Well, to be honest, most people are pooping incorrectly and while you might be a bit blown away at the idea of there being a ‘wrong’ way to poop, there is. Most people, especially those here in the US sit down to poop. This without the aid of some kind of stool strains the muscles within our guts and makes it harder for us to get the waste out properly. You see, when we stand up or sit down there is a kink in our lower gut, this keeps us from expelling our feces at any given moment but also makes it harder to let things out once we’re on the modern toilet.
When it comes to pooping we should all be squatting and that’s not just some random idea, there is science behind it. You see, when we are squatting that kink is cleared out and our bowels are able to move freely. There was actually even a study in regards published back in 2003. The study was titled ‘Comparison of Straining During Defecation in Three Positions: Results and Implications For Human Health.’ For this study, 28 healthy volunteers between the ages of 17 and 66 were asked to use a digital timer to record the time it took them to empty their rear ends.
One group sat on a standard sized toilet seat, another on a lower toilet seat, and the rest squatted. They were from there also asked to fill out information on how the process was and if they strained/how much. As you might assume based on what I said earlier, it seems those who were squatting strained less drastically in comparison to the other groups.
Squatty Potty’s website notes as follows in regards to why squatting is so much better:
Although the United States has been quite attached to their modern commode, many countries around the world have squatted to poop for centuries, and science is starting to catch up. Your body relies on a bend in the colon, (where your poop lives) and the anus, (where your poop says hi) to keep everything stored until showtime. Your Puborectalis Muscle helps keep your poop in place by kinking your colon, much like a bend in a garden hose stops the flow of water when you’re sitting or standing. This muscle is helpful for when you’re sitting and don’t want to poop, but unhelpful for when you’re sitting and do want to poop. Your colon’s sweet spot comes with the squat. This tells your Puborectalis Muscle to fully relax. Squatting straightens the kink and allows for complete elimination.
Perhaps adding some kind of stool to your bathroom so that you are able to sit on the toilet in a more squatted position might benefit you. I know I won’t go without one, ever again. To hear more on this topic feel free to check out the video below. Who knows, maybe a stool might be the perfect gift for someone you think is full of sh*t?