You probably don’t give your poop routine much thought these days. You sit, you poop, you flush. If you’re old enough to be reading this, your poop process has already become an unconscious, automatic habit. But, if you learned there was a better way to go number two, would you try it? Most people don't realize there's a healthier, more practical method to take care of business. Squatting. Rather than pooping with your feet flat on the floor, squatting with your feet on a toilet stool puts your body in a natural position, making it easier to let your goods loose.
If you’re an American, you might be surprised to learn squatting is a universally accepted pooping practice worldwide. While sitting during defecation is common due to the design of our toilets, many countries use low toilets that allow people to squat over the commode.
The easiest way to assume the proper squatting position is by resting your feet on a specially designed toilet stool. A Squatty Potty, scientifically known as a DMPD (Defecation Postural Modification Device) can help you have healthier and happier eliminations.
There are hundreds of reasons why squatting with a stool could help your stool, but we’ve whittled the list down to the top 4 advantages.
Here’s how using a Squatty Potty can help you poop better:
Squatting reduces strain while pooping
Squatting on a toilet stool puts your body and colon at a better angle to push out waste. This improved angle allows for smooth evacuation of feces with minimum straining effort on your end. The less you struggle, the faster and more convenient your defecations will be. When you decrease stress and strain on your body, you’re more likely to avoid bowel issues. After all, strain is a main cause of hemorrhoids.
Researchers at Ohio State University found that 90% of people who used a Squatty Potty strained less than those who pooped with their feet on the floor. They also found that 71% of toilet stool users had faster bowel movements. 85% of stool users experienced increased emptiness.
Straining caused by sitting on the toilet flat-footed is not healthy. Don’t push it. Effortlessly shoot your shot with a squat.
Squatting unkinks your colon
You probably don’t feel it, but there’s a slight bend between your colon and anus. When you’re sitting on a toilet, this bend can become kinked, making it harder for waste to pass through. Studies show squatting straightens out this “kinking'' and allows for easier eliminations. When you use an ordinary toilet and sitting position, the rectum does not align with the colon, which means you’ll have to apply more force to expel poop, no matter how healthy you are.
We don’t mean to kink shame—the bend in your colon is actually pretty helpful at times. It helps keep poop in before it’s ready for release, saving you from unwanted accidents. When you squat, you realign the colon and straighten the rectum. This alignment sends a signal to your digestive system that you’re ready to go. Squatting removes the clotting if you want to give your poop a smooth ride and straight route out.
Using a Squatty Potty is the most effective and popular way to put your body in the correct pooping position. That's because Squatty Potties are specially designed to lift your knees into a squat-like position and conveniently tuck in under the toilet when out of use. Browse Squatty Potty’s collection of designs to put yourself in the right position.
Squatting to poop helps you feel more empty
Squatting while pooping makes it easier to empty your lower colon completely. Remember that study from OSU? It also proved “toilet stoolers” experienced increased bowel emptiness. Bringing up your knees puts you into the proper crouching position and helps you to pass the stool more efficiently, allowing it to flow out with less pushing. Pooping with your hips parallel to the floor, the way most American toilets are designed, makes it harder to have complete evacuation of your bowels.
Squatting makes it easier to poop because the colon is tilted forward towards the anus. Toilet stools like the Squatty Potty increase the rectal canal angle from 100 degrees to 120 degrees. The higher the release angle, the more your rectum opens up to deliver the goods. If you want to eliminate exhausting eliminations for good, try popping a squat.
Not sure which toilet stool will put your pooper in the proper position? Use our handy guide to find the stool that works for your body type.
Find the Right Squatty Potty for You
Squatting on the toilet allows your body to relax
Humans were naturally designed to squat on the toilet. Propping your feet on a footstool is a more relaxing position for your body to be in when pooping. Beyond being more comfortable, squatting is proven to relax your puborectalis muscle—the muscle that helps hold in your poop. This muscle relaxes when you squat on the toilet, and your poop flows more freely.
The more your muscles and sphincters loosen, the more space you make in your rectum, and the easier your evacuations will be. Additionally, when you're in a squatting position, the pressure in your lower colon is higher than when seated or standing. This increased pressure encourages stool to migrate through the colon.
Give your anus permission to chill by throwing your feet up on a Squatty Potty and letting gravity do the work.
The final turd
The science is in: squatting is the better way to poop. Squatting over the toilet can help eliminate straining and even allow your body to relax. If you’ve ever wished pooping were easier, using a Squatty Potty toilet stool could help.
