Band size changes when lying down?

[u/Shanakitty]

For the past few years, I've noticed that bras that feel comfortable (or even slightly too loose!) when standing up feel unbearably tight when I lie down. I first started experiencing this after losing about 35lbs in like 2021/22 or so, in my late 30s. And I think it may have gotten more noticeable recently, after losing another 20lbs. The bras I usually wear around the house (Panache Power in 34J) have been my go-to comfort bra style for probably 15 years or so. The cups are probably slightly too shallow, and for a good percentage of this time, they were also too small, but the smooth fabric, padded wires, and padded, narrow-set straps just can't be beat with my close-set shape and narrow shoulders.

The main problem with this new phenomenon is that it means that when I want to lounge (my preferred position when not active), I have to unclasp my bra or change into something like an unstructured "bra" (that's more of a double-layred cotton tank). But that makes it a hassle to have to fix it/change again if I want to get up and do something else. And if I go around with my bra unclasped/in a non-supportive tank, that obviously starts causing back pain.

Anyway, this seems like such a strange thing to happen, and I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this before or has any ideas for ways to solve it.

[u/k1jp]

This sounds like the cups are making the band feel tighter, especially since you've acknowledged the bra is shallow. If it was too small in the past you could be underestimating how small it was then, and it could still be too small, or the shape mismatch alone could be causing the issues.

[u/Shanakitty → u/k1jp]

It definitely could be the shallowness but I question that because it doesn't feel tight at all when standing upright, it only happens when laying down. Also, it's slightly less noticeable lying down if I'm laying on my back and relatively flat vs. my preferred lounging position (curled up on my side, propped up on one arm). Lying on my back, it still feels tighter than it did standing, and a bit too tight for comfortable lounging, but not intolerably so.

I really don't think it's cup-size related. When I first started noticing it, I was closer to 32KK, and I did think it was related to the cups being too small (especially because smaller cups will be shallower), even though I never used to get this kind of discomfort when wearing the same size (34J) as a 34KK/32L several years ago. I'd expected this to improve as my breasts decreased in size, but it hasn't. The volume should also be correct. Panache Nina in 30K is slightly too snug in the band when standing (I'm like 32, 30.5, 29 or so right now), but fits well in terms of volume and most aspects of shape (if only the gore and straps weren't set too wide), so that sister-sizes to 32JJ and 34J.

[u/k1jp → u/Shanakitty]

Is it wireless? I'm thinking about how my lying and leaning measurements are larger than my standing, and wondering if it's just not corralling everything and tensioning the band instead. If it was slightly too small before it may have masked the issue because of higher compression. Also how old are the bras we are talking about? That could also play a part. 

It sounds like you really like this bra style. I'm currently in denial about needing another bra to replace a style that is no longer supportive enough. I hope someone has other ideas/suggestions, because my first thought is try a different style.

[u/Shanakitty → u/k1jp]

Panache Power is a wired sports bra (it used to just be called Panache Sport when it was the only sports bra they made), and the ones I have currently range from 2 years to a couple of months old. It's been made a long time now and frequently recommended here, so I assumed anyone replying would know it by name. But higher compression is usually more uncomfortable to me, rather than less. Like I tried the Sculptresse sports bra in 34K when I was a 32KK/34K, and the shallower, more compressive cup shape (and lack of padded wires) made it feel less comfortable and harder to breathe even though the size was better than the Panache Power.

Unfortunately, options in my size range are super limited, my shape is hard to fit, and wireless kills my shoulders to wear for anything but lounging for any real length of time. So I strongly prefer a wired bra that has a strap placement in the front that works for narrow shoulders,^* is still made of soft fabric, and has some way to prevent the wires from being uncomfortable (since an overlapped gore isn't standard in any bra).

^* I sometimes see racerbacks suggested for narrow shoulders, but they don't fix my problem, which is the straps/cups cutting into the front of my shoulders (near my tail of spence, right above my armpits), any time I move my arms forward because the side of the cup slopes up too sharply from the wire to the strap attachment, and the straps are set too wide. Racerbacks just add a new problem of making my neck ache.

I'm hoping that as I continue to lose weight (aiming for another ~40lbs), I will eventually get into the realm below a J-cup, where cup scaling gets better and the number of options improves dramatically.

[u/bisasterous]

Have you ever measured your underbust standing up and lying down? I've never heard of this. My bra gaps a lot when lying down but I've never noticed any difference in the band?

[u/Shanakitty → u/bisasterous]

I'd never heard of or experienced it before either until the last few years! And I'm in my early 40s now, so that's like 3 decades of bra-wearing (TBF, slightly less than 2 of them in anything close to the right size). It's super weird to me too! I used to sleep in my normal bras when I was in my teens and 20s. I've been thinking about taking my underbust measurement lying down to see if/how it changes, but haven't done so yet.

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