Table of contents:
- Is sleeping without a bra better for your health?
- Benefits of sleeping without a bra
- 1. Reducing sweat
- 2. Improve sleep quality
- 3. Reducing the risk of skin infections
- 4. Reducing the risk of lymphatic blockage
Book entitled Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras published in 1995 began prejudice against the use of bras while sleeping. Since then, many women choose to sleep without a bra to avoid the health hazards of their breasts.
Is what is described in the book true or just a myth? So, what about those of you who already feel comfortable sleeping without wearing a bra, are there any health benefits that can be obtained?
Is sleeping without a bra better for your health?
The book reinforces the notion that sleeping wearing a bra can have a negative impact on health. As a result, many women believe bras can block the work of the lymph nodes during sleep, which can lead to breast cancer.
Until now, the results of research conducted by the American Association for Cancer Research are still a reference for health practitioners to this assumption.
Research shows no relationship between wearing a bra while sleeping with the appearance of cancer cells in the breast.
The same thing was also expressed by Dr. Amber Guth, director of the Breast Cancer Surgery Multidisciplinary Fellowship at NYU Langone Medical Center Huffington Post.
Benefits of sleeping without a bra
The absence of medical evidence regarding the benefits and risks of using a bra while sleeping has made sleeping without a bra a limited choice to support the comfort aspect while sleeping.
However, there are still some health benefits that you can get when choosing to sleep without using a bra.
1. Reducing sweat
Using a bra while sleeping, especially when the room temperature rises at night can cause you to sweat. Some types of bras such as those made from synthetic materials can even make you sweat excessively.
Excessive sweating while sleeping can cause you to wake up frequently at night. Shawn Stevenson, author of the book Sleep Smarter, said sleeping without wearing clothes can lower body temperature.
Basically, the body temperature does decrease when sleeping, taking off your clothes or sleeping without a bra can keep your body temperature low. That way, the parasympathetic nerves, which help the body to rest more optimally, can be active faster.
2. Improve sleep quality
Most bra designs, whether under wire or not, are tailored to the needs of daily activities — where the wearer is actively moving — but not for resting or sleeping.
The tight shape can make you feel tight or stuffy so that you are uncomfortable wearing it while sleeping.
This feeling of discomfort when sleeping can cause you to have difficulty sleeping or experience other sleep disorders. As a result, you don't get quality rest time and you don't fully recover your body's energy.
Sleeping without a bra can be a solution for those of you who feel uncomfortable sleeping wearing a bra so you can sleep faster and soundly throughout the night.
3. Reducing the risk of skin infections
Wearing a bra all day long can interfere with air circulation in the closed skin pores.
When the bra is never removed, it will be difficult for the skin to absorb air, creating a moist environment that is conducive to the proliferation of harmful bacteria.
This bacterial infection can cause the appearance of skin fungi and irritation, causing itching.
4. Reducing the risk of lymphatic blockage
Bra form that is too tight and stiff can put excessive pressure on your breasts. If you regularly wear a bra like this when you sleep, you can run the risk of causing lymphatic blockage.
This blockage occurs due to a buildup of fluid in the axillary lymph nodes located in the armpit area. This gland functions to fight body infections, harmful foreign substances, and cancer cells.
In addition, sleeping without a bra can prevent malfunctioning of the body's vital organs related to lymphatic glands such as the liver.
