When going to the toilet, do you prefer squatting or sitting to defecate? If you are usually used to squatting and pulling, when you sit on the toilet, you will find that no matter how hard you try, it is difficult to regain the "surge" feeling of not squatting. Is squatting really "smoother" than sitting down? Is squatting suitable for everyone? Today, let’s talk about pooping postures.
Squatting down is really more "fun"
In fact, it is not an illusion that squatting makes pulling more comfortable. A 2003 paper published in Digestive Diseases and Sciences examined this. The researchers found 28 adults with normal intestinal function and asked them to defecate in three postures: sitting on a high toilet (height 41-42 cm), sitting on a low toilet (height 31-32 cm), and squatting.
Poop 6 times in each position and record the time of each poop. It was found that among the three postures for defecating, the squatting posture required the shortest time, with an average of only 51 seconds to complete. The average time it takes to poop while sitting on a low toilet and a high toilet also differs, with it taking about 1.9 minutes on a low toilet and 2.16 minutes on a high toilet.
The average time it takes to poop in several different "postures"
In addition, the study also asked subjects to rate the "effort" of defecation in different postures, including "very easy", "easy", "moderate" and "difficult". It was found that pooping is the easiest in the squatting position, with more than 80% of people rating it as "very easy" or "easy".
Only close to 50% of people felt "very relaxed" or "relaxed" when sitting on a lower toilet, while this dropped to 39% when sitting on a higher toilet. The reason for this difference may be related to the special structures near our rectum and anus.
The "recto-anal angle" on the poop passage
Usually, our poop is mainly stored at the end of the rectum, and around the rectum, there is a structure called the puborectalis muscle, which also strangles the rectum and creates an angle between the rectum and the anus below. This angle is called the "recto-anal angle."
When you decide to have a bowel movement, all the poop you can't wait to flush needs to pass through this recto-anal angle. The size of this angle will affect the smoothness of defecation.
From left to right, they are the recto-anal angle in sitting position, sitting position on a small bench, and squatting position. Picture source: Reference 2. The smaller the angle of the rectum-anal angle, the more severe the rectum and anus are folded, and the larger the angle, the lower the degree of folding. If it is 180 degrees, it means that the rectum and anus are in a straight line, and poop can "pour out" unimpeded (but this usually does not happen).
And the different postures we use when defecating will indeed affect the degree of the recto-anal angle. A study published in "Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms" in 2010 recruited 6 volunteers and studied their recto-anal angle in three defecation postures: sitting, sitting with feet on a small bench, and squatting.
It was found that there were indeed differences between the recto-anal angles in different postures. When sitting on the toilet, the average degree of the recto-anal angle is 100°, when sitting on the toilet and stepping on a small stool, the average degree is 99°, and in the squatting position, the average degree of this angle is 120°. Therefore, among these three pooping postures, the squatting posture can indeed make the "poop passage" smoother.
In order to further study the impact of the three postures on defecation, the researchers injected contrast agent into the rectum of the experimenters, asked them to simulate defecation in three different postures, and recorded the pressure in the lower abdomen in these postures. The results showed that among the three postures, the experimenter needed to exert the greatest additional abdominal pressure in the sitting posture, followed by the sitting posture stepping on a small bench, and the minimum additional force needed to be exerted by the experimenter in the squatting posture.
This means that squatting does make pooping feel smoother.
Can stepping on a small bench really make pooping more enjoyable?
In the previous research, we mentioned the posture of sitting on the toilet with your feet on a small stool. Some people actually do this in life, and there are even related products for sale. Then let’s also talk about whether this posture can really make people poop more smoothly.
Products related to stools to aid in defecation.
In this study, there were no significant differences in recto-anal angle and straining during defecation while sitting on the toilet with or without a stool. But in this study, the experimental sample size was small (only 6 subjects). And if you look closely at the data of these six subjects, you will find that different subjects step on the small bench in different situations.
For some people, the recto-anal angle becomes wider after stepping on the small bench, which indeed makes defecation smoother. But for some people, this angle becomes smaller, which means that defecation will be hindered.
Changes in the recto-anal angle between not stepping on the small bench and stepping on the small bench
In view of this situation, we can only say that the effect of stepping on a small bench varies from person to person. Before buying the corresponding product, you might as well try it on something. If you really feel it is smoother, it is not too late to spend money.
There are many benefits to squatting, but you should also pay attention to these points
Judging from the "satisfying" degree of pooping, squatting is indeed better than sitting. And it was also mentioned in the 2010 paper that because squatting does not require too much force and the time to defecate is relatively short, it can reduce the incidence of hemorrhoids, constipation and diverticulosis to a certain extent.
But squatting may also pose some risks. For example, a 2002 study published in the Journal of the Association of Physicians of India found that for people with high blood pressure, squatting is more likely to increase blood pressure, which may increase the risk of stroke and other diseases.
Studies have mentioned that in India, where most people are accustomed to squatting to go to the toilet, about 36% of strokes occur in the squatting position (mainly when defecating). In addition, I believe that most people have experienced leg numbness after squatting for too long. This is not a big trouble for ordinary people, but for the elderly, disabled or frail people, this may cause falls or other accidents.
For patients with high blood pressure, the elderly and other people with weak bodies, squatting is not recommended for defecation.
If necessary, you can try the "stepping on a small bench" method mentioned above, or choose a toilet with a slightly lower height. Of course, even ordinary people are not advised to squat for too long when squatting to defecate.
Although you can use less effort to defecate in a squatting position, whether you are sitting or squatting, taking too long to defecate is one of the predisposing factors for hemorrhoids (and if you defecate for too long, there is a high probability that you are not defecating but playing with your mobile phone).
It can be said that if you want to pursue the pleasure of defecation, you can indeed choose the squatting position, but if you decide to use this position, please be sure to "quickly resolve"!