What Is Hourglass Syndrome?

Hourglass Syndrome and Its Impact on Your Health

Just when it seems like we’ve moved past early-2000s diet culture, glorifying thinness becomes trendy again (see: legging legs and influencers advertising tummy-control products). Now, on top of the other consequences of that era — eating disorders, body dysmorphia, low self-esteem — we can add hourglass syndrome to the list. 

It’s a term that’s been trending on social media and describes how sucking in your stomach for years can cause health issues. It signals just how insidious diet culture is — especially for younger generations. 

Why sucking in your stomach sucks

It seemed pretty innocent back in the day. But now, overuse of certain stomach muscles has left many of us with a “syndrome” that may cause back pain, breathing issues, and pelvic floor issues. 

The irony is that hourglass syndrome itself can trigger more body dysmorphia, says Karla Lester, MD, pediatrician and obesity doctor. “In a way it's kind of like we're being gaslit,” says Holly Essler, licensed clinical social worker and owner of Empowering You Therapy. “I thought what I had been told this entire time was what I was supposed to believe, and now you're telling me it's wrong and it's my fault.”   

Meanwhile, younger generations already at risk for developing eating disorders are watching these trends resurface, possibly putting them at risk of their own hourglass syndrome in 15 to 20 years.

Your move

To stop these physical habits, you’ll want to make a mental shift. Essler suggests practicing body neutrality. When uncomfortable emotions about your body come up, practice sitting with those feelings instead of pushing them away. “A lot of it is being able to let go of some of these long-held beliefs,” Lester says. 

If you want to work with a doctor, hourglass syndrome may be tough to pinpoint since it’s largely based on anecdotal evidence, says Lester. But physical therapy as well as core and breathing exercises may help.

Read more about the health consequences of hourglass syndrome.

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