Excerpt from an article in this thread posted by
@palides2021 >
Why do cardiac arrests happen often in the bathroom? >
https://www.seniorforums.com/thread...pen-often-in-the-bathroom.78756/#post-2379838
The Toilet Strain
"If there’s any danger between man and toilet, it is in the strain. And the excessive straining during defecation weakens the nerves and muscles of the pelvic floor.
Dr. Satish S.C. Rao, director of Neurogastroenterology and motility at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, says, “Just sitting is not harmful. It’s the effort and straining for long periods of time—that is where the harm comes.”
Such excessive strain during defecation adversely affects the cardiovascular system. It could result in syncope or sudden death. Syncope (fainting) is a temporary loss of consciousness usually related to
insufficient blood flow to the heart.
Toilet strain or straining on the stool may reduce your blood pressure. This leads to an insufficient blood supply to the heart and may often trigger cardiac arrest in the bathroom or toilet.
One of the worst-case scenarios from excessive straining is called internal rectal prolapse. This is a condition in which the rectum’s lining actually comes out through the anus (
2).
A normal bowel movement should start with an urge to poop (good so far), followed by an average of five minutes of defecation with little straining. Problems begin occurring once a person has been straining for 10 minutes or longer.
Chronic constipation has been linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke, sudden cardiac death).
Sitting posture in toilet
The cardiac events that occur during defecation are, in many cases, the result of using the (unnatural) sitting posture for waste elimination.
Intensive and repeated Valsalva Manoeuvresare needed for emptying the bowels in a sitting position. In fact, VM was found to be a triggering event.
We, humans, are optimally designed to poop in the squatting position. However, with globalization came the toilets that required people to sit comfortably rather than squat.
For many years, experts have started pointing out the western toilet position’s harms on our
digestive system. Using a sitting toilet triggers the risk more than a squatting toilet as it requires more strain.
Various studies have pointed out how western toilets cause constipation, hemorrhoids, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), appendicitis, and even heart attacks or cardiovascular events like cardiac arrest (
3)."
What Is a Squatty Potty? >
https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/squatty-potty-what-is
Bella
, story. So I used general discussions.
