Waist trainers promise to sculpt and shape your waist, making it smaller than it actually is.
The trainer pulls the waist in as much as possible, creating the appearance of an hourglass silhouette. The idea is to start slowly, wearing the trainer for 1-2 hours, then adding more time as you get used to the feeling.
Lots of waist trainer users want to know how they can maximize the effects. Some people wear them for a whole day or even work out in their waist trainers to speed up their results.
This begs the question, can you sleep in a waist trainer? If you’re wondering whether it’s safe to do so, keep reading, as we’ll cover the answer in this article.
Why You Might Sleep In A Waist Trainer
Sleeping in a waist trainer might seem ideal at first. Waist trainers are naturally uncomfortable, so wearing them to bed means you don’t have to worry about the discomfort in the day, and all the training is done as you sleep.
This sounds amazing, but there are other reasons why you might want to wear your waist trainer to sleep.
Lifestyle
The modern lifestyle doesn’t cater to those who wear waist trainers. Running errands, looking after kids, and even sitting at a desk aren’t activities that make corset wearing easy. If you have a busy lifestyle or take part in lots of activities outside of the home, you may want to wear your trainer at night instead.
Occupation
There aren’t many jobs that make it easy to wear waist trainers. People who wear uniforms may struggle to wear a corset underneath. They’re also not practical for those who have active jobs, like personal trainers, builders, and cleaners.
Personal Style
Some brands create waist trainers that can blend well underneath clothes, but some clothing items will highlight the fact you’re wearing a corset. For instance, sheer tops and fitted shirts may look great on, but a waist trainer may cause bulges and ripples underneath. This can be tough for those who have a particular clothing style.
Goal Waist Size
For those that want a waist that rivals a pinup model, 10 hours a day isn’t enough to give them their desired results. Extreme waist training enthusiasts can wear theirs for the majority of the day. A traditional lifestyle only gives you 16 hours each day, so those with smaller waist goals will need to wear their trainer while they sleep.
Why You Shouldn’t Sleep In A Waist Trainer
Society tells us that beauty is pain, but waist trainers can cause a lot of health issues that aren’t worth the results.
We wouldn’t recommend wearing one to sleep, but here are just a few of the reasons why you shouldn’t wear one at all.
Shifting Organs
Wearing a corset places pressure around your waist. As it constricts, your organs can shift in the process. This isn’t that bad if done temporarily, but if the waist trainer is worn during sleep, your diaphragm won’t be able to expand. This can affect your breathing and harm other surrounding organs. If you find it hard to breathe, take your waist trainer off quickly.
Acid Reflux
Sleeping in a waist trainer places pressure on the stomach, which can push acid back up into the esophagus. This is known as acid reflux. It can cause heartburn and make it harder to sleep peacefully.
Sweating More
As a corset causes less airflow around your core, this causes you to sweat more around the area.
If you wear your trainer as you sleep, the heat and excess sweat can interrupt your sleep cycle. Sweat can also decrease your waist trainer’s lifespan as it permeates the material. More seriously, excess sweat can cause folliculitis.
This condition occurs when hair follicles become inflamed, which is made worse through added friction from the trainer. Folliculitis is rare, but the risk can increase if you wear your corset to sleep.
Recovery
Sleep is necessary for the body to rest and recover from damaging factors, like injury, pollution, and stress. Similarly, the body will also need to recover from extra pressure on its organs. If you wear a corset during the day, your body will heal again at night. However, if you wear one to bed, the body won’t be able to recover as well as it can during sleep.
Shapewear Lifespan
Your trainer’s lifespan will decrease the more you use it. Added oils, dust, grime, and sweat will affect the corset as you sleep, shortening its lifespan more than if you were to wear it for a few hours in the day.
If you toss and turn at night, you also subject your trainer to more friction from rolling around in your bed.
Sleeping In A Waist Trainer
Many waist trainer brands will claim that sleeping in a waist trainer isn’t harmful, but should also mention that it isn’t needed.
In most cases, those that wear a corset for 10 hours a day won’t need to wear it for an additional 8 hours to see desired results.
It may not be required, but some people do wear their trainers to sleep without any issues.
If you experience any discomfort or health issues, you may be one of the rare users to who the recommended rules don’t apply to.
There are going to be people who decide to wear a waist trainer to bed regardless. If you do want to wear one, here are a few tips that can make it easier to sleep.
Make sure that the trainer you wear at night is looser or made of a breathable material, like cotton, to help you sleep easier. You can also find options that aren’t as long which makes it easier to move around at night.
The way you sleep also matters. No matter how you sleep, make sure that your spine is supported well and lies in a straight line. Make sure that your mattress is supportive and that you have the right pillows. The right pillows depend on your normal sleeping position.
Back sleepers should have a pillow between the mattress and their lower back. They may want a thin pad beneath their head to keep them comfortable. The pillow will prevent your back from raising too much and stop your rib cage from bending.
Side sleepers should look at the space their shapewear creates between their ribcage and the mattress. Place a pillow in this gap to keep you supported. An extra pillow in between your knees may be comfortable.
It gets a little trickier for stomach sleepers. Sleeping on your front isn’t the best position for corset wearers. If you can’t sleep in any other position, don’t use pillows at all. Pillows beneath your head will add strain to your spine and neck.
The Bottom Line
Wearing waist trainers to bed may increase your waist cinching progress, but the results will fade once you stop wearing the trainer regularly.
The best way to reduce your waist size is through diet, exercise, and self-care. Rather than increasing the hours spent wearing a waist trainer, it’s more effective to work on building a healthier lifestyle.
