Sleeping and dysphoria?

[TrojanMan]

So I have extreme chest dysphoria, and I often have trouble sleeping without a binder. I get paranoid and have nightmares and wake up in sweat. I've been sleeping in a stretched out 997 for the past couple of days, but I know it's harmful and its not comfortable. Does anyone have anything they do or wear during sleeping to flatten the moobs a bit or lighten dysphoria? Thanks

[Emerson]

I change into a spots bra and an a-shirt in the dark. Once I am in my bed I am okay though. Maybe a compression shirt made for sports?

[RainbowGuacamole]

I am not an FTM, but I sleep in a sports bra quite often just because having a large chest can be uncomfortable when sleeping and rolling around. Maybe try combining that with a large, baggy t-shirt?

[89thDay]

I'm quite fond of wearing large/loose button-down shirts to bed, the stiff fabric works as a bit of a distraction for me, and when I wake up, I don't have to rush to put on my binder as, if I lean forward a bit, the shirt does a very nice job of hiding any curves that I do have in the torso/chest area. I've also gotten pretty used to the pressure of my binder, so a lot of times I'll wear an old sports bra just to have a bit of the feeling[without, it's almost like that feeling when you forget a piece of jewelry always worn]

[Felix]

I'm not going to lie, I often slept in my binder because I had the same problem. When I was feeling brave and making myself do the right thing, I slept in a sports bra and a huge t-shirt.

I did find that after awhile my breasts got much flatter, and I was able to sleep with less compression without feeling too floppy. I mostly kept wearing the sports bras or binders because of the head trip I had if I were to brush my chest against my shirt in the wrong way, or accidentally touch my chest with my hands. I had good effect for awhile wearing a tritop during the day and the 997 at night. For me (mine wasn't very tight) it got rid of the wrong shape and texture without making it hard to breathe.

You should try a sports bra if you can handle it, and you can even try too-small wifebeaters or a women's swimsuit with the bottom half cut off. If you do continue to sleep in a binder, be careful and pay attention to how your body feels. It is dangerous to sleep with any serious compression.

[YBtheOutlaw]

i'm not yet into transition so i don't have any binding material. when i'm lying on my back in a loose tshirt it doesn't matter, and i'm not really bothered by sleeping on my belly. i've had problems only when i roll on to sleep on my side. then i have nowhere to keep my hands without touching them and worst of all they touch each other in that posture which makes me deadly dysphoric. so i've adopted this technique of pressing a large soft pillow on my chest when sleeping on side. your hands don't feel them through the pillow and it keeps them from contacting each other. i'm so used to it now that i find it hard to fall asleep without a pillow to hug. hope that helped. i don't think sleeping in a binder would be healthy.

[Elijahwaits]

I use a  tight sports bra+tshirt and a large pillow often

[GnomeKid]

hmm I found myself hugging a pillow, blanket ect. between the two and that way they wouldnt be touching each other and one can actually get some sleep. 

Oddly enough the habit has seemed to continue to this day (4 or so years post surgery) and I now find it hard to sleep without some sort of light pressure on my chest.  Gotta have my second pillow!  It gets to the point I'd rather use the blanket for that than warmth if I don't.

I also never slept in a binder/bra... I think this actually helps.  Bras/binders tend to create more sensation (rubbing, itching, sweating) in those areas than if one wasn't wearing anything.


in short - cut out the bra and stick a pillow between those suckers.  You'll thank yourself!  (plus its nice to give your skin a chance to breathe after binding all day)

[Calder Smith]

I usually sleep in a sports bra and a loose fitting t-shirt.

[blink]

Another one here for holding a pillow to sleep - I do this on my side, or on my stomach (one arm over the pillow), and sleep in an undershirt and a t-shirt.
Not much luck falling asleep on my back, but it seems related to feeling like my front is "exposed" that way, despite being in my own room, door locked, clothed, and under blankets. Hope it'll be easier to sleep on my back after top surgery, otherwise things are going to get very interesting, haha.

[LiamG]

I actually find it more helpful to sleep with out a shirt, binder, or bra on. I sleep face down nine times out of ten (the other 10% I do the pillow thing). Having Nothing in between my skin and the breeze of the Fan or an open window helps my dysphoria immensely. It's as if I have already had surgery - even laying on my back with my arms up over my head helps bc of the breeze being able to hit my chest.


The action of putting on a sports bra is triggering. Even more so, the feeling of the band around my torso and the pressure of the added weight on my shoulders is far more triggering.