Are You Pooping Wrong? The Sitting vs Squatting Position

Question

So, if you’re not down with the latest trends in pooping, let me tell you, squatting is all the rage. Take it from the makers of the Squatty Potty, a footstool (ugh, there has to be a less awkwardly apropos word) you put at the base of your toilet so you can prop yourself into a squat-like position.

But is popping a squat really better than sitting to plop? Or is it merely a ploy to sell you yet another health gadget you probably don’t need?

Answer 1

Why would squatting to poop be preferable to sitting?

First of all, let’s take a moment to appreciate that people squatted for eons before we got smart and lazy and came up with the Western toilet, and that people throughout Asia and Africa still use squat toilets today. In a world obsessed with doing everything “the natural way,” there’s definitely an argument that this is the #1 way to do #2.

“There is a small amount of literature to suggest that squatting may be more effective than sitting when healthy individuals defecate (or poop if you will),” Wald says.

Answer 2

The potential benefit from squatting comes from putting your digestive tract in the right alignment.

The rectum and anal canal are poop’s last stops before being excreted, and there are several muscles involved in both defecation (letting it out) and continence (holding it in).

When you’re standing, the puborectalis muscle pulls the rectum forward, creating a 90-degree angle that keeps waste from being able to easily slip out. “That makes sense because most of the time you’re not defecating,” says Wald. “You’re keeping things in, or doing nothing with it.”

Answer 3

When you sit, that muscle relaxes, widening the rectal angle, i.e. making it straighter. And, at least one study shows, squatting makes the rectum even straighter than that. This, Wald explains, should make it easier for the poop to pass, and reduce the amount of strain it takes to go.

He cites another study in which 28 volunteers required less time and less effort to have a “satisfactory bowel emptying” while squatting compared with sitting on a standard height or low toilet seat.

Answer 4

So, should we all be hiking up our knees and giving squatting a go?

While Wald isn’t exactly shouting from the rooftops about the awesomeness of squatting, he allows that, “theoretically it could make defecation easier,” especially if you have weak abdominal muscles.

He also points out that less straining to go means less strain on your heart, which would be good for older people who are at risk for stroke or heart attack. He adds, “With repeated straining over many years you may weaken the pelvic floor, which can lead to bowel control problems later in life, and, in women, to the pelvic floor dropping.”

Research shows that squatting can relieve hemorrhoid symptoms. But if anyone tries to tell you that sitting increases your risk of colon cancer, that’s not true.

Note that if you do want to switch to squatting, you should probably go ahead and invest in something to put your feet on. (Assuming you don't happen to have an Eastern toilet installed in your home.) The only other option would be perching on the seat, and that's just weird and dangerous.

Answer 5

Final Opinion:

You don’t need to run out and buy props for pooping, but if you want to give squatting a try, it might cut down on how much time you spend in the bathroom.