How Clothing Restricts Your Blood & Lymph Flow

Body:

Anything you put on your body has the potential to restrict blood flow — and most people have no idea how much their clothing affects them. Within the first 5 minutes of assessing your lymphatic system, I’m often talking to you about the clothes you wear… especially your underwear.

It might sound strange, but I’ve proven to countless clients that tight bands around the body restrict flow. Over time, enough pressure from these bands can shut off muscle activation, create imbalances in circulation, and cause a wide range of symptoms.

For men:

Underwear styles are far more limited than for women, and most of the time they’re simply too tight. If you’re still wearing briefs, it’s time to upgrade to boxers or boxer briefs — and for the love of your body, go up a size and skip wearing them at night.

For women:

The smaller the band, the deeper it cuts into your system. Every band is a kink in your lymphatic system — just like a kink in a garden hose. It traps fluid below it and suffocates or slows flow above it. On average, most women have 4–6 of these “kinks” in their system just from clothing alone. If you wouldn’t wear the bands by themselves, why wear them built into your underwear?

About bras:

While the best bra for your lymphatic system is no bra, I understand it’s not always practical. Still, most women over 50 will tell you bras hurt, restrict, and rarely fit properly. If you must wear one, limit your time in it — and once it’s off, please take a moment to self-massage where the bands sat against your skin. Move the skin over your ribs and breastbone until you feel real movement. If you wear a bra during activity and then remove it, your body often “thinks” it’s still there unless you release that restriction through self-massage.

Bottom line:

Listen to your body. If something hurts, restricts, or leaves marks on your skin, it’s affecting your circulation and your lymphatic flow. Find an alternative — your body will thank you for it.