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A significant majority of people admit to using their phones on the toilet.

If you're reading this article on the toilet (no judgment), chances are you're not alone. According to a NordVPN survey of 10 countries, somewhere between 2/3 and 3/4 of us have a habit of using our phones in the bathroom. Another survey found that people ages 18 to 29 use their phones on the toilet a whopping 93% of the time. That means there’s a whole lot of throne scrolling happening, and probably a lot of denial that it’s happening as well.

After all, bathrooms aren’t exactly sanitary. Most of us can deduce that having a phone anywhere near a flushing toilet is likely to contaminate it with bacteria we don’t really want to swipe onto our fingers. Ew.

Experts say the bacteria-spreading potential of using your phone in the loo is a big reason to break the habit, but it’s by no means the only one.

First, yes, bacteria gets on your phone

Is it really that much of a risk to use your phone the bathroom? Most of us do it and seem fine, don’t we?

Let's put it this way. You wouldn't willingly swipe your finger around a toilet rim, right? Scientists at the University of Arizona have found that cell phones carry 10 times more bacteria than most toilet seats, and bringing our phones into the bathroom certainly doesn't help. Our immune systems can handle a lot, but we're still exposing ourselves unnecessarily to potentially harmful bacteria such as salmonella, E. Coli and C. Difficile when we use our phones in the bathroom (or when we use the toilet and don't wash our hands afterward).

There are ways to minimize how germy your phone gets in the bathroom, such as paying close attention to what the phone is touching and what your hands are doing before you touch your phone. Closing the lid when you flush helps some, too.

Better yet, leave the phone when you gotta go, always wash your hands, and wipe down your phone with alcohol regularly. Simple, but so important.

Second, scrolling can make you spend too long on the toilet

This may not seem like a problem, but it is. Sitting on a toilet isn’t like sitting on a chair. Experts say you should spend no more than 10 minutes on the toilet to do your business, and preferably much less time than that.

“First, using your phone while doing number two can lead to prolonged sitting on the toilet, which can cause strain and pressure on your rectum and anus,” gastroenterologist Dr. Saurabh Sethi explained in a video. “This can lead to issues such as hemorrhoids, anal fissures and rectal prolapse.”

Yikes. We all know how easy it is to lose track of time when we're on our phones. When we're alone in the bathroom with nothing to distract us from our scrolling, it's even easier.

Sitting too long on the toilet can cause uncomfortable problems.Photo credit: Canva

Third, the phone addiction thing

In reality, it shouldn't be too hard for us to leave our phone behind for a few minutes to use the toilet. If we always feel the need to bring our phone with us into the bathroom, what does that say about our phone habits?

I'm not saying that everyone who uses their phone on the toilet is a phone addict, but there's a good chance we're not being as mindful as we probably should be about our phone use if we automatically whip it out on the toilet. And since nearly 57% of Americans say they are addicted to their phones, maybe setting a boundary for bathroom use is a good first step toward addressing the issue.

Finally, phones do occasionally take a toilet plunge

Dropping your phone into the toilet might sound like a joke, but it happens more often than you'd think. As of 2014, around 1 in 5 Americans had dropped their phone in the toilet. Considering how much phone usage has increased since then, it's doubtful that number has gone down.

Whether it falls out of your back pocket when you pull your pants down or it just inexplicably slips from your fingers, dropping a phone in a toilet is not fun. You can imagine the various scenarios that would make it particularly bad, but even if it takes a plunge before you actually use the toilet, it's still a nightmare scenario. Nobody wants to fish a phone out of a toilet and try to figure out how to sanitize it. Not good for the phone, not good for you, not good for anyone. You can avoid the possibility completely by just not bringing the thing into the bathroom in the first place.

Habits die hard, but having solid reasons for wanting to change can be motivating. If you've been feeling iffy about bringing your phone to the toilet with you, see this as a sign to break that habit sooner than later. (Especially if you really are reading this on the throne.)

Want to do everything possible to protect yourself from disease? Grow a beard.

Think beards are dirty? This new research proves you couldn’t be more wrong.

Babyfaces be warned: We are entering the long-overdue era of the beard — a Beardaissance, if you will.

So. Freakin’. Classy. Image from Incredibeard, used with permission.


Yes, that’s right: It would appear that beards are making a bit of a comeback. They’re on our televisions. They’re in our bedrooms. Heck, we’ve even devoted an entire month of the year to them! The fact that Grizzly Adams was able to witness the Rise of the Beard before passing is easily one of the greatest social justices ever to be carried out.

Just imagine the secrets this beard must hold. Photo via iStock.

But did you know that, aside from protecting you from sunburn, keeping you warm in the winter, and saving a few remnants of that absolutely divine T-bone steak you had for dinner, a beard can actually improve your health?

Yes, it's true: Growing a beard can aid in fending off several varieties of diseases, according to a recent study published on BBC News.

Seeking to crush the age-old stereotype that beards are bug-infested bacteria gardens donned by only the most unhygienic among us were the folks at Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, Dr. Chris van Tulleken, Dr. Saleyha Ashan, and Dr. Michael Mosley.

First, their team revisited a study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection last year, which looked at whether bearded hospital workers were more likely to carry (and pass on) preventable and potentially fatal infections than their smooth-shaven counterparts.

The results of the study, surprisingly, found that bearded employees were three times less likely to be carrying MRSA, a common methicillin-resistant infection.

GIF from "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy."

Why? That’s the part researchers aren't so sure about. The authors of the study guessed that the micro-abrasions and cuts caused by shaving often served as target sites for these infections to breed. Trust Me, I’m a Doctor had a different theory: Our beards actually fight infection.

So van Tulleken (of Trust me, I’m a Doctor) took over the case. He swabbed the beards of 20 random men, then shipped the samples off to be tested by Dr. Adam Roberts, a microbiologist based at University College London. From those 20 samples, Roberts was able to grow over 100 types of bacteria.

Beards actually are bacteria gardens, after all, but in a life-saving way!

Two reasons to smile: Awesome beard. No MRSA. Photo via iStock.

“When you get a competitive environment like a beard where there are many different bacteria, they fight for food resources and space, so they produce things like antibiotics," Roberts said in an episode of Trust Me, I’m a Doctor.

Just as penicillin was created by fungus, it turns out that the bacteria in beards are actually the first line of defense against major diseases.

One of these badass beard bacteria "healers" goes by the name of Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Roberts found that it attacked and eradicated a form of drug-resistant E. coli during testing. With the rate of deaths due to antibiotic-resistant infections rising by the year, Roberts is hoping that this whiskery revelation will be a major breakthrough.

In fact, after Roberts’ research was published on BBC.com in January, the public began sending him their own samples of stubble for testing. And, believe it or not, his team was able to extract “anti-adhesion molecules” that, when added to toothpaste and mouthwash, could stop acid-producing bacteria from binding to our enamel.

You know what this means, don’t you? ZZ Top are going to live forever!

Photo by Ander Gillenea/AFP/Getty Images.

True
Gates Foundation

In the United States, more than 300 kids end up in the hospital for burn injuries every day.

Antibiotics are often part of routine burn treatment — even if the kids don't need them. We've all had experiences like this. It can take up to two days for a doctor to diagnose an infection, so we're given antibiotics as a "just to be safe" measure ... even if our injury isn't infected.

As a result, antibiotic resistance is now considered one of the biggest health threats we face today. Our overuse of antibiotics is leading to record high levels of antibiotic resistance, and infections and injuries that have been treatable for a long time may once again become difficult to get rid of.


But! Fear not! There's a brilliant new bandage out there that promises to help doctors cut down on doling out unnecessary antibiotics.

It's all about what turns neon green.

Developed by scientists at the University of Bath, this bandage-of-the-future is a special medical dressing that can determine if a wound becomes infected and get results faster than anything else out there today.

The so-called "best bandage ever" uses UV light to provide the answers people need ... fast.

These bandages contain nanocapsules that contain a dye that bursts open in the presence of disease-causing bacteria. Bright green = infection.


The test on the right is screaming, "Infection!"

As I mentioned before, it can take doctors up to two days to determine if a burn wound is infected. For young kids and their weak immune systems, two days untreated can become a dangerous situation when dealing with infection — or not.

"Children are at particular risk of serious infection from even a small burn," explained Dr. Amber Young. "However, with current methods clinicians can't tell whether a sick child might have a raised temperature due to a serious bacterial burn wound infection, or just from a simple cough or cold.

So it's understandable why antibiotics have been prescribed as precautionary measures for so long.

But with the arrival of these nanocapsule bandages, the future is now; an infection diagnosis is possible within just a few hours, giving doctors the green light to act fast and know exactly what steps are necessary.

This breakthrough can help put families at ease, cut down on hospital costs, and limit the use of unnecessary antibiotics – which has turned into a serious problem.

There's a reason the World Health Organization has launched its first-ever World Antibiotic Resistance Week. If we're not careful, common infections that have been easily treatable in the past will come back to cause some major problems.

This bandage saves the day in two amazing ways: speedy and more accurate diagnoses for infections and fewer unnecessary antibiotics.

For anyone who's been severely burned or injured, you know there's nothing you want more than fast solutions and less hospital time. A diagnosis in two days versus a diagnosis in a few hours is huge!

Nanocapsules to the rescue! Glow on (but preferably don't!), my tiny friends.

See them in action here: