Is sleeping in your bra bad for your health?

It’s been a long and tiring day and all you can think of is getting home and taking that bra off. There’s nothing more liberating and relaxing than stepping into your apartment and unsnapping those hooks!

However, while most women can’t wait to take off their bra after the end of a long day, there are others who prefer to wear them to sleep. Rumor has it that wearing a bra to sleep leads to perkier breasts that prevent sagging. Many stars, including the legendary Marilyn Monroe, claim that they sleep with their bras on every night. However, there is no scientific evidence to back this claim and wearing a bra when sleeping can do more harm than good.

According to a 15-year old controversial study conducted by a professor in France, bras provide no benefits to women and might actually be harmful to breasts over time. The study added that the restrictive material of bras prevents tissue from growing and may actually encourage breasts to sag.

Other supporting research backs this claim that you cannot prevent your breasts from sagging by wearing your bra to bed. Sagging is a result of a combination of things, including aging, gravity, and fat. Bras were invented to provide vertical support, and when you are lying down you need horizontal support. Furthermore, according to experts, the effects of age and gravity cannot be counteracted even if you wear a bra all through the day.

However, there’s nothing wrong with wearing a bra to bed for light support, but anything tight or with wires could impede healthy blood circulation, cause hyperpigmentation or fungal infection. Here are 5 reasons to avoid wearing a bra while sleeping.

Reasons Why To Avoid Wearing A Bra While Sleeping

1. Impedes Circulation: Bras were designed to provide support, which means they are usually tight, almost like a second skin. Underwire bras and sports bras are even tighter. Sleeping with a bra can hurt the breast tissue by constricting circulation and movement. Poor blood circulation may result in dizziness and cramps.
2. Causes Skin Irritation & Damage: Wearing a bra to bed can leave your skin irritated as the straps are continuously rubbing against the skin. Constant chafing of the bra straps against the skin can also cause hyperpigmentation or discoloration. Take off that bra before you hit the bed to allow your skin to heal and bounce back to normal.
3. May Cause Breast Fungus: Tight clothing such as a bra straps sweat and moisture, creating an environment conducive for fungal growth. Taking off the bra before you hit the bed gives them time to breathe.
4. Can Hamper Your Sleep: Wearing tight bras or tight constrictive clothing to bed can cause discomfort and restlessness, which affects your sleep. Lack of good quality sleep can cause tiredness and fatigue the next day. Wearing a bra to bed also reduces the intake of oxygen, resulting in your breathing being shallow.
5. Affects The Physiology Of The Breasts: Wearing a bra to sleep may affect your lymphatic system negatively. The lymphatic system is responsible for removing the toxins from the breast area via the lymph nodes present in the armpits. Therefore, wearing a bra all the time hampers the blood flow and lymphatic drainage resulting in fluid retention and inflammation.