Introduction- Does Sleeping With a Waist Trainer Help Lose Weight?
There are many ways to lose weight. Waist trainers are one of them. Waist trainers are slimming garments that are believed to help lose weight and burn fat.
In recent decades waist trainers have gained a lot of popularity as they can help you in providing a slim and hourglass-shaped waist. But is it true, does sleeping with a waist trainer help lose weight?
Sleeping with a waist trainer can help lose weight as a result of excess sweating & diminished cravings because of a squeezed stomach. However, the weight you lose mostly will be water weight and a waist trainer might not help in burning excess fat.
Keep on reading to learn more about waist trainers- if it’s safe to wear a waist trainer while sleeping, its benefits, side effects, and more.
What is a waist trainer?
A waist trainer is a garment worn in the midsection that can help in losing weight by squeezing the stomach.
A waist trainer is similar to and sometimes also known as a girdle, corset, or faja. It was invented in the 17th century. But, was not widely recognized till the 19th century. In the earlier days, waist trainers were worn to support the back and stomach. But, nowadays it’s worn to lose fat and get a more curvaceous figure around the waist.
There are several types of waist trainers, and most of them are used to give shape to your weight and help with weight loss.
How to use a waist trainer to lose belly fat?
Waist trainers are mostly used to get a slimmer waist and lose belly fat. They squeeze the belly making it slimmer and giving a feel like you have lost belly fat. But in reality, waist trainers cannot help you lose belly fat.
Waist trainers might help in losing a little weight and burning some fat temporarily, as a result of excessive sweating and reduced appetite because of a squeezed belly. But, according to a study in the long term waist trainers will not help in losing weight as they can get uncomfortable, and also it can also cause severe side effects.
A study was conducted on whether a corset (waist trainer) can assist with weight loss in the long term combined with a low-calorie diet.
The waist trainer was considered uncomfortable and did not help in losing much weight. Thus, we can say that in the long-term waist trainers might not work.
Are there any benefits of sleeping with a waist trainer?
Waist trainers might not be that helpful but whether it be men or women people still use them. So, are there any benefits of sleeping with a waist trainer? The waist training experts and brands claim the following benefits u can see if you use a waist trainer, though they are not medically approved.
1. Better Posture
By wearing a waist trainer, you might experience better posture as it may help in keeping your back straight. But, wearing a waist trainer more than required can lead to weakened muscles around the waist which can then lead to poor posture. Furthermore, if you have poor posture you should not rely on a waist trainer to improve your posture.
2. Reduced Appetite
Using a waist trainer may lead to reduced appetite as it will compress and squeeze your waist which makes you feel full faster and not wants to eat more.
3. Hourglass Figure and Slimmer Waist
Waist trainer when tightened squeezes and compresses the waist and mostly the sides of the belly. This gives an appealing hourglass-looking slim figure that many desire to have.
It is supposed that keeping the waist trainer on for a long period of time or while sleeping will train the body to acquire the hourglass figure and maintain it.
4. Weight Loss
It is believed that waist trainers help in losing weight. But as mentioned above, they might help in losing a little weight but that all may be water weight loss caused by excessive sweating by wearing a waist trainer. Moreover, waist trainers will not help in losing weight in the long term.
Also Read: When to workout for weight loss?
What are the side effects of wearing a waist trainer?
If you wear a waist trainer you may experience some of the following side effects.
1. Squeezed inner organs
Wearing a waist trainer might squeeze your organs. Your belly consists of many organs like kidneys, liver, etc, and wearing a waist trainer has the possibility of squeezing them and forcing them into abnormal positions.
2. Digestion Problems
As wearing a waist trainer squeezes your stomach, it may lead to a blocked digestive tract. It may interrupt the digestion of food.
3. Acid Reflux
As the waist trainers might squeeze the stomach, the digestive fluids and the stomach acids might flow back to the esophagus this is known as acid reflux.
You may feel a burning sensation in your chest if experiencing acid reflux.
4. Breathing Problems
Waist trainers squeeze most parts of the belly which may even squeeze the lungs as well.
You may not be able to breathe in a lot and it also may prevent your lungs from normally expanding and contracting. This might lead to significant breathing issues in the long term.
5. Increased Sweating
As noted above the weight loss that occurs by wearing waist trainers is mostly water weight. Waist trainers can block the passing of air which can lead to excessive sweating which can then lead to extreme dehydration.
These are some common side effects people experience while wearing waist trainers some more side effects include bad sleep, skin irritation, and numbness. It’s important to be aware of these side effects before using waist trainers.
How long to wear a waist trainer to see results?
It is usually recommended to wear waist trainers for 8 hours a day to see results. It should be kept in mind that mainly your diet and exercises will decide how good results you get along with wearing waist trainers.
If you want to give it a try then we do not recommend you wear waist trainers for 8 hours a day right away. You might start with 2-3 hours then progress slowly if you feel that waist trainers work for you.
The Conclusion
Sleeping with a waist trainer on may not be optimal as it can lead to many side effects and the benefits are also temporary. If your goal is weight loss then simply focusing on your diet and proper exercising can deliver much better results in the long term than just wearing a waist trainer.
Waist trainers might work but there are much better options to achieve the goals you’re trying to achieve by wearing a waist trainer.
At the end, if you really want to give it a try then we suggest talking to your doctor first and then taking the decision.
References
- Kumaraswamy J, Levy J, Christopher R. A Lethal Pursuit of Beauty: Tight-Lacing, the Faja Corset, and a Subcapsular Hematoma. Cureus. 2020 Aug 18;12(8):e9825. doi: 10.7759/cureus.9825. PMID: 32953334; PMCID: PMC7495955.
- Ingrid Wikstrand, Jarl Torgerson & Kristina Bengtsson Boström (2010) Very low calorie diet (VLCD) followed by a randomized trial of corset treatment for obesity in primary care, Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care, 28:2, 89-94, DOI: 10.3109/02813431003778540
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