Sleeping in Bras - Should You Do It?
Just yesterday, I was enjoying a martini with a friend after work when the subject turned to breasts.
Her boyfriend is an OB/GYN.
He's seen his share of breasts in all shapes and sizes.
He claims that hers are the perkiest he's seen.
My friend readily informed him (and me) that her secret is sleeping in a bra every night.
Of course, it isn't really a secret.
I've heard this strategy for perky breasts many times.
In fact, Marilyn Monroe was one of the biggest proponents of the practice.
As a lingerie professional, I get asked about sleeping in bras about once a month.
There are those who will say it's great and those who say it's harmful.
There's no simple answer to the question, but don't believe everything you hear.
Most detractors of wearing a bra to sleep will claim that it causes breast cancer.
This belief is based off a study by Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer put forth in the book, Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras.
The study found a correlation between women in 5 American cities who wear bras for long periods of time and a high incidence of breast cancer.
This was followed up with a study that showed that breast cancer is quite rare in Fiji where women rarely wear bras.
While the theories are interesting, it should be noted that correlation does not imply causation.
For example, women in Fiji spend more time near the ocean than those in the United States, but no one is suggesting we all flock to the ocean to prevent breast cancer.
There are known genetic factors that influence a woman's likelihood of developing breast cancer and these were not considered in the study.
White women, in particular, are more likely to carry a gene that is linked to the development of breast cancer and there are very few white women in Fiji.
Still, there are no studies that can conclusively say breast cancer is not linked to bras.
On the other hand, there are no studies that prove wearing a bra will prevent breasts from sagging when not wearing a bra.
Breasts sag for a few reasons: 1) Softening of breast ligaments and loss of breast tissue with age 2) Enlarged breasts during pregnancy causing the skin to stretch 3) Changes in the fat and tissue composition of the breasts Breasts have very little structural support.
There are no muscles and no bones within the breasts.
They are supported primarily by a few ligaments and the overlying skin.
The suppler the tissue is, the less likely the breasts are to sag.
Thus, a healthy diet may have the most impact on whether breasts sag or not.
Some studies have actually shown that wearing bras can cause breasts to sag when the bra comes off because the bra prevents the ligaments from doing any work throughout the day and the ligaments begin to atrophy.
All things considered, the answer to the question of whether or not to wear a bra to bed comes down to comfort.
If you're more comfortable wearing the bra to sleep, go ahead and do it.
Just be careful that it's not too tight (that's good advice night or day).
You don't want to restrict blood flow or cause damage to your skin in the form of indentations.
If it's not comfortable to sleep in your bra, take it off.
It won't keep your breasts from sagging anyway.
Her boyfriend is an OB/GYN.
He's seen his share of breasts in all shapes and sizes.
He claims that hers are the perkiest he's seen.
My friend readily informed him (and me) that her secret is sleeping in a bra every night.
Of course, it isn't really a secret.
I've heard this strategy for perky breasts many times.
In fact, Marilyn Monroe was one of the biggest proponents of the practice.
As a lingerie professional, I get asked about sleeping in bras about once a month.
There are those who will say it's great and those who say it's harmful.
There's no simple answer to the question, but don't believe everything you hear.
Most detractors of wearing a bra to sleep will claim that it causes breast cancer.
This belief is based off a study by Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer put forth in the book, Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras.
The study found a correlation between women in 5 American cities who wear bras for long periods of time and a high incidence of breast cancer.
This was followed up with a study that showed that breast cancer is quite rare in Fiji where women rarely wear bras.
While the theories are interesting, it should be noted that correlation does not imply causation.
For example, women in Fiji spend more time near the ocean than those in the United States, but no one is suggesting we all flock to the ocean to prevent breast cancer.
There are known genetic factors that influence a woman's likelihood of developing breast cancer and these were not considered in the study.
White women, in particular, are more likely to carry a gene that is linked to the development of breast cancer and there are very few white women in Fiji.
Still, there are no studies that can conclusively say breast cancer is not linked to bras.
On the other hand, there are no studies that prove wearing a bra will prevent breasts from sagging when not wearing a bra.
Breasts sag for a few reasons: 1) Softening of breast ligaments and loss of breast tissue with age 2) Enlarged breasts during pregnancy causing the skin to stretch 3) Changes in the fat and tissue composition of the breasts Breasts have very little structural support.
There are no muscles and no bones within the breasts.
They are supported primarily by a few ligaments and the overlying skin.
The suppler the tissue is, the less likely the breasts are to sag.
Thus, a healthy diet may have the most impact on whether breasts sag or not.
Some studies have actually shown that wearing bras can cause breasts to sag when the bra comes off because the bra prevents the ligaments from doing any work throughout the day and the ligaments begin to atrophy.
All things considered, the answer to the question of whether or not to wear a bra to bed comes down to comfort.
If you're more comfortable wearing the bra to sleep, go ahead and do it.
Just be careful that it's not too tight (that's good advice night or day).
You don't want to restrict blood flow or cause damage to your skin in the form of indentations.
If it's not comfortable to sleep in your bra, take it off.
It won't keep your breasts from sagging anyway.
Source...