Do You Need a Sleep Bra?

Should you go without a bra?

We’ve all seen it: a model is walking down the runway at a couture fashion event, and you can plainly see her breasts showing, nipples and all. Obviously, most models for high-end clothing do not wear bras. But is it good practice for us regular women?

Unfortunately, this is another topic on which there is a lot of debate. Some experts feel that the breast tissue should never be unsupported. In fact, this is emphasized for those of us with large breasts. While there is no solid evidence that bras prevent sagging, one mention of the dreaded “s” word and most women are running for a bra.

Others argue that the natural function of the body, including the vital lymph glands that help to remove toxins, is impeded by the structure of a bra. Some health advocates advise never wearing a bra! Given that a properly sized bra will fit quite snugly around the rib cage, there is good reason to believe that it could affect the normal drainage of the breast tissue. What’s a woman to do?

If you are large-busted and wear heavily structured bras during the day, including underwires, please give your body a rest and get out of it at the end of the day! By following this routine, you get the best of both worlds: good support in the day and a chance for your body to be as nature intended at night. However, some women find that it’s not always comfortable to go completely without a bra. In this case, you can consider either a leisure bra or a sleep bra.

That’s right – a sleep bra!

There’s nothing mysterious about a sleep bra. It’s a bra to sleep in. Generally, it’s also a soft, unstructured and unbinding garment that will allow your body to take a breather from the more structured brassieres that you wear in the day for shape and support.

While any woman can wear a sleep bra, they are often recommended for pregnant and nursing mothers, when the breasts are larger, changing in size and more sensitive to lack of support. As a result, many of these bras also provide easy access to the breasts for breastfeeding. (An amorous partner could consider this a plus, too!)

In addition to sleep bras, you can also choose leisure bras. Leisure bras are a great complement to your downtime at home.  Again, these are generally soft, unstructured and unbinding. However, some leisure bras actually get rave reviews from wearers who swear they get everything they need in shape and support from these garments.

A BraWise best choice in this category is the Leading Lady Cotton Knit Leisure Bra. It’s easy to wear, comes in a variety of colours (although they could expand their selection) and is very reasonably priced. This leisure bra actually caters to the larger busted crowd, with sizes from C / D / DD to F / G / H. Perfect for when you just have to get out of your underwire bra.