Blowing your Nose on the Toilet…Convenient? Yes. Good? Not quite.

Why You Shouldn’t Blow Your Nose While Sitting on the Toilet (Yes, Really!)

Okay, let’s talk about something you probably never thought twice about—blowing your nose on the toilet.

Sounds harmless, right? Maybe even efficient! You're already sitting down, taking care of one bodily function—why not multitask? I mean the toilet paper is right there…how convenient! But here’s the thing: if you’re working on your pelvic floor health (especially postpartum or after pelvic floor physical therapy), this is one habit worth breaking.

Let me explain why.

Man blowing nose

The Pressure Problem

When you blow your nose, you create a quick, forceful increase in intra-abdominal pressure—kind of like bearing down or holding your breath to lift something heavy. Now imagine your pelvic floor like a supportive hammock at the base of your core. Every time that pressure spikes, that little hammock has to absorb the force and stay strong to hold everything up. The body is skilled at coordinating this typically, the pelvic floor responds with a little quick contraction, automatically, to support against the pressure shift.

Now combine that with sitting on the toilet. When you're in this position, especially if you're peeing or pooping (or trying to), your pelvic floor is encouraged to relax from the positioning alone. Add a strong nose-blow to the mix and… yep, a confusion to the automatic coordination. Instead of supporting up and in as the body should, blowing your nose on the toilet can confuse the coordination and add excess pressure downwards. Overtime, this can lead to a mismanagement of pressure.

What Can Happen

While one rogue nose-blow on the toilet isn't going to undo all your progress or cause all the problems, repeated pressure over time can weaken the pelvic floor, increase the risk of prolapse, or make symptoms like heaviness, leaking, or urgency worse—especially if you're already healing postpartum or have a history of pelvic floor dysfunction.

What to Do Instead

• Blow your nose while standing or sitting upright, feet flat on the floor, with your core lightly engaged.

• If you’re super congested, try to blow gently and one nostril at a time.

• And if you must do it while in the bathroom—pause, finish your business, stand up, and then go for the tissue.

  
  

Small Habits, Big Impact

It might feel like a tiny change, but protecting your pelvic floor is all about stacking these small, smart habits. Just like learning to exhale on exertion (when appropriate) or ditching the “just-in-case” bathroom trips, this is another simple swap that makes a long-term difference.

Your pelvic floor will thank you (and so will your future self)!