Is sleeping in your bra bad for your health?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A beautiful young woman sleeping peacefully (PeopleImages.com - #382229)
Consider this scenario: After work, you hit up happy hour with your friends, and you end up getting home way later than you planned. Like, way later. You're so damn tired that you skip brushing your teeth (oops), taking off your makeup (noooo!), and even removing your bra, before passing out in bed. Hey, it happens. But could the decision to forego freeing your boobs be harmful to your health?
There’s lots of info floating around the interwebs debating whether or not it’s safe to go braless during bedtime—but experts say there is absolutely no research to support claims that wearing a bra 24/7 is bad for you.
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"There's just no evidence that any type of bra, or a tight-fitting bra, is harmful in any way," said Dr. Holly Pederson, director of medical breast services at the Cleveland Clinic.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One of the most common myths is that there’s a link between wearing a bra at night and an increased risk of breast cancer. Like we said, there’s nothing to back that up. In fact, a 2014 case study done at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle found that no aspect of bra-wearing (including cup size, frequency of wear, the underwire, or the age you started wearing one) had any link to breast cancer.
So, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, are there any health benefits to wearing a bra while you sleep? Some women believe that wearing a bra day and night will maintain perkiness and a round shape. Pederson says that as our breast tissue is replaced by fat (which is softer) as we age, our boobs naturally become a bit droopy. Plus, not even the best bra can prevent gravity's pull. Womp, womp.
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The bottom line: If you feel OK without a bra on at night, then let those girls be free. If you have a larger chest and feel more comfortable with your boobs secured in place, then that's also OK. Usually, a soft, cotton bra will leave fewer lines than a wired push-up, so opt for something that will help you relax during sleep, and know your lovely lady lumps are safe either way.
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