Sleeping With a Waist Trainer: Should You Do It?02:08

Dr. Christine Le is a family physician and an expert in her field. She explains that while wearing a waist trainer can produce short-term results, it is better to look towards other solutions to meet your long-term weight loss goals. Further, Dr. Le warns of a variety of potential health problems that come with wearing a waist trainer, such as constipation and shortness of breath.

Because of these potential health problems, if you do decide to wear a waist trainer, there are several different things that you need to be careful of. We are going to go over all that information below, including the specific risks of sleeping in a waist trainer.

What is Waist Trainer and How Does It Differ From a Corset?

A waist trainer and a corset are similar in many ways. In fact, they are so similar that many people use the terms interchangeably, but there are a couple of differences. First, they are made of different materials. Corsets are typically made of a steel structure covered in fabric and are laced in the back. On the other hand, a waist trainer is typically made up of latex and closes with hooks in the front.

They are also used for different things. Corsets have traditionally been used for fashion, though they can have a waist shaping effect. In the past, corsets were worn as undergarments, but today more and more people are using corsets in replace of a top or on the outside of their clothing. On the other hand, a waist trainer is made to be worn during a variety of activities, including exercise to achieve a goal, not for fashion.

Finally, corsets tend to be harder to put on. As mentioned above, corsets are traditionally laced in the back, which means you may need a second person to close it up correctly. On the other hand, most waist trainers are designed so you can put them on by yourself by hooking them up in the front.

What Are The Side Effects of Wearing a Waist Trainer in General?

There are a lot of potential side effects to wearing a waist trainer. Some of the most severe side effects are due to the fact that a waist trainer has the potential to move your organs into unnatural and even dangerous positions. For instance, your kidneys and liver could be pushed into unnatural positions and cease functioning properly. When your organs are moved around and pushed together, they may also become too crowded, which can further impair their functioning.

Another potential problem as things are being pushed around by your waist trainer is a rib fracture. A rib fracture can be extremely painful and may lead to more serious problems if you continue to wear the waist trainer after the fracture.

Other potential side effects of wearing a waist trainer include loss of core strength, dangerously reduced lung capacity, blockages in your digestive tract, and acid reflux.

Is It Bad to Sleep With a Waist Trainer On?

When most people wear a waist trainer, they do so to reach certain weight loss or appearance goals. Because of this, it is understandable why you may want to wear it to sleep. You may believe that the more you wear the waist trainer, the better your results are going to be. However, when you sleep with a waist trainer on, you are still at risk for all of the same side effects mentioned above. Furthermore, you may actually be at increased risk of some of the more serious problems like a rib fracture.

It may also be detrimental to your overall health as it could potentially cause you some pretty major sleep problems. Things like oxygen deprivation, acid reflux, and physical discomfort can prevent you from falling asleep or staying asleep. Not only is this bad for your physical and mental health, but it has the potential to prevent you from reaching your goals. When you are not getting enough sleep, your metabolism can slow down, and you may actually gain weight instead of losing it.

How Long Do You Have to Wear a Waist Trainer to See Results?

Different people recommend different things when it comes to waist training. However, it seems that the general recommendation is that you work up to wearing a waist trainer for eight hours a day. Once you get to the point where you are wearing a waist trainer for eight hours a day, people say that you will start to see results within eight weeks or two months.

However, if you experience any pain or discomfort, you should stop wearing the waist trainer immediately. Further, even after you see results, they are often not permanent. Dr. Le suggests that if you are looking for more permanent weight loss, that you focus on other solutions like exercise and diet.

Does Waist Training Flatten Your Stomach?

There is not any scientific backing to the claim that waist training itself can help you lose weight anywhere, including your stomach, even if it gives the appearance of doing so by moving things around. Sometimes, you can end up losing weight while wearing a waist trainer, but this tends to be due to other factors. For instance, sometimes wearing a waist trainer can decrease your appetite, so you end up eating fewer calories. When you eat few calories, you are naturally more likely to lose weight.

When people wear a waist trainer, they also often combine it with exercise, which may be responsible for any weight loss they experience. However, it is generally recommended that you do not actually wear your waist trainer while working out. The restriction to your lungs can cause you to lose too much oxygen and faint.

Waist Trainer Tips for a Beginner

1) Choose the Right Size

When you first buy your waist trainer, you want to be very careful about your sizing. If you get a waist trainer that is too small, you may end up harming yourself. If you are looking for something tighter, it is better to look for a waist trainer with more compression rather than going down a size.

If your waist trainer is bunching or rolling up, it is probably too small. Further, if you find your movement restricted, it is probably too small. It should feel tight, but you should not feel restricted at all.

2) Avoid Pain and Pinching

Just like your waist trainer should not be restricting your movement, it should also not be causing you any pain or pinching you in any odd places. If you feel any pain or pinching, you should remove it immediately.

3) Start Short

When you first start wearing a waist trainer, you need to start by wearing it for short periods of time to get used to it. When you are just beginning, only wear it for one or two hours and slowly work up to the full eight hours. You really should never go much above those eight hours, and when you are a beginner, you definitely should not wear your waist trainer while sleeping.

Does Waist Training Change Your Body?

Yes, even if waist training does not necessarily cause you to lose weight, it can change your body. Over time a waist trainer will cause your ribs to bend and squeeze your internal organs. This can result in you achieving that hourglass shape that you are interested in, but you have to be careful. Further, waist training by itself does not typically provide long-term results. That means that when you stop wearing your waist trainer, things will likely start to shift back.

Best Ways to Sleep With a Waist Trainer

Despite the general recommendation by the health community, many people that are really serious about waist training sleep with one on. If you are going to do so, there are some general guidelines that you should follow to try to protect yourself and your sleep.

First, if you are a back sleeper, you may need some extra support for your lower back as it may tend to sag down if your mattress is not very supportive. Try rolling up a towel or placing a small pillow beneath your lower back and knees for extra support and help keep the pressure off of your back.

Best Sleeping Position for Lower Back Pain

If you are a side sleeper, sleeping with a waist trainer on may be extremely uncomfortable because you have to keep your core engaged to stay balanced. You can try putting a body pillow behind you to give you some support. You may also want to put a town or pillow between your knees to relieve pressure on your hips.

Sleeping With Shoulder Pain: Stop Your Shoulder From Hurting

If you sleep on your stomach, you may want to forgo a pillow all together because a waist trainer can prevent your spine from being able to bend at all. Therefore, you may want to try out a pillow top mattress for extra comfort without the need for a pillow.

Are Waist Trainer Results Permanent?

If you lose weight while using your waist trainer due to eating fewer calories or due to exercising, those results might be more permanent. However, the changes to your shape due to the bending of your ribs or moving of your organ are not permanent. When you stop wearing your waist trainer, your organs and ribs will likely start to move back to where they were before you started waist training.

For more permanent results, you do not necessarily have to forgo the waist trainer if you like the shape that it gives you; however, you do need to combine it with other health solutions, in combination with wearing your waist trainer, trying eating healthy, and exercising regularly.

What is the Correct Way to Wear a Waist Trainer?

Let’s start with how to put on a waist trainer because this part can be a little bit tricky. When you put on your waist trainer, you want to start with the hooks at the bottom. Generally, you want to secure that clasps around the narrowest part of your waist and then slide them down as you go along. When you first start waist training, you want to clasp it at its loosest setting and only wear it for about an hour. As time goes on, you can increase the amount of time you wear it and how tight you secure it.

Remember, no matter how long you have been wearing a waist trainer, you need to listen to your body. If you start to feel pain at any point or if you have trouble breathing, take it off or loosen it. No results are worth endangering your health, and you can always put it back on after taking a break for an hour or two.

Measurement is a Key to Success

If you do decide to start wearing a waist trainer, especially while you are sleeping, it is a good idea to get a fitness tracker. During the day, a fitness tracker will be able to keep track of your oxygen levels. Plus, many fitness trackers will also allow you to keep track of things like water levels or food intake. This way, you can make sure you are still getting enough nutrients if your waist trainer decreases your appetite.

If you do decide to sleep in your waist trainer, a fitness tracker that also tracks your sleep is extremely important. Fitness trackers like the Fitbit Charge will be able to tell you how much you are sleeping and track the quality of your sleep. You can use this information to make sure that your sleep tracker is not infringing on your sleep.

In conclusion, whether you are asleep or awake, you have to make sure that you do not wear your waist trainer too tight. You also want to make sure that you consider all the risks in comparison to the potential rewards. If you have any major concerns, make sure you talk them over with your doctor and listen to the experts.

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