Effortlessly achieving the perfect body while you sleep – isn’t that everyone’s dream?
By regularly sleeping in a waist trainer, you might just be able to turn that dream into a reality!
At least, that’s according to various waist-trainer manufacturers and celebs like Kim Kardashian.1
Let’s back up a second. For those of you unfamiliar with these trendy body-shaping garments, a waist trainer is essentially a modern-day corset.
It works by compressing (after wearing one, I’m more inclined to say squeezing than compressing but…) your figure into an attractive hourglass shape.
Waist trainers claim that, with enough wear, they will leave you looking curvy in all the right places – permanently.
As the name suggests, they supposedly train your body to take on a different, more desirable, shape – even while you sleep.
Supposedly.2
If It Works for Celebrities…
Celebrities like Lindsay Lohan, Real Housewives star Kim Zolciak, and every single last one of the Kardashian-clan swear by wearing waist trainers.3
Do they sleep in them? That I don’t know.
Can you sleep in a waist trainer?
Short answer – yes.
After all, I’d assume that the more time you spend stuffed into a shape-shifting undergarment, the shapelier you’ll become.
In theory, sleeping in your waist-trainer would benefit your efforts for developing that perfect hourglass shape.
That is, if you can manage to fall asleep with the majority of your internal organs being smashed into one another.
Trust me – I want the perfect hourglass figure as much as the next person. But I also value my sleep. And my health. And my internal organs.
Even though you certainly can hop into bed with your mid-section snugly secured in a waist trainer, be sure to take the following information into consideration before you do…
Sleeping in a waist trainer isn’t exactly a comfortable experience
Comfort and sleep go hand in hand. It’s why we spend a fortune on mattresses and high-thread count bedding and luxury pillows…etc.
No one wants to be uncomfortable while sleeping.
And if you are uncomfortable while you’re trying to sleep – you’re probably not going to be doing much sleeping at all.
Which brings us to the topic of sleeping in waist trainers.
Can you do it comfortably in a waist trainer?
Debatable.4
People who regularly wear waist trainers find them to be anywhere from mildly uncomfortable to as uncomfortable as a medieval torture device.
Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with my waist trainer. I shift between spurts of wearing it constantly to having it collect dust in the back of my closet.
In terms of comfort level – I think I fall somewhere in the middle. I wouldn’t exactly say wearing my waist trainer is like wrapping myself up in a Snuggie.
But I’d certainly prefer it to any form of medieval torture device.
Basically, if you can fall asleep comfortably while wearing your waist trainer, then more power to you.
If not, then that should be the first and only reason that you need to remove your waist trainer before bed.
Because while having a slim waist is important to many of us, nothing is more important than getting a good night’s sleep.
If sleeping in your waist-trainer is causing you to lose precious hours of shut-eye – take it off. Your waist will benefit more from a solid 6-8 hours of sleep than from any waist trainer.
There are health concerns that come with sleeping in a waist trainer
Even if you’ve never seen or used a waist trainer, based off the description alone, it sounds a bit dangerous.
Repeatedly compressing all of your vital organs for hours on end? Yikes!
But medically speaking, does wearing a waist trainer for long periods of time (like while sleeping) pose any real health concerns? And is it worth it if it means magically shaving inches off your waist?
According to Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., clinical professor of ob-gyn at Yale School of Medicine,
Medically, it doesn’t make sense that cinching your waist tightly will make it permanently smaller. Once you take the garment off, your body will return to its usual shape. It’s also uncomfortable, restricts your movements, and if you wear it really tight, it can even make it difficult to breathe and theoretically could cause rib damage.5
Not to mention causing dangerously compressed lungs and crushed organs, according to Christopher Ochner, Ph.D., weight loss and nutrition expert at Mount Sinai Hospital.6
Most medical professionals agree – yes, you can potentially wear a waist trainer for long periods of time (like while sleeping) with no scary side effects.
But you probably won’t see any authentic weight loss side effects either. And you just might end up temporarily damaging your internal organs or having trouble breathing.
“For those who are waist training for aesthetic reasons, it may make their waist smaller,” says Dr. Gottfried, a New York Times bestselling author of The Hormone Reset Diet and The Hormone Core. 7
It does this by displacing your organs and compressing the waist area. Is it proven to permanently reshape your figure with good quality evidence? No. Support is based on anecdotal evidence from celebrities such as Kim Kardashian.
That’s not all.
Dr. Gottfried elaborates on the impact waist trainers can have on your internal organs by saying,
Waist training may make your waist smaller, but your organs have to go elsewhere, displacing your lungs, liver and intestines, and compromising your ability to move and breath.
Now, imagine trying to sleep with your organs all jumbled up inside your body while you can barely catch your breath. Sound good?
I think not.
Moral of this story is – if you want to keep your vital organs where they belong with utter certainty, take your waist trainer off before bed.
If You’re Going to Sleep in Your Waist Trainer….
Can’t let go of the possibility of sleeping your way to a slimmer mid-section with virtually no effort at all?
If you’re dead-set on wearing that waist trainer to bed, at least go about it as safely as possible.8
First of all, always listen to your body.
If it hurts – TAKE IT OFF.
If you wake up sore or are struggling to breathe – REMOVE IT.
We all know the saying ‘beauty is pain’, but even that has it limits. Like breathing.
Secondly, invest in a ‘sleeping waist trainer’. This is a waist trainer that you either wore when you were a few pounds heavier or one that you purchase to fit a bit more loosely for bedtime training.
This way, you’re still applying a bit of pressure to your waist but in a slightly less intense way. You’re able to train throughout the night without as much gasping for breath or smashing of your organs while you sleep.
When it comes to sleeping in a waist trainer, whether it’s a cincher or corset, it’s really all about personal choice and your level of comfort. Just be sure to weigh up all medical advice before you sleep in your waist trainer, and don’t get lost in the glitz and glamour that the celebrities are spinning.
Do you sleep in a waist trainer? Let me know in the comments below
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