Here’s a question I find fascinating. Why do some people get piles in their twenties, while others reach seventy without a single episode? It isn’t luck, and it’s rarely just genetics.
Most of the time, piles are built slowly, one ordinary day at a time. A rushed breakfast, eight hours in a chair, three cups of chai and two glasses of water, a long scroll on the phone in the toilet, and a heavy dinner at 10 pm. Repeat that for a few years, and the veins at the end of your digestive tract start to give way.
So let’s answer the question properly: bawasir kyon hota hai? Here are the nine habits I see most often behind piles, and what Ayurveda said about them long before modern medicine did.
A quick look at what goes wrong
Piles are swollen cushions of blood vessels in the anal canal. These cushions are normal; everyone has them. They become piles when pressure in that area stays high for too long, stretching the vessels and the tissue that holds them in place.
So the real question is: what raises that pressure? Almost every cause below comes back to that one idea.
1. Chronic constipation and straining
The number one cause, by a long way. Hard, dry stools need force to pass, and every push raises pressure on the anal veins. Over months, they swell and stretch.
2. Sitting on the toilet too long
The phone has made this a modern epidemic. On a toilet seat, the anal area is unsupported and the veins fill with blood. Ten or fifteen minutes of scrolling, every day, keeps them engorged. If you’re not done in five minutes, get up and come back later.
3. Too little fibre and water
The typical urban Indian diet is heavy on maida, white rice, biscuits, fried snacks and packaged food, and light on vegetables, fruit, whole grains and dal. Add low water intake in air-conditioned offices, and the stool becomes small, hard and difficult to pass.
4. Long hours of sitting
Desk jobs, long drives, two-wheeler commuting and even long study hours keep pressure on the pelvic veins and slow down bowel movement. Professional drivers and IT workers are a commonly affected group. A cushioned seat helps a little, but regular breaks to stand and walk help far more.
5. Heavy lifting and breath-holding
Lifting heavy weights at the gym or at work, especially while holding your breath, sharply raises abdominal pressure. The same happens with a chronic cough or repeated vomiting.
6. Diarrhoea and laxative overuse
It’s not only constipation. Frequent loose motions irritate the area and cause repeated straining. Many people also overuse strong laxatives, which can weaken the bowel’s natural rhythm.
7. Excess weight
Extra weight, especially around the belly, puts constant pressure on the pelvic veins. Losing even a few kilos can make a noticeable difference.
8. Ignoring the urge to go
Holding back the urge because you’re busy, travelling or in a meeting dries the stool and makes it harder to pass later. Ayurveda specifically lists suppressing natural urges (vega dharana) as a cause of arsha.
9. Spicy food, alcohol and late nights
These don’t usually cause piles on their own, but they aggravate them. Very spicy food and alcohol inflame the area and worsen bleeding, while late nights and irregular meals disturb digestion.
Other factors you can’t change
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Age: tissue support weakens over time, so piles become more common after 45
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Family history: some people inherit weaker vein walls
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Certain medical conditions, such as chronic liver disease
These raise your risk, but habits still decide a lot.
What Ayurveda says about the causes
Classical Ayurvedic texts list the causes of arsha (arsha nidana) in surprising detail. They include:
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Mandagni: weak digestive fire, the root of most digestive disease
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Guru and viruddha ahara: heavy food and incompatible food combinations
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Sitting for long periods, especially on hard or uneven seats
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Riding on animals or vehicles for long hours, which today would mean long bike and car journeys
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Suppressing natural urges
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Excess straining and irregular routines
It’s remarkable how closely this matches the modern list. Ayurveda’s key insight, though, is that weak digestion sits at the centre. When agni is weak, food isn’t digested properly, gas and constipation follow, and straining begins. That’s why Ayurvedic management always starts with digestion, not just the piles themselves.
Are you at risk? A quick self-check
Answer honestly:
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Do you pass hard stools or strain more than twice a week?
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Do you spend more than five minutes on the toilet?
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Do you drink fewer than seven glasses of water a day?
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Do you sit for more than six hours at a stretch?
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Do you eat fewer than three servings of fruit and vegetables a day?
Two or more “yes” answers mean your habits are working against you, even if you don’t have piles yet.
Simple ways to lower your risk
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Eat fibre at every meal: fruit, vegetables, dal, whole grains
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Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water
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Keep a fixed time for the toilet, and use a small footstool
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Leave the phone outside
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Stand and walk for a few minutes every hour
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Exhale while lifting anything heavy
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Have thin buttermilk with lunch, a classical Ayurvedic habit for gut health
For people who already have symptoms, Ayurvedic herbs can support the correction. Our Digestive Comfort Gut Wellness Capsule combines Haritaki, Nagkesar, Suran, Isabgol and four other herbs for piles discomfort and regular bowel movement. For constipation alone, our Triphala Capsules are a gentle daily option.
Quick answers
Can stress cause piles? Not directly, but stress often disturbs digestion and bowel habits, which can lead to constipation and straining.
Does eating spicy food cause piles? Spicy food is more of a trigger than a cause. It can worsen burning and bleeding in existing piles.
Can young people get piles? Yes. More people in their twenties and thirties now report piles, largely because of desk jobs, low-fibre diets, less water and long phone sessions on the toilet. Age is a factor, but habits matter more.
Are piles hereditary? A family tendency exists, but lifestyle usually decides whether piles actually develop.
The bottom line
Piles rarely appear out of nowhere. They are the result of years of small pressures: hard stools, long sitting, too little fibre and water, and weak digestion. The good news is that every one of those is something you can change, starting with your next meal and your next trip to the toilet.
Related reading
- Bawasir Ki Ayurvedic Dawa: What Actually Belongs Inside a Good Piles Formula?
- Piles Diet Chart: 15 Foods to Eat & Avoid (Navratri 2026)
- Khooni Bawasir or Badi Bawasir? 8 Signs That Tell You Which One You Have
This article is for general information and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult a doctor if you have bleeding or persistent symptoms.
