Sleeping in a Waist Trainer: Does it Work? Is It a Good Idea?

Many proponents of waist training suggest wearing a waist trainer for 8 or more hours a day. Some even recommend sleeping in one. Their justification for wearing one overnight is that the additional hours in the waist trainer maximize waist training benefits.

The medical community, such as the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, doesn’t generally support the use of waist trainers for any amount of time, much less at night.

Reasons not to wear one while sleeping include:

Keep reading to learn more about the purported benefits and the actual side effects of waist trainers.

A waist trainer is the modern day corset. It’s worn around your midsection to create the illusion that you have an hourglass figure.

There are three primary types of waist trainers:

Most waist trainers claim to shape your waist into a sculpted silhouette or help with weight loss.

Although not supported by the medical community, proponents of waist training claim that waist training garments can result in:

When the waist trainer is put on and tightened, many people feel that it gives them a more attractive figure with an impressively slim waist, accentuated bust, and curvy hips.

The concept is that if you wear the waist trainer for long enough periods, your body will be trained to maintain that shape.

This claim has been widely disputed by doctors and medical organizations. They suggest that waist trainers don’t provide long-term shaping benefits.

While you’re wearing a waist trainer, it’s likely that you’ll maintain good posture. There’s a concern, however, that wearing a waist trainer too much may weaken your core muscles which could lead to poor posture and back discomfort.

The claim for a decreased appetite is based on the waist trainer putting pressure on your stomach. If your stomach is compressed, it’s likely that you’ll reach a feeling of fullness faster than if your stomach was not being squeezed.

Although there’s anecdotal evidence of weight loss during waist training, it is most likely due to fluid loss from perspiration.

The concern about the side effects of waist training is the potential for physical damage. Compressing your midsection can:

Sleeping in a waist trainer can result in poor sleep due to:

Sleeping in a waist trainer can also have the same negative effects as wearing a waist trainer at any time of the day. Those side effects include:

If you’re considering waist training, talk to a doctor. They can recommend more effective methods for trimming your waistline.