
The more you strain during elimination, the more your risk increases for developing hemorrhoids. Strain causes the anal varicose veins to become inflamed and swollen, which is both painful and can interfere with health bowel movement.
Squatting helps to eliminate the need to push because your body is angled the same as your colon, allowing bowel movements to move along more naturally.
Colon Disease
Because your poop is full of toxins and other substances your body does not need, it is important to get it out sooner rather than later. If feces gets stuck in the colon for too long, you risk infection and diseases like colon disease.
Squatting supports regular and efficient elimination, which means everything harmful to you gets out and away, leaving your colon happy and healthy.
Urinary Tract Infections
This is more something that women need to worry about and squatting can help how you pee as well as poop. The flow of urine is naturally stronger in the squatting position, and your bladder is emptied completely.
The same as emptying your colon, it is important to empty your bladder fully to ensure nothing harmful gets a chance to hang around and cause infection.
5 Tips for Promoting Regular Movements
Along with changing your seating arrangements for bathroom visits, there are additional things you can do to promote healthy and regular bowel movements. The easier excrement moves out and the less you have to strain, the healthier your colon will be.
1. Eat More Fiber
A lack of fiber in the diet is the number one cause for constipation, so eating more fiber each day will keep you regular. Fresh fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains and beans are the best way to get fiber in your diet and poop out of your system.
2. Eat Less Low-Fiber Foods
Foods such as dairy and meat along with processed or high-sugar foods are low in fiber and not friends of your colon. This does not mean they should be avoided because there are benefits to dairy and meat, but be sure to balance them with plenty of high-fiber foods to ensure that things keep moving along.
3. Hydrate More
Water combined with fiber gives your stools bulk and bulky stools stretch the intestinal walls and promote efficient movement and expulsion.
| Related: Urine Color Meanings: Dehydration, Disease, and Drinking Tips |
It is therefore important to drink water as much as possible and when water isn’t available, tea, soup, and 100-percent fruit juices work just as well to keep poop bulky and keep your regular.
4. Avoid Laxatives
Laxatives can work in a pinch if you are suffering from a severe bout of constipation, but they should never be relied upon. Overuse or improper use can cause the symptoms of constipation to become worse rather than fixing them.
5. Go When You Need to Go
Waiting to go to the bathroom and holding it in contributes to constipation, so never ignore the call of nature when she arrives.
The Bottom Line
Squatting to go poop may not seem natural, but when you look at the shape of your colon, it turns out that it is more natural than the way you currently sit. Traditional cultures were on the right page with using squatty potties as squatting supports more natural bowel movement.
As strange or comical as it may be at first, it is worth looking into. To get rid of your poop more efficiently and promote colon health, squatting is the number one way to go number two.
