These 5 bathroom habits could help to improve your health - how many do you practice?

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The nation's secret bathroom habits have been revealed in a new survey [Photo: Getty]
The nation's secret bathroom habits have been revealed in a new survey [Photo: Getty]

Toilet talk isn’t exactly the best way to kick-start dinner table discussions so what we get up to in the bathroom isn’t exactly common knowledge.

So to help Brits find out just how healthy (or unhealthy) their bathroom habits are, a new study conducted by Tap Warehouse asked the public some pretty personal questions.

From whether or not you wipe ‘the right way’ to peeing in the shower, how do you compare with the rest of the nation?

Women should wipe ‘back to front’

According to the study, 33% of British women wipe “back to front” which significantly increases their chances of contracting a urinary tract infection (UTI).

Dr Luke Powles of Bupa UK explained that it is best practice to wipe from front to back, as “the woman’s urethra and anus are quite closely located”.

If you’re guilty of wiping the ‘wrong way’ then there’s danger of spreading faeces from the anus to the urethra which can in turn lead to a urinary tract infection.

It’s healthy to check before you flush

If you have a cheeky check of the toilet bowl before flushing then you’re not alone, as 66% of Brits reportedly practice the habit.

In fact, it’s a healthy bathroom trick which can help us to ensure that our bowels are happy.

According to Dr Powles, it’s essential to look out for “anything that’s more solid and difficult to pass” as this can suggest constipation. On the other hand, waste that is “more liquidy and passes really quickly indicates a lack of fibre in your diet”.

If you notice “spontaneous, persistent changes in your stool, such as its consistency (how soft/hard it is), if there’s blood or if you go to the toilet more often” then it’s crucial to contact your GP within two weeks.

READ MORE: Why you should keep your suitcase in the hotel bathroom this summer

29% of Brits admitted that they only brush their teeth once a day [Photo: Getty]
29% of Brits admitted that they only brush their teeth once a day [Photo: Getty]

Peeing in the shower can help strengthen your pelvic floor

The survey revealed that 63% of women would ‘never’ urinate in the shower but are they missing out on the benefits?

According to the new research, squatting in the shower to urinate could help tone the muscles that control our bladder.

This in turn can help us to lead greater sex lives, as the practice will help us to feel more intense sensations beneath the sheets.

It’s crucial to wash your hands after going to the toilet

Although it was drilled into us at school, 10% of Brits are guilty of not washing their hands after going to the toilet.

To put that into perspective, if you’re in an office of 40 people, at least 4 colleagues are likely not washing their hands after a trip to the loo.

This can lead to a plethora of health problems, as Dr Powles warns that “you’re putting yourself at extra risk of contracting and spreading germs that can lead to illnesses including Flu, Salmonella, E. coli, norovirus, adenovirus and hand-foot-mouth disease”.

If that’s not enough to send you racing for the nearest sink then the fact that just one gram of faeces can harbour one trillion germs will.

READ MORE: Woman takes off jumpsuits you don’t have to take off to pee

You should brush your teeth twice a day

Research found that an astonishing 29% of Brits only brush their teeth once a day - or less.

But it’s widely recommended that we brush our teeth at least twice a day although only 58% of people across the nation do this.

For more information on the nation’s secret bathroom habits, visit the website.

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