Can You Sleep in a Waist Trainer?

Waist trainers are one of the most effective modern ways to achieve the hourglass figure you have always wanted. And after witnessing certain celebrities achieve amazing results using one, you would want to wear one all the time. Just think about it; if you could wear it all the time, even while sleeping, you would get a great body in no time at all! Wouldn’t it be just ideal if you went to sleep and 8 hours later, you woke up to find your waist getting smaller and smaller?

Sounds great, doesn’t it? But is it possible to do so? There seems to be an ongoing debate over that. While some say it is not exactly the healthiest way to get your waist in shape, celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan and Kim Kardashian have raved about the benefits of waist trainers and have lived by this mantra. Several waist trainer manufacturers would readily agree.

But there are medical professionals who have doubts about the effectiveness of wearing a waist trainer to bed, and they are justified in doing so. Is all that pain, possible acid reflux and discomfort worth it? The immediate answer is, no, you shouldn’t sacrifice a good night’s sleep and your comfort for anything. But it should be completely your decision. You could be really determined to waist train 20-22 hours a day because, for satisfactory results, you need regular waist training, and 8-10 hours of it in a day is normal.

But are there any ways to make sure that you go to bed wearing a waist trainer in comfort? Let’s start by finding out how a waist trainer works.

Waist trainers can be labeled as the modern-day corsets since they shape your body. Waist trainers help reduce your waist size and accentuate your curves. The wear gets an exaggerated figure, with curves over the hips and a tiny waist. There are millions of women who swear how effective a waist​​ trainer is and train religiously in it and even sleep in it. Some even claim that they look one, two or three sizes smaller than they normally do with the help of one.

Quite a lot of waist trainers stimulate thermal activity in your core, which makes you sweat more without doing much effort during an exercise. The positive outcomes of wearing a waist trainer are a dramatic hourglass figure, a better posture and an effective workout. If worn regularly, a waist trainer can be a great way to keep you motivated and achieve your goals. The slimming effect and the correct posture happen almost instantly, but the results usually vary depending on how determined you are about it, your genetics, or how dedicated you are to your training regime and your diet.

Having said that, if you do manage to sleep in your waist trainer, chances are that you will see results faster. That sounds great, but sleeping with it through the night doesn’t sound very comfortable.

The straight answer is, no. But that is not the only answer, because modern-day waist trainers are available in a lot of fabrics and materials and it becomes pertinent for you that you buy one that fits you like a second skin. ​

Remember that you want one which is tight enough that you can close the third hook while wearing it. Just remember that there should be no visible bulges around your waist and the trainer closes around your midsection properly.

While doing so, also ensure that the waist trainer is a snug fit and does not feel like a loose shell around your waist. Also, it shouldn’t be so tight so that it is restricting your breathing. If it is indeed doing so, you should take it off. But if you feel you can get used to it in the long term and will adjust to it without harming yourself, you can continue doing so.

Don’t get over enthusiastic and wear it for the whole night on your first try, your body will need to ease into it. You can start doing so by wearing it for a few hours at a time in a day so that your body and skin get used to the idea gradually. If you continue this practice, you can start wearing it for hours on end in no time.

If you are determined  to wear the waist trainer while you sleep, let us take a look at how you can go about it in a better way.

Now that you have found that you can indeed sleep wearing a waist trainer, you should know a few things. First and foremost is that the experience may vary from person to person, and it depends on certain very basic factors. These could be the position you ordinarily sleep in and the type of waist trainer you wear.

This could also depend on the kind of mattress or pillow you sleep on, or whether you are a heavy or a light sleeper. These are the factors that will determine your experience once you have decided to go ahead and sleep in your waist trainer. 

Sleeping positions matter because this is the longest time your body will be in a lying posture. But not all people sleep the same; some sleep on their tummies, while some on their backs and a majority of us sleep on our sides or the fetal position.

If you sleep on your side, a gap could form between the mattress and the waist trainer you are wearing, and it becomes difficult to maintain a balance because of the rigidity of the torso. And if you are sleeping like this for a long time, it may cause a pain in the hips, and sleeping could become uncomfortable.

A solution to this could be to place a pillow to align your spine and your torso. The pillow should be placed between the mattress and your waist. This should help relieve the pressure.

If you are one of those people who sleeps on their tummy, you should consider getting a latex waist trainer. This is because most of the trainers made of steel have busks on the front, and that would cause discomfort if you sleep like that.

You may also feel pressure if you sleep this way because your spine will be restricted from curving as it normally does. To make yourself more comfortable, avoid using a pillow altogether so that your neck and spine can adjust accordingly.

If you sleep on your back, it could become painful to sleep wearing a waist trainer because of the dip within the mattress, causing you to bend into a position that is not entirely comfortable for a sleeping position. To avoid this, you can use cushions or folded up towels under your knees and your lower back. This would distribute your weight properly and make you more comfortable.

Sweating profusely while you sleep can be very annoying and discomforting at the same time. It can cause you to wake up several times at night, hence disrupting your sleep cycle, and wearing a waist trainer may lead to this. So how do you avoid it?

First of all, make all the necessary arrangements when you go to bed. Make sure the room temperature is moderate and open a window if it is too stuffy. Some research would be required on your part to find out which trainer is the best to use while sleeping. Some trainers use breathable materials that ensure there is enough airflow to keep your skin breathing. ​

This happens because waist trainers hug your midsection, and in doing so, they restrict the movement and put pressure in such a way that some stomach acids might be pushed back into the muscular tube that connects the throat to the stomach (esophagus), causing a “heartburn” and an acid reflux. You can avoid this altogether by eating 2-3 hours before you actually go to sleep and avoiding acidic food (meat, dairy or eggs).

Having said that, if you suffer from acidic reflux on a regular basis, it might not be a good idea to wear a waist trainer to bed because it may worsen the condition.

Night bloats usually happen because of overeating rich or fatty foods and can cause gas. And if you wear a trainer on top of a bloated tummy, it could be a very painful or uncomfortable experience. Interestingly, many people start waist training just as they change their diets. While this is fine in principle, in practical terms, this may send the digestive system into shock. A good way to avoid this would be to ease your body in a routine first, and only start waist training once the body is used to it.

Other ways to avoid bloating would be to wear a comfortable, latex waist trainer or loosening it a little if you experience discomfort.

So yes, you can wear waist trainers to bed, but not at the cost of your comfort and your sleep. You need to make sure that you are comfortable and without pain when you go to bed wearing one. If you find it difficult to breathe or experience any other discomfort, do not wear a waist trainer to sleep. And last, but not the least, be patient, and don’t push yourself too much for immediate results.