Stress-relieving Effects of Chewing

Don't you wish you knew it earlier?

When you are stressed, do you feel like you need to chew on something? Then follow your instinct, because scientists have discovered that chewing has stress-relieving properties!

In a 2018 study in healthy volunteers, chewing after a stressful task decreased cortisol levels in saliva faster than just resting.  

To look at what’s happening in the brain (rather than just in saliva) another study, this time in rats, found that chewing during stress activated brain’s dopaminergic system and ameliorated stress-induced anxiety and reduction in the efficacy of neuronal synapses. 

And another study in mice looked at prenatal stress and its negative effects on the offspring, such as suppression of neurogenesis, anxiety, and learning deficits. Maternal chewing during stressful pregnancy conditions lowered the maternal stress hormone and alleviated the negative effects of prenatal stress on the offspring, making it an effective stress-coping measure (for mice at least)!

Apart from stress-reduction, chewing also potentiates neurogenesis and improves cognitive function, which tends to deteriorate with age.

There are many more studies on the positive effects of chewing out there.  So, chew your food well and treat yourself to some chewing gum when stressed.