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Is it Safe for Women to Sleep on their Stomach?

stomach sleeping women

Finding a comfortable position to sleep in can be a challenge in itself, but combine that with large breasts (real or implants) and it can make what should be a simple process, even harder.

We’ve discussed the best ways to sleep after you’ve had breast augmentation in the past, but there are a lot of people out there that have concerns about stomach sleeping in general.

Is sleeping on your stomach bad for you, as a woman? Can sleeping on your stomach cause other health issues like cancer? Does it cause uneven breast sizes?

Even though some questions related to sleep and breast may seem silly, these are genuine concerns of a lot of women.

With the rise of breast cancer around the world, and the focus on health and exercise, many women are doing everything they can to ensure they are keeping their bodies in good shape. Both mental and physical health are extremely important when it comes to helping the body heal and helping us to enjoy life in a desirable way.

The way you sleep could be having negative effects on your breasts, but not all doctors are convinced.

Sleeping and Breast Health

Does Stomach Sleeping Cause Breasts to Sag?

In a previous article we covered various habits that you may not realize are causing your breasts to sag and side-sleeping and stomach sleeping were one of these habits.

While Dr Adams himself does not believe that sleeping on your side or your stomach is causing enough damage to be the sole cause of sagging breasts, the idea stems from the lack of support and lack of blood flow that can come from these two sleeping positions.

While sleeping on your side the ligaments in your breasts can stretch as there isn’t as much support. Over time as these ligaments continue to be stretched overnight, they can lose their elasticity which is what is believed to cause the breasts to start sagging.

Sleeping on your stomach can compress the breasts, which can slow down the blood flow to the area. This may also change the shape of your breasts overtime, but the full extent of the damage is probably negligible, if at all.

Does Stomach Sleeping Cause Breast Cancer?

As we mentioned above, sleeping on your stomach can cause more pressure to be put on your breasts, which in turn can cause lower blood flow to the areas, but can this cause breast cancer?

No.

Sleeping on your stomach, putting pressure on your breasts, or even falling and injuring your breasts, do not increase your likelihood of developing breast cancer.

Falling, pinching, or pressing hard against your breast will most likely just cause a bruise that will heal itself in a few days, but it will not cause breast cancer to start forming.

In some cases, injury to the breast can also cause a lump or cyst to form, however these lumps are known as fat necrosis and are not cancerous. Fat necrosis is scar tissue from where the breast healed itself after an injury.

Your sleeping position is not going to increase or decrease your risk of breast cancer.

Does Stomach Sleeping Cause Uneven Breasts?

Uneven breasts are a concern of a lot of women. It can make you feel self-conscious and it can make it hard to wear certain types of clothing.

The same idea applies here as it did above with sagging breasts and stomach sleeping. By sleeping on your stomach, you are reducing the amount of blood flow to the breasts, while also stretching out the ligaments that help keep them in position.

If those ligaments stretch too much for long periods of time, they begin to lose elasticity and once they lose their ability to retain their original shape, this can lead to shape issues.

Sleeping on your stomach for extended periods of time, night after night, for years, may lead to the development of slightly uneven breasts. If you’re looking to maintain your breasts and are concerned about the possibility of them becoming slightly uneven or sagging (which is unfortunately bound to happen as you age due to the way the body works and gravity), then sleeping on your back would be the best option for you.

Should I Change the Way I Sleep to Help My Breasts?

Dr. Adams believes that getting enough good sleep at night is more important than worrying about what position you’re sleeping in. Allowing your body to rest and properly repair itself will allow you to look and feel your best each day.

The minor benefits you may see from sleeping on your back as opposed to on your stomach or your side are not worth it if you’re going to be uncomfortable or unable to get a good night sleep. And, once you’re asleep we tend to move around subconsciously. So while you may start off sleeping on your back, you’re very likely to end up spending most of your time on your side or your stomach as the night progresses.

It’s not worth losing sleep over.




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