What Really Happens To Your Body When You Stop Wearing A Bra

Honestly, name a better feeling than getting home after a long day, kicking off your shoes, unbuttoning your suffocating pants, and — drum roll please — unhooking your bra. We'll wait. Yeah, no. There is none. The feeling of it falling to the floor is nothing short of pure, utter bliss. It's sort of like biting into an oatmeal raisin cookie and realizing it's actually chocolate chip. And it's freshly baked. Or like the sweet release of yanking too-tightly tucked bedsheets to cradle your cold feet at night. Or like finding a rest stop when you've really gotta go along a road trip in the middle of nowhere. In a word: It's relief. 

Now imagine never wearing a bra again. Sure, your mom might have told you that if you ditch the bra, your boobs would sag. But your mom may not have been right about this one. Yes, although moms admittedly know most everything, there's bound to be a little bulls*** sprinkled in, right? In reality, forgoing your bra can feel liberating and is even ideal for your health in many ways. Here's what will really happen to your body if you go braless — all backed by science. Sorry, mom!

If you are blessed with a bigger bosom, the chances are that you are also cursed with back pain. It's no secret that donning a bra can help to relieve some of the strain your breasts put on your back and shoulders. After all, the sole purpose of a bra is to provide support. So it makes sense, then, that ditching the whole bra concept may lead to more back pain — especially if you have a larger cup size.

In fact, according to one study published in The Open Orthopaedics Journal, a large cup size is a cause of neck and shoulder pain. "Women with large breasts usually have a number of complaints relating to the skeletal system, and complaints such as neck strain, headache, aching shoulders, [et cetera]," according to the researchers. Wearing a bra can certainly help to alleviate some of that pain, which would mean that ditching your bra could potentially worsen it. But wearing a bra can only help alleviate your body aches if you wear a bra that fits right. And the reality is that most women don't wear the correct size.

Going braless just plain feels good. Unless, of course, you have bigger breasts and are doing some sort of physical activity. The bouncing bit of it all doesn't feel great. But taking your bra off, generally speaking, is a damn good feeling. "Going fully braless can deliver that satisfying ahh moment of liberating comfort after a long day out and about," Phoebe Kunitomi, founder of Okko, an intimate wear brand, admitted in an interview with Well+Good.

However, it isn't unusual to feel a little uneasy about your decision, particularly at first. But you, and your body, will get used to the idea. Dr. Lucky Sekhon, an OB-GYN in New York City, told Well+Good, "Women with larger breasts may initially feel more uncomfortable than those with smaller breasts as their muscles may initially be weak and not feel strong enough to provide adequate support. Over time, though, their bodies will adjust and naturally start to support the breast tissue appropriately, without the aid of a bra."

Wearing a bra all the time means the muscles underlying your breasts never really have to work all that hard. After all, the bra is supporting them. However, by taking off that bra, you will actually put those muscles back into action.

"What happens when you ditch a bra is that your breasts visually look like they are sagging since they are without the support they used before," family medicine physician Lina Velikova told Real Simple. But once you start using those muscles again, you will eventually be able to improve the tone of your breasts, she explained. "If you want to help the process, you can do targeted breast exercises to develop the muscles and strengthen the ligaments faster," she added. Ultimately, your body is built to support itself — and it will do just that (as long as you let it).

Wearing a bra for a long time can feel super constricting and uncomfortable. On the flip side, ditching the bar can actually help you to improve your blood circulation, especially if you've been out there wearing bras that are too tight on you all this time. 

"[A bra] can impede blood flow to the muscles in the back and chest wall, and this reduction in blood flow can lead to aching back muscles," Dr. Lucky Sekhon, an OB-GYN based in New York City, told Well+Good. According to Sekhon, these improvements in circulation are likely to be more drastic for women who have bigger cup sizes. "Bras supporting larger breasts tend to fit tighter than those worn by women with smaller breasts measuring A to B cup in size," she explained.

So the next time you're feeling like you can't breathe in your bra, remember that it may quite literally be cutting off your circulation. Bra, bye.

Your breasts might even stay perkier and retain their shape more over time when you stop wearing a bra. "Medically, physiologically, anatomically — breasts gain no benefit from being denied gravity," Jean-Denis Rouillon, a sports science expert from the University of Besançon in France revealed, citing a 15-year study (via Medical News Today). "On the contrary, they get saggier with a bra." According to the results of the study, the nipples of women who never wore bras were, on average, 7 millimeters higher (relative to their shoulders) each year compared to the nipples of women who regularly wore bras.

So the next time your mother (or anyone else) tells you that if you keep up the whole braless thing, your boobs are going to fall to the floor, just kindly refer them to this research that says otherwise. 

A wealth of research suggests that lingerie can help women feel sexy. After all, there is a lot of psychology behind the type of underwear you choose to wear and why. Not wearing bras means not getting to relish in that feminine feeling, if that's a feeling that bras indeed provide you.

"Wearing nice quality underwear or lingerie sets boost our confidence and self-esteem, even if no one sees it," Carolyn Mair, a behavioral psychologist and author of "The Psychology of Fashion," told the HuffPost. "Feeling confident can make us appear more physically attractive because we tend to stand, walk, speak, and gesticulate differently."

Additionally, research published in PLOS One found that intimate apparel can send "subtle sexual signals" to partners. A study published in the Journal of Consumer Culture revealed that women consider lingerie as something powerful.  So, if you do decide to no longer wear bras, you will have to find other ways to empower yourself and feel confident.

Struggling from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)? GERD happens when stomach acid pushes into your esophagus, according to Mayo Clinic. This phenomenon is known as acid reflux, and it "can irritate the lining of your esophagus," the site confirmed. This causes a burning sensation in your chest or throat. But did you know that one way to potentially relieve acid reflux is by ditching your bra?

Any clothing item that is too constricting can lead to acid reflux, according to Healthline. "Tight clothing, such as Spanx, on the abdomen can increase intra-abdominal pressure to the point that one can experience acid reflux from acid being pushed from the stomach into the lower esophagus," board-certified dermatologist Heather Downes told the publication.

Wearing an ill-fitting bra can do the same, Dr. Kristle Lynch, assistant professor of clinical medicine at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, confirmed to The Healthy. So, of course, not wearing an ill-fitted bra (or any bra, for that matter) can help. It's simple math. Give it a try the next time you start to feel some burning in your chest or throat.