Sleeping Position after Breast Augmentation
Small breasts can throw off body proportions and leave a woman feeling less confident about her appearance. To add volume to the bust line and improve body contours, many women turn to breast augmentation. Breast augmentation enhances the size and shape of the breasts so that women can enjoy a figure that makes them feel more feminine.
Following breast augmentation with Dr. Michael Devlin, our patients should anticipate a lengthy recovery period. During this time, it is important that patients do everything they can to encourage healing. Even a person’s sleeping position after breast augmentation is important to the recovery process. To learn more, read on, and then contact our practice serving Little Rock, AR, Conway, AR, and Hot Springs, AR.
Why Does It Matter How I Sleep?
Breast augmentation results in a number of side effects, including inflammation, discomfort, and bruising. While these side effects are inevitable, there are things a patient can do to minimize their severity and promote timely healing. Sleep position can have a big impact on breast augmentation recovery and the degree of breast augmentation side effects.
Breast augmentation patients should also understand that it takes time for a capsule of tissue to form around breast implants. Until this capsule has formed, any extra force could move implants and put them in an undesirable position. The way a person sleeps can help or hinder the ability for breast implants to settle in their desired location.
It is important that our patients sleep in a position that will encourage blood circulation, keep pressure off of surgical incisions, and allow implants to settle. The wrong sleeping position could put excess pressure on the breasts and disrupt the recovery process.
Sleeping Positions that Promote Recovery
There are two sleeping positions that will relieve pressure from the breasts and promote blood circulation while a patient heals from breast augmentation. Patients should adopt these positions for at least six to eight weeks following their surgical procedure.
- Back sleeping: The ideal position for breast augmentation recovery is back sleeping. Back sleeping puts the breasts in a position that allows surgical incisions to heal, and encourages breast implants to settle.
- Sleeping at an incline: In addition to sleeping on their back, we encourage patients to sleep at an incline while they are recovering from breast augmentation. If the upper body is raised slightly, blood circulation will draw excess fluids away from the breasts. This position helps greatly in reducing post-surgical inflammation.
Tips for Getting Comfortable
If our patients do not already sleep on their back, adjusting to this position after breast augmentation may be difficult. We suggest that women try these tips for making their new sleeping position feel more natural and comfortable:
- Switch to back sleeping a week or two before surgery so you have time to adjust to the new position
- Gradually increase the incline of the upper body in the days leading up to surgery, so the switch is not so sudden
- Purchase extra pillows to prop up the body and provide support where needed
- Consider sleeping in a recliner or adjustable bed (these items can often be rented from medical supply stores)
- Choose a firm pillow (and mattress, if possible), which offer better support for back sleeping
Contact Us
Dr. Michael Devlin is happy to provide patients with information about breast augmentation, and tips for making the recovery process easier. If you would like to learn more about this surgical procedure, send us a message at your earliest convenience or call (501) 227-8811 to schedule a personal consultation. We serve patients from Little Rock, AR, Conway, AR, and Hot Springs, AR.