Why you should never wear a bra to bed
For years, women have pondered the dilemma – to wear a bra to bed or not to wear a bra to bed? While for some it may be an issue of comfort, for those looking to keep their breasts from sagging, it may seem like a no-brainer. However, according to one doctor, not only does wearing a bra to bed fail to prevent gravity doing its job, it can actually be harmful to your health.
“Breast sagging is an inevitable fact of life for women as they age,” Dr Seth Rankin from London Doctors Clinic explained to Cosmopolitan. “When you're lying down flat, the effect of gravity pushes the breast tissue back towards your chest, instead of down towards your toes. So wearing a bra (the purpose of which is ultimately to support breasts from below) is essentially redundant in bed, as breasts naturally compress back down onto the chest.”
Additionally, wearing a bra to bed can block the lymph glands, which are essential in filtering out waste products from the breasts and sending hormones like oestrogen down to the liver or kidneys to be broken down.
“If your bra is too tight, you may be restricting your blood supply to the breasts and surrounding areas,” Dr Rankin said. “The same goes for the lymphatic system: a tight bra may restrict the flow of lymph to the many important lymph nodes around the breast and armpit, hindering the system's vital function of flushing toxic waste-products from the body.”
Professor Mokbel confirmed the theory to the Daily Mail, highlighting some of the potential health issues which can be caused as a result of wearing ill-fitting bras to bed. “Wearing a constrictive bra to sleep affects the physiology of the breast,” he said. “It can impair the blood flow and lymphatic drainage, which, at worst, can lead to chronic inflammation, oedema (fluid retention) and discomfort.”
So, you might want to rethink wearing your bra the next time you grab some shut-eye. If you can’t sleep without one, try swapping it for a less-constrictive crop top.