Can You Sleep With a Waist Trainer On?

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The idea that you can shed inches by wearing a waist trainer sounds promising. There’s no exercise involved; you only have to put the garment on and enjoy the slim look. Wearing a waist trainer all day can be tedious, so you may wonder if you can sleep with it on? Can you sleep with a waist trainer on?

Sleeping with a waist trainer can cause acid reflux, difficulty breathing, and poor digestion. It’s also not very comfortable to wear during the night. Although you can sleep in one, it’s not recommended.

Waist trainers may help you lose weight over time, but you should avoid wearing one to bed. It can be tempting because, during the night, you’re not doing anything but sleeping. Why not work on a slimmer waist? The negatives, however, outweigh the positive, as we’ll explain in this article. Keep reading to find out more.

Waist Trainer

Do Waist Trainers Reduce Belly Fat?

Waist trainers don’t simply melt fat. How you lose weight by wearing a waist trainer is from the following:

  • They reduce your appetite during mealtimes
  • They redistribute fat over time

Gary Hunter, the University of Alabama at Birmingham exercise physiologist, explained that waist trainers do not burn fat, but in fact, may cause dehydration and other problems.

Why Do People Wear Waist Trainers?

Waist trainers can be great for hiding fat underneath your clothes and for giving you more confidence throughout the day. They can also help suppress your appetite and avoid overeating. Sleeping with a waist trainer may seem like a good way to get in a lot of beneficial hours, which is a draw for many people.

Waist trainers, however, may cause more harm than good if worn for long periods, including sleep. Some even claim they should not be worn at all.

Waist trainers can have various side effects, especially when you put them on too tight. Your body undergoes a variety of processes when you sleep; therefore, it’s essential to understand how it affects your body before wearing it during a vulnerable time.

What Is a Waist Trainer, and What Does It Do?

A waist trainer is a specific type of garment designed to compress your stomach to hide fat while wearing clothes.

The purpose behind a waist trainer is that the compression causes you to sweat more in your midsection, resulting in possible weight loss. It is also supposed to train your tummy to tuck a certain way. Arguments against this suggest that the waist trainers may cause dehydration, heatstroke, and heat exhaustion. You would also have to wear them for long periods to see possible results. This is why many people choose to sleep with a waist trainer on.

You’ll even find that there are some celebrities and influencers who strongly recommend them if you want to achieve the same look.

What Is the Difference Between a Waist Trainer and a Corset?

Waist trainers are like corsets but designed differently. Corsets are made to be laced up, while a waist trainer clinches the area. Another main difference is that corsets are made for slimming your waist, and waist trainers work for your entire torso.

Why You Should Not Sleep With a Waist Trainer On

Young Woman Sitting on bed Suffering From Stomach Ache

Modern brands design their waist trainers to cover a broader area to go all the way down to your hips. However, the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery (ABSC) does not recommend them, and here’s why:

  • Possible damage to vital organs – Your torso is where you can find essential organs like your liver, kidney, stomach, and lungs. Wearing trainers that are too tight pushes them in an uncomfortable and unnatural position that can hinder their functions.
  • Reduces lung capacity – ABSC says your lung’s capacity goes down 30 to 60 percent, and this can make it hard to breathe. It might also restrict oxygen circulation in that area. If you’re planning on doing intense workouts, waist trainers can get in the way of recovery, which makes it harder to breathe.
  • Blockages in digestion – Because of the constriction, your stomach won’t be able to do its job correctly, and the waist trainer can tighten your passages. This constriction results in acid reflux that can last you from hours to days.
  • Bruising and markings. People who use waist trainers are often those who want to shape and tighten their stomach. While it may be possible to force your way into it, this can cause bruises and indentations that won’t look very appealing.

When sleeping, this makes wearing a waist trainer a lot more complicated since you are tossing and turning, and sleeping in different positions.

One thing to note about waist trainers is that the benefits are not scientifically proven. When it comes to losing weight, various scientists and fitness experts emphasize the fact that you can’t spot train. That means you cannot target weight loss in just one area, and it will always involve the rest of the body.

What Happens When You Sleep?

At night, your body uses this time to repair itself and regulate bodily functions.

Cellular repair, like tissue growth, muscle repair, and protein synthesis, occurs when you sleep. While it happens when you’re awake too, the process is a lot faster when sleeping because you aren’t using energy on other tasks.

Proper blood circulation is essential for recovery because it delivers oxygen and critical nutrients to all parts of your body. For this reason, you should have no constrictions on when you sleep. Even wearing jeans and other tight clothing should be avoided.

Additionally, hormones circulate your body. Your pituitary gland secretes prolactin and growth hormones at certain stages of your sleep cycle, required for muscle and bone development.

Critical body repair happens during the later stages of your sleep cycle, specifically in stage three or four of your NREM. In this stage, your muscles need to be very relaxed to help you sink into a deeper sleep. Waist trainers may not be great for sleeping because they can prevent your torso from fully expanding and relaxing. Another problem is that your breathing naturally slows in this stage, and further constriction by the training corset can leave you gasping.

Recommendations for Sleeping in a Waist Trainer

Woman Sleeping in Bed in Bedroom

If you do, in fact, decide to wear a waist trainer corset at night, then take the necessary steps to make sure you don’t harm your body.

  • Loosen the clinches. Make sure that your waist trainers aren’t too tight that it becomes too hard to move or breathe. Even adjusting it one hook wider can help reduce the pressure on your lungs and organs. Loosening it allows your body more air to help it relax as you sleep.
  • Find a waist trainer that is designed for comfort. There are corsets like the Nebility Women Waist Trainer Corset (view on Amazon) that are more comfortable than others. Trainers like these have high-grade material that prevents chafing, have more flexibility, and can support your spine.
  • Wear them every other night. To avoid any severe problems, you can alternate between wearing a waist trainer and not wearing it. You can give yourself maybe a day or two in between to let your body relax. Wearing it longer doesn’t speed up the process and leaves you more prone to health risks.
  • If negative symptoms appear, stop wearing it to bed. Take a break from wearing it if you start to get acid reflux or find that your energy has decreased.
  • Get more pillows. Some people may find that it’s a bit uncomfortable to wear a waist trainer in certain positions, so you can mediate this by placing pillows around certain parts of your body.

How to Support Your Body While Sleeping in a Waist Trainer

While sleeping in a waist trainer, you don’t want to move around a lot during the night. Tossing and turning may further restrict breathing and cause body aches in the morning. Moving around a lot may also wear out the waist trainer material. Depending on your preferred position to sleep in, here are some tips.

  • Back Sleepers – If you sleep on your back, place a small pillow under your lower back and below your legs. The cushions will relieve the stress from your hips and shoulders, and help keep you still during the night.
  • Side Sleepers – When sleeping on your side, make sure your hips and spine are aligned. Place a pillow or rolled towel below your hips, which keeps your body straight and adds further support. You can also place a pad behind you for comfort and to prevent you from rolling.
  • Stomach Sleepers – Sleeping on your stomach is not a recommended way to sleep, even without a waist trainer. Added pressure gets placed on your chest and neck, and makes it more difficult to breathe. Try sleeping without a pillow, or use a pillow-top mattress to support your spine’s curve. Also, wear latex cinchers instead of steel boned corsets for better comfort.

Alternatively, any discomfort you experience while sleeping with a waist trainer can improve with a better mattress or pillow. When sleeping in a waist trainer, avoid firm beds since your torso will be stiff. Instead, consider a soft mattress such as the Linenspa 10 Inch Memory Foam and Innerspring Hybrid Mattress (view on Amazon). This thick layer of memory foam conforms to your body curves and removes pressure points for added comfort.

Conclusion – Can You Sleep With a Waist Trainer On?

It is possible to sleep in a waist trainer, but it’s not recommended, and it is not for everyone. Sleeping in a waist trainer may result in acid reflux, constriction of organs, and difficulty breathing. During the night, your body undergoes physical repair, and wearing a waist trainer can affect its natural ability to heal.

You can reduce these effects by making adjustments on how you wear your waist trainer or how you sleep. Improving your diet and exercising more may be a better alternative to wearing a waist trainer. Your first priority should be getting the best sleep that you can.

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