Why can’t I sleep in my binder?

Q: I wear my binder to sleep because I can’t stand the feeling of clothes on my naked chest at night. I know you’re not supposed to but what can I do?

A: It is true that sleeping in a binder is dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. 

I understand how terrible dysphoria can be and making the choice to prioritize your physical health sometimes comes at a cost to your mental health. Binding at night should only be done when removing your binder will endanger your safety. This could be nights sleeping around people who do not know you are trans or nights when you are feeling suicidal. In these cases, making it through the night safely is the higher priority. If you are in a mental health then seek help right away from a trusted person in your life or reach out to translifeline.org by phone, text, or chat.

The reason that binding at night is a problem is that when you sleep your body is repairing the wear and tear on all the vital systems in your body. To do this, the body needs a lot of oxygen and so our bodies switch to breathing very deeply in our sleep. Binding limits the air intake and makes this natural cycle of repair less effective which can have a lasting impact on your overall health. 

As I’m sure you’ve experienced, binding at night can also cause increased soreness in the muscles and joints of your upper body. The cumulative impact of sustained compression can cause soreness to develop into chronic pain that may continue even after you stop binding. If you spend a night in your binder, you will want to stretch and practice deep breathing exercises to relieve tension in your body. 

I recommend getting an athletic compression shirt to sleep in because it will hold the tissue tight enough to prevent a lot of movement and will give you a secure barrier between your clothing and your chest tissue. Here are a couple of good options: Option 1 and Option 2. 

Another solution is to bind with kinetic tape which does not use compression to flatten tissue so does not hinder respiration. The tape secures chest tissue against the chest and can relieve nighttime chest dysphoria. Since it can be worn for 3 to 4 days, it is an excellent option for managing persistent dysphoria. It is the only binding method that is safe for 24 hours at a time.

To find companies that offer kinetic tape binding, visit our Binder Finder.

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Research which companies might be best for your child’s level of development with our Binder Finder tool which catalogs 52 characteristics of binders and reputable companies that sell each style.