People warned over common toilet habit that puts you at risk of agonizing medical condition

A new study has linked a common modern-day toilet habit to an increased chance of a painful and uncomfortable condition.

The culprit isn't what you're eating, but more what you're doing while, er, doing your business...

It's safe to safe we're glued to our phones - but using them while we're on the toilet can increase the chances of developing hemorrhoids.

Also known as piles, the irritating condition causes swollen, enlarged veins to form inside and outside of your anus and rectum.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, symptoms of hemorrhoids include itchiness or irritation around your anus, hard lumps that feel sore or tender, pain or an ache around your anus when you sit and also bleeding when you wipe.

It can be caused by a number of factors, including lack of fiber in the diet, being overweight and having chronic constipation or diarrhea.

One in 20 Americans are thought to have hemorrhoids (Ijubaphoto/Getty Images)

But now scientists at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, have found using your phone while you're on the toilet alone can increase the risk of hemorroids.

The study looked at the habits of 125 adults who all underwent a colonoscopy and answered an online survey about their lifestyle and toilet habits.

After controlling other risk factors - including exercise, age and fiber intake - it was found smartphone users had a 46 percent higher risk of hemorrhoids than non-users.

It was also found that phone users spent significantly more like on the throne, with 37 percent sitting for more than five minutes, compared to only 7.1 percent of non-phone-users.

What were they doing on the phone exactly? The most common activities included reading the news or scrolling social media.

Most of us are guilty of it... (Seksan Mongkhonkhamsao/Getty Images)

You could well be sitting on the toilet reading this very article right now...

Anyway, using smartphones on the loo increases the time we spend sat on it, and longer periods of sitting increases pressure on anal tissues, potentially leading to hemorrhoids.

Trisha Pasricha, senior author of the study, said: “We're still uncovering the many ways smartphones and our modern way of life impact our health. It's possible that how and where we use them - such as while in the bathroom - can have unintended consequences.

It's best to keep phones out of the bathroom (BrianAJackson/Getty Images)

“This study bolsters advice to people in general to leave the smartphones outside the bathroom and to try to spend no more than a few minutes to have a bowel movement. If it's taking longer, ask yourself why.

“Was it because having a bowel movement was really so difficult, or was it because my focus was elsewhere?”

She concluded: “We need to study this further, but it's a safe suggestion to leave the smartphone outside the bathroom when you need to have a bowel movement.”