For many years, beauty standards have emphasized the importance of a flat tummy and rock-hard abs. We’re told to stand upright and suck in our stomachs to look thinner. However, experts warn that this habit comes with health risks.
Have you ever been told to suck in your stomach to achieve a good posture? Or you felt a little bit conscious and insecure about your body and decided to “suck in” your stomach to look thinner?
Most of us have constantly tightened our abs to achieve a good posture at one time or another. But it turns out that consistent and extensive contracting of muscles on your upper abdomen to suck your stomach up and in can alter the movement of your abdominal muscles.
There is a medical term for this action, “hourglass syndrome,” which is caused by the tension in one’s upper abdomen and the dysfunction of the diaphragm. It is characterized by the diaphragm contracting opposite the center, pulling the lower spines.
With more than 14 million views on a video-sharing platform, TikTok users continue to display the potential consequence of non-stop stomach gripping. Julie Wiebe, a clinical assistant professor of physical therapy at the University of Michigan-Flint, says hourglass syndrome is neither a disease nor an official medical diagnosis.
“It’s a strategy for how you’re using your muscles. You’re gripping them in a particular pattern that creates this aesthetic of dimpling,” says Wiebe.
She added, “This generation in their 30s are the first who have grown up with the idea of core – that we have to keep everything tight all the time … (but) it’s not a healthy choice to be gripping all the time.”
What is Hourglass Syndrome?
Hourglass syndrome is a condition that results from prolonged sucking in your stomach. Over time, your upper abdominal muscles tense, and your lower abdomen becomes weaker and underused.
According to Adam Browning, a chiropractor with the Cleveland Clinic’s Medina Hospital in Ohio, the inspiration behind stomach gripping stems from the pressure to get rid of belly fat.
“We want to be perceived as fit; we want to be perceived as healthy, so we want to have a flat stomach,” Browning said. “When you do it too often, you could get to this place where the anatomy physically changes, and it becomes this hourglass syndrome.”
What Happens When You Suck in Your Belly?
Prolonged and regular sucking in your stomach activates several abdominal muscles. Browning explains that the motion of trying to suck everything up into the rib cage is more intense that maybe doing a crunch.
“In each case, the muscles you contract increase intraabdominal pressure and push your lungs and stomach contents higher into your rib cage,” Dr. Browning noted.
Here is what happens with your muscles when you suck in your stomach:
- Upper fibers of the rectus abdominis: This is where “six-pack” abs form. Their primary purpose is to hold your internal organs in place and keep you balanced. Stomach gripping creates a lot of force and pressure on these muscles, affecting their normal functioning.
- Internal Obliques: This pair of muscles play a key role in twisting and turning movements. They are attached just inside your hip bones and midline stomach. Their natural function may be affected by constant sucking in the stomach.
- Diaphragm. It’s attached to the underside of your lower ribs. The diaphragm is responsible for breathing. Its natural action is affected when you suck in your stomach. Instead of moving down, it rather moves up.
What are the Side Effects of Stomach Gripping?
Sucking in your stomach for a prolonged period can create pressure on your pelvic structures, leading to incontinence. Some individuals may experience urine leakage when coughing or laughing.
“The role of the abdomen is important in how you control your center to stay balanced while we move around throughout the day,” Wiebe says. “But because we have put such a high value on abdominal work only, we’ve messaged that you need really strong abs, and we’ve done it in such an unbalanced way.”
Additional risks include inefficient breathing, stiff hips, neck and back pain, and pelvic health issues.
- Breathing Issues
It’s difficult to take a breath while gripping your stomach simultaneously. Wiebe states that deep inhalation is critical for stress relief and pain response.
“The diaphragm can’t come down against the pressure created in the core,” says Wiebe.
- Pain
According to Browning, neck and back pain results from the additional stress on the clavicle.
“As your body tries to find space for your ribs to expand, your lungs start to press upward instead of down, which can cause neck pain,” Dr. Browning says. “Because of how your muscles are attached, this upward movement can cause increased structural strain in the mid and lower back, which are anchors for your contracting abdominal muscles.”
Wiebe points out that when you suck in your stomach for prolonged periods, your hips become stiff, and you tend to be more sensitive to pain you already have in other different parts of your body.
- Pelvic health problems
As mentioned earlier, stomach gripping can affect your pelvic floor muscles. It weakens the pelvic floor, leading to urine leakage during daily activities like coughing, sneezing, or laughing.
“Your soft tissues are weakened by being in a constant state of stretch, without the ability to contract on their own with the same frequency or strength as those in your upper abdomen,” says Dr. Browning.
Can Hourglass Syndrome Be Fixed?
The good news is that hourglass syndrome is treatable. The following are tips for reversing the hourglass syndrome, especially if your body has become accustomed to it.
- Awareness- the first step toward correcting stomach gripping is becoming aware of the problem and trying to break the habit.
- Practice proper diaphragmatic breathing- Retrain your body and brain by learning the appropriate diaphragmatic breathing. It’s important to allow your stomach to expand naturally with each inhalation. Depending on how ingrained your current breathing habits are, you may need extra coaching from a physical therapist, yoga instructor, or doctor.
- Get some assistance from a healthcare professional to help you address strength deficits. Dr. Browning explains that “they can help you target soft tissue relaxation of the upper abdominal musculature and focus on strengthening and activating your altered muscles.”
The Bottom Line
It’s not easy to break bad habits, and sucking in your stomach is no exception. However, you can learn to love the body shape you are in by striving for body positivity or body neutrality. By doing so, you will be giving those abdominal muscles a break. Furthermore, you can opt for cardio or aerobic exercises, such as swimming or weight lifting, to burn belly fat.