In response to the question regarding whether it is good or bad to wear a bra while sleeping, “yes” or “no” are not as important as “Why”. The reasons why wearing a bra is good or bad should be studied carefully before answering the question.
It is equally important to make your own decision, depending on the degree of comfort you experience. Remember that your comfort levels and degree of ease matter most. Bras can be a real problem for some women at night, whereas they can be lifesavers for others. Make your decision wisely, and you won’t regret it.
How Does Wearing a Bra Help?
The brassiere or bra is a practice that certain cultures had adopted and spread across the world. In ancient India, the concept of bras or blouses was alien. During olden times, tribal women also rarely worse bras or blouses. Wearing a bra is the key to enhancing bodily aesthetics. It provides support for heavily endowed women and making their lives easier.
Research says 80% of women part of one survey found bras of the wrong size, whereby 70% wore tight ones, and 10% wore loose bras that did not fit well. So, whether a bra works for you also depends on whether you choose the right size and provide, too.
Does Wearing a Bra Prevent Sagging of the Breasts?
The emphasis that breasts are fat lumps and not composed of any muscles would not have escaped a single woman’s notice by now. One cannot exercise them like muscles to make them appear firm. Breasts sag at an increasing age, and this has been stressed repeatedly.
Wearing the right bra can make your breasts look firmer and perkier. Women with athletic activity levels engaging in running, jogging, or other vigorous exercises must wear a well-fitted sports bra to control excessive breast movement during activities. This hastens the process of the sag, yet it also causes pain in women.
[ Read: Firm Up Sagging Breasts Naturally ]
What About the Night?
This is another question most women ask — bra-wearing not just essential to defy gravity but also reduces the impact of gravity on the breasts. The breasts sag faster because of the pull of the earth, and the only way to prevent this is to wear a bra that pulls it up.
When sleeping, the boobs should not be impacted by gravity. If you feel weird at night without a bra, slide into soft cotton bras sans underwires, and if going braless is not a deal-breaker, go for it!
Questions About Cancer
Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Girsmaijer in Dress to Kill believe that wearing a bra at night hampers the lymphatic system functioning. The proponents of this breast cancer theory(1) held this conclusion after interviewing 4.7K women in the US.
They argued that cultures not imposing bra-wearing at night saw fewer deaths or cases of breast cancer, as opposed to women in bra-wearing cultures. Science does not exactly prove to disapprove this. For instance, in one study on postmenopausal women, researchers could not draw any relevance between bra wearing and breast cancer.
When the authors of Dress to Kill fame approached the American Cancer Society to propound their theory regarding the squishing of the boobs and the so-called resulting damage to the lymphatic system, they were sidestepped by the organization.
If we focus on trial and error sans reason, we can only come to one conclusion: what’s most important is that you do what is comfortable for you.
[ Read: Essential Oils for Breast Cancer ]
Curb Pain with Bras
For women with bigger boobs who face breast and neck pain, sports bras that fit right can be a fabulous day or night. Women who have undergone breast-cancer or breast-related surgeries are also advised to wear bras at night to heal soreness post the operation. Bras can help in dealing with pain better in such cases.
The key takeaways for women are that bras can support your breast and make it look firm during the daytime. As for nighttime, gravity does not act on the chest when you sleep.
Women with the right bra can reduce the impact on breast ligaments if they have a heavy bustline. Wearing or not wearing a bra has, of course, nothing to do with breast cancer.
[ Read: Reduce Breast Pain Naturally ]
So, if you want a bra story with a definite ending, look elsewhere. This post clearly states the decision to wear or not wear a bra begins and ends with your comfort levels, both mentally and physiologically, too. When it comes to wearing or choosing not to wear a bra, opting for what suits you is important.
Bras can make breasts appear firm. They are also great for supporting a heavy bustline, whether it is day or night. Most women do not require a bra at nighttime unless they are surgery patients who have undergone an operation of the breast(2) or are heavy boobed ladies who need the support regardless of whether they are standing or resting.
For all you other ladies, the decision regarding whether or not to wear a bra rests with you. If you find that a bra reduces discomfort in any way, don’t hesitate to don it day and night. Choose a bra that fits well and has a breathable material like cotton for a good outcome. Don’t pressurize yourself to wear a bra, if you feel uncomfortable, though.
After all, women in ancient cultures, too, went braless. And if you are keen on burning the bra in a cause for women’s liberation, that’s okay also, as scientifically speaking. From the health perspective, there are no advantages or pitfalls of going without a bra at night for most women.
[ Read: Reduce Your Breast Size Naturally ]
