I find sleeping in a bra very uncomfortable. It has a tendency to slide to the side a bit when I roll over and pinches my breasts. I have also noticed when I forget to take if off when going to bed I wake up sore as well.
Not only are my breasts sore from the shifting of the bra, my sides where the bra goes around is sore, the skin is a bit irritated, and my back hurts where the hooks are on it. My shoulders also hurt from the straps.
Sometimes just letting the girls roam free while I am sleeping is a good thing. Besides while sleeping on your back, your bra really isn’t giving you any support when your breasts sink into your chest and to the sides. All you have then is two cups sticking up in the air with nothing filling them.
Marcia Jones who wrote the article on “Bras and Breast Cancer” talks about the various things she found while doing research on wearing bras 24 hours a day and breast cancer. In some aspects I can see where the details in how many women would get breast cancer by wearing bras all day or for a large portion of the day.
I could also see where circulation on the lymphatic system could become a problem with women wearing bras all the time. If you took a moment to look at the picture Understanding the Lymphatic System, you will see several blood vessels and lymph capillaries and vessels that allows fluid to move about.
If you have ever had your legs swell, I have, after wearing tight fitting socks, the same process could happen by wearing a bra for too long a time. The elastic in your socks can cause the circulation in your calves to be cut off and this also causes the swelling in your legs. If you don’t believe me, next time you are at your doctor’s office be sure to ask about this.
The same type of circulation problems in your shoulders and chest area could be happening due to an ill-fitting bra. Not only that, the elastic in all bras are bound to cause similar problems in the upper part of your body as your socks do in the lower parts of your legs. While I am not a doctor, this is just speculation on my part. This is another thing you may want to ask your doctor and get their opinion on the matter.
Getting back to whether you sleep with your bra on. As I mentioned I feel wearing it to bed is uncomfortable and try not to wear it while sleeping. I also don’t wear one sometimes during the day, especially if I am sitting at my computer desk for long periods of time.
The twisting, turning, reaching, and not sitting properly causes several of the same problems I mentioned while sleeping. Also, I have found I often sweat where the under area of my bra and breasts meet when my office are starts to get warm in the middle of the day. This causes an additional discomfort and sometimes causes a rash from the heat and sweat. I know other women who have had this problem and the rash was worse than wearing the bra. They also found trying to wear their bras during this time made the rash worse due to the rubbing on the irritated area.
These are just a few reasons why I don’t wear bra to bed and all day. Do you wear yours to bed? Do you wear your bra 24/7/365?
Sources
Is it better for women to sleep with or without wearing a bra?; Answers.Yahoo.com
Bras and Breast Cancer; Health101.org