Our ancestors didn’t poop in warm rooms atop porcelain thrones and neither should we, scientists say. As our world developed and we started living in warm, cozy structures, we also changed the way we poop, especially in the western world.
Scientists have known for years that sitting on a traditional western toilet is not the most efficient or natural way to encourage a number 2 to squeeze out.
In the United States, Google searches for the term hemorrhoid have been on the rise since 2008. It’s no wonder, when almost every home in America has toilets that place us in a sitting position to poop. When you try to go in a regular sitting position, straining is inevitable, which is one of the leading causes of painful hemorrhoids.
When you squat to poop, however, your body is in the prime position for the poop to slide straight out, according to neuroscientist Daniel Lametti. In typical standing and sitting positions, the anorectal angle is bent, almost like there is a kink in it, to stop poop from coming out at inconvenient (and embarrassing) times. When you squat, that natural bend straightens, thus providing the poop with the perfect angle to slide right out.
A study conducted by Dov Sikirov found that squatting is in fact the idea position to poop. Participants in the study tried three different positions, noting their total time it took to poop as well as their perceived satisfaction of the experience in each position.
Gastroenterologist Dr. William Bulsiewicz further explains that there is a muscle in the pelvis that wraps around the rectum. It is this muscle that helps to create the angle that stops poop from coming out on its own. So when you do want the poop to easily slide out on its own, like when you’re trying to go to the bathroom, you need that muscle to relax so the poop can make its way out.
Enter companies such as Jellyfish Storey who have capitalized on the proper pooping revolution with pooping stools that help you achieve a squatting position on a traditional toilet. These toilet steps slide under the toilet for easy storage when not in use. With adjustable heights, they allow every person in the family to achieve the perfect squatting position for every poop.
And when you’re done going, please put the lid down before you flush. Unless you want microscopic poop particles mingling with your toothbrush, keep the lid shut.
