3 Ways Wearing Excessively Tight Clothes Can Harm Your Body
The right clothes can help you feel empowered and confident. Unfortunately, a common misconception is that wearing clothes one size too small can make your figure look slimmer and shapelier.
While form-fitting dresses and skinny jeans may look great on you, they may not be doing your body any favors. In fact, excessively tight clothes can cause a slew of potential health problems. So whether you’re looking to buy tights or other pieces of clothing, you’ll want to make sure you get them in the right sizes.
But just how can tight-fitting clothes harm your body, anyway? Read on to learn how they may make you feel sick or uncomfortable, as well as how you can pick better-fitting clothes each time you go shopping:
Acid Reflux
Acid reflux is one of the most common conditions caused by wearing tight clothing. More commonly known as heartburn, acid reflux occurs when stomach acid seeps up the lower esophageal junction, causing damage over time. This damage to your digestive tract can lead to aches and pains, all of which can make everyday activities such as eating, drinking, and even sleeping extremely uncomfortable.
What do your clothes have to do with this? Tight clothing that puts a lot of pressure on your abdomen (such as skinny jeans) can push stomach acid up your esophagus, triggering heartburn. Even people who are not usually prone to acid reflux can suffer from it after only two weeks of wearing tight pants or compression garments.
While you may not think this is a serious condition at first, it’s best to see a health professional so as to address the issue before it can worsen.
Poor Blood Circulation
In addition to your digestive tract, tight clothing can also negatively affect your circulatory system. Whenever your limbs are constricted by ill-fitting clothes, your veins struggle to pump blood throughout your body. As a result, your limb tissues fail to receive enough nutrients. This, in turn, can cause pain, swelling, and even nerve damage over time.
As with acid reflux, these are symptoms that should be taken seriously. If you’re experiencing them, it’s highly recommended to consult a medical professional for help.
Skin Irritation
Tight clothing is also a bad idea for people with sensitive skin, as having the fabric constantly rub against your body can cause lesions and rashes. What’s more, tight clothing can irritate existing wounds or rashes, preventing them from fully healing. To make matters worse, tight clothing can also trap excessive heat and moisture, becoming the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. This can lead to bacterial infections and further complications down the line.
How to Check If Your Clothes Still Fit You Properly
With all of the potential health conditions that tight clothing can cause, the importance of buying pieces that fit you perfectly cannot be understated. That said, you don’t have to throw out your entire wardrobe just yet. Figuring out which of the pieces you currently own actually fits you is a step in the right direction. Take some time to sort through your wardrobe and check each item carefully. Here are a few tips that can help:
Check If Your Tops Fit You Perfectly
Start by checking if the seams of the top’s shoulders are aligned with the edge of your own shoulders, right where your shoulders bend. A top’s hem should end around the mid-rift and the neckline should sufficiently cover your bust. This is especially important for oversized tops.
Check If Your Bottoms Fit You Perfectly
It’s all too easy to pick jeans that don’t fit quite right. When checking if any of your bottoms still fit, make sure they fit comfortably against your waist instead of hugging at your hips. Also, check if you can stick at least two fingers into the jean’s waistband. If so, it’s just the right size.
How to Avoid Buying Excessively Tight Clothes
Now that you’ve determined which clothes still fit you properly, you’ll want to replace the ill-fitting ones with better options. To ensure that you don’t mistakenly buy excessively tight pieces again, keep the following tips in mind:
Measure Yourself Correctly
When it comes to buying new pieces for your wardrobe, start by learning how to take your measurements accurately. For starters, it’s best to measure yourself while wearing only your undergarments. This is because wearing clothes might add some unnecessary bulk to your final measurements. If you don’t know how to measure yourself properly, look up online tools and videos that can guide you through the process.
Do Your Research
Most retailers publicly post size charts that provide accurate measurements of the items that they carry. Just to be safe, you should look these charts up so that you can compare them against your own measurements. Reading customer reviews is another great way to gauge the actual size of any garment. Just be sure to check what size they bought and what their concerns were, as no two people will ever have the exact same measurements.
Suffering for fashion is now a thing of the past. Fashion standards have changed over time, and women now know that looking good doesn’t have to come at a price. That said, celebrate your body by wearing items that fit you perfectly. With these tips and tricks, you can be on your way to having the perfect look that makes you look and feel great.
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