Using the toilet is our special moment and could be a time when we may spend too long answering the call of nature. We feel really pressed and dash into a toilet to empty our bowels without having to sign a check-in and check-out time sheet. A clean and refreshing toilet could lure us spending more than the required minutes. Have you ever felt tingling or numbness of feet when standing to either do a wipe or flush the toilet? For some, sitting on a toilet for more than 5 minutes could cause pressure on the nerves which easily leads to the deadness or numbness of the feet.
The biological process behind our feet falling asleep when using the toilet
There are a variety of poor toilet habits and one of these is hunching or bending forward whilst having a poo. This is not good for blood circulation as it tends to make the waste releasing process more challenging. Trying to release the poo will almost feel like taking part in a tough murder competition. You’ll strain and groan as you confront one of your biggest toilet battles. It could leave you dripping in sweat and making you think you’ve just had an intense cardio workout. You’ll have to tweak your toilet seating posture as hunching negatively affects blood circulation in your body. Aside the negative impact on blood circulation, it also makes the pooing experience feel like a real effort. As bending forward whilst releasing waste has a negative impact on the nerves in your pelvis. Hunching can also lead to the squeezing of the nerves which will affect the flow of blood. These nerves are connected to different parts of your body like your feet. The prevention of a smooth flow of blood to your feet can cause numbness and tingling which will definitely make your wiping and flushing experience less desirable.
It is also argued that skinny people are more likely going to experience the falling asleep of the feet. Medical experts state that the body fat shields the blood vessels in our legs. This cushioning is expected to prevent the blood vessels from squashing or compressing when we sit.
Simple ways to prevent or address the falling asleep of the foot
Changing the hunching toilet habit: Common toilet habits such as checking your email whilst having a poo or placing toilet rolls on the seat before using the facility will not affect your blood circulation. It is quite apparent; a wrong toilet posture could have a negative impact on the blood movements to the nerves in our legs and can easily lead to the numbness of the feet.
Using a plastic Rubbermaid stepstool: In one of the forums, a member shared that using a leg raise such as a plastic Rubbermaid stepstool, could help prevent or reduce the numbness of the feet when using the toilet. It is not guaranteeing this will work for everyone, but it is worth trying.
Soft and cushy bathroom seat: A contribution on the Healingwell forum also stated that installing a soft and cushy toilet seat helped solve the issue of the numbness of the feet. If changing your toilet posture to sitting more upright and using feet raise does not prevent the tingling of the feet then you might consider using a soft and cushy toilet seat.
Overall, it is never a pleasant to experience the numbness of the feet when having a poo. The above are simple measures that could help prevent the reoccurrence of this incident. A few people have found massaging the foot as a great way to quickly recover from numbness.
