Hemorrhoids are uncomfortable enough without accidentally making them worse. Many common habits, from how you eat to how you sit on the toilet, can increase swelling, irritation, and pain. Knowing what to avoid is just as important as knowing what helps.
Don’t Sit on the Toilet Too Long
This is one of the most common mistakes. Scrolling your phone, reading, or just waiting for things to happen while sitting on the toilet puts continuous downward pressure on the veins in your rectum. The design of a toilet seat leaves the anal area unsupported, so the longer you sit, the more blood pools in the hemorrhoidal cushions, weakening and stretching them over time. Research on toilet habits and hemorrhoid severity confirms that prolonged sitting contributes to the dilation of these cushions, which is exactly what makes hemorrhoids bulge and bleed.
A good rule: if nothing is happening after a few minutes, get up and try again later. Don’t strain or push to force a bowel movement either. Straining creates a spike in abdominal pressure that acts like squeezing a balloon from the top, forcing blood into the veins around your anus. If you regularly need to strain, that’s a sign your stool is too hard or your fiber intake is too low.
Don’t Eat a Low-Fiber Diet
Hard, dry stool is the enemy. It forces you to strain during bowel movements and can scrape against swollen hemorrhoids on the way out. The single biggest dietary change you can make is increasing fiber, which softens stool and adds bulk so it passes more easily. The NIDDK specifically warns against eating too many foods with little or no fiber when hemorrhoids are linked to chronic constipation. Their list of foods to limit includes:
- Cheese
- Chips
- Fast food
- Ice cream
- Meat (without accompanying high-fiber foods)
- Prepared frozen meals and snack foods
- Processed foods like hot dogs and microwavable dinners
This doesn’t mean you can never eat these foods. It means your overall diet shouldn’t revolve around them. Focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. If you’re adding fiber quickly, increase your water intake at the same time. Fiber without enough water can actually make constipation worse.
Don’t Rely on Stimulant Laxatives
When constipation is making your hemorrhoids miserable, reaching for a laxative seems logical. But the type of laxative matters a lot. Stimulant laxatives (common brands contain senna or bisacodyl) work by forcing your bowel muscles to contract. They’re fine for occasional use, but taking them regularly can create dependency. Harvard Health Publishing warns that overuse of stimulant laxatives can leave the bowel unable to function normally without them, which sets you up for a cycle of constipation and laxative use that keeps hemorrhoids inflamed.
Osmotic laxatives, which draw water into the bowel, are generally gentler, but they shouldn’t be used long-term or in higher-than-recommended doses either, since they can disrupt your body’s electrolyte balance. Mineral oil is another option sometimes suggested, but it interferes with vitamin absorption and shouldn’t be used for more than a few days. The safest long-term approach to softer stools is dietary fiber, supplemented with a fiber powder if needed.
Don’t Overuse Hemorrhoid Creams
Over-the-counter hemorrhoid creams containing hydrocortisone can reduce itching and swelling, but they’re designed for short-term use only. MedlinePlus recommends stopping the cream and contacting a doctor if your symptoms haven’t improved within seven days. The steroid in these products thins the skin with prolonged use, and the skin around the anus is already delicate. Thinning makes it more fragile, more prone to tearing, and more easily irritated, which is the opposite of what you want.
Non-steroid options like witch hazel pads or plain petroleum jelly can provide relief without the same time limit. But no topical product fixes the underlying cause. If you find yourself reaching for cream week after week, the hemorrhoids need a different approach.
Don’t Wipe Aggressively
Rough wiping with dry toilet paper is a guaranteed way to irritate swollen hemorrhoids. The friction can cause micro-tears, increase bleeding, and turn mild discomfort into significant pain. Gentle cleaning is essential. Doctors recommend wiping slowly and gently, with the buttock cheeks apart to reduce friction.
Using water is the least irritating option. A bidet, handheld sprayer, or even a peri bottle (a squeeze bottle aimed at the area) cleans effectively without any rubbing. If you follow up with tissue, pat dry rather than wiping. If you use pre-moistened wipes, check the ingredients carefully. Many commercial wipes contain preservatives like methylchloroisothiazolinone that are known to cause allergic contact dermatitis around the anus. Fragranced toilet paper carries similar risks. Patients have reported perianal skin reactions from scented toilet paper that resolved only after switching to a plain, unscented product.
Don’t Do the Wrong Exercises
Staying active generally helps hemorrhoids by improving circulation and preventing constipation. But certain exercises put direct pressure on the affected area or spike your abdominal pressure, which can worsen symptoms. Activities like cycling, horseback riding, and rowing involve sustained pressure on the perineum and can aggravate external hemorrhoids in particular.
Weightlifting is another common trigger, especially exercises that involve the Valsalva maneuver, where you hold your breath and bear down while lifting. That breath-hold creates the same kind of internal pressure as straining on the toilet. If you lift weights, exhale during the exertion phase rather than holding your breath, and consider reducing the load temporarily while symptoms are active. Walking, swimming, and gentle yoga are typically well-tolerated alternatives that keep you moving without the pressure spikes.
Don’t Ignore Persistent Bleeding
Small amounts of bright red blood on toilet paper or in the bowl are common with hemorrhoids and usually not dangerous. But it’s a mistake to assume all rectal bleeding is “just hemorrhoids,” especially if you’ve never been formally diagnosed. Rectal bleeding that lasts a week or longer needs medical evaluation even if the amount is small and there’s no pain. The same is true for bleeding that starts suddenly and is heavy, or any episode accompanied by lightheadedness, faintness, or a drop in blood pressure.
Black or tarry stools are a different situation entirely. They typically indicate bleeding higher up in the digestive tract, possibly the stomach, and require prompt attention. If you don’t know what’s causing the bleeding, or if your hemorrhoid symptoms haven’t responded to home care within a couple of weeks, that’s a clear signal to get evaluated rather than continuing to manage things on your own.