By Leah Melby for Glamour
The idea of a bra meant to be worn only while sleeping is kind of fascinating to me. I know some friends who are never braless, whether it’s daytime or 3:30 A.M. and they’re curled up under the comforter, but I’m a bit more hippie than that (if an outfit ever allows me to go without one, I’m taking full advantage of the opportunity). The Nightlift bra, created by plastic surgeon Dr. Randal Haworth, is constructed so breasts stay up and in during sleeping and is thought to prevent sagging and drooping over time.
Dr. Haworth explained the bra as “a cradle” to me and said the just-for-bed style is different from your everyday one because it’s meant to deal with horizontal, not vertical, gravity. “When lying on your back or side, gravity exerts a sideways or lateral pull on the breasts that’s different than the vertical pull in the standing position.” The bra looks a lot like every other one in my drawer, with the most notable exception being two additional straps that are secured at the inside of each cup.
I thought I’d hate feeling constrained by the bra while sleeping, but I was happily surprised by how comfortable it was. There are no underwires, and I wasn’t pinched or overly compressed in any way. It rode up much higher in the back than a normal bra should, which I noticed immediately, but it didn’t feel bad or incorrect.
I’m not particularly busty but have noticed how odd my breasts look when sleeping or lying on my side—the top one roundly slopes toward the bed while the one closest kind of puddles there (gross imagery, I know). The Nightlift definitely avoided the same situation and kept both of my ladies up and, more or less, where they are when I’m standing or sitting. Per Dr. Haworth, though, it’s larger-chested ladies who will benefit the most from the extra evening layer.
“When your breasts are large enough to fall off your rib cage as you lie on your back is the best time to consider sleeping in a bra,” he said, telling me it’s size, not age, that mandates when you’d ideally start wearing a sleeping bra. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Our daily routines are concerned with prevention, whether it’s brushing our teeth, exercising, or eating correctly. Just like missing a day of exercise, sleeping a night or two without the bra will have little impact upon the overall benefit if it’s worn on a regular basis.”
Some people around the office were surprised by how sexy it looked, and I had the same reaction when I unboxed mine. I’d gone from being nervous it’d be too embarrassing to wear around the husband to wondering if he’d actually be into the (tasteful) bondage feel. The bra costs $98, and you can buy it here.
Do you wear a bra to bed? If it were proven to help your ladies look better in the future, would you?
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