You are traveling on the highway. You like to avoid public toilets, but the urge is so strong that you cannot help visiting one. So what do you do when you visit a public toilet? You feel disgusted at the thought of touching your bottom to the seat, so you squat on the seat, thinking it is at least keeping you safe from the many infections lingering on the seat. But you should know that it is not the safest method of using a public toilet. And scientists urge you to sit on the seat rather than hovering above it. We tell you why.
According to scientists who have conducted research on the topic, they feel that when you squat on the toilet seat, you are not allowing your pelvic muscles to relax and fully release the urine. Since your body knows you are squatting at an odd angle and you can fall, it will make all your muscles, including pelvic muscles, glutes, back, abs, and hips, work hard to keep you balanced. As a result, you will not be able to release your bladder fully and will want to visit the washroom more often.
Squat or sit?
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If urine sits in your bladder for too long, it also puts you at risk of bladder infection. Plus, when you squat, in all likelihood, your urine will fall in the pot at an odd angle, leading to more chances of splashes that will also bring along bacteria and stick to your bottom. Yes, it can happen even when you sit on the seat, but the chances are higher when you are squatting.
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Doctors also want you to know that people wrongly believe that the toilet seat can give them infections. It cannot, as long as you are not touching it with your hands and you are cleaning your hands thoroughly after using the public toilet. Plus, when we flush without putting down the lid, it leads to the spread of bacteria and fecal matter, which can travel up to 1.5 meters. This puts your phone at risk because you cannot wash your phone, and you will touch it after using the toilet, leading to nasty bacterial infection. In fact, they encourage people to wipe it with alcohol wipes to prevent it from becoming a breeding ground for bacteria. You can carry the same wipes to clean the toilet seat if the feeling of sitting on the seat feels disgusting — but make sure you use that wipe to put down the seat before flushing and also wash your hands thoroughly.
