Chewing Can be Soothing

While stress is a fact of life, managing life's smaller stresses may be as easy as chewing gum.

Whether you're the star of your college basketball team or training for your first 5K, preparing for an athletic event is just one daily activity that can cause stress. In fact, everyday athletes agree getting ready for a sporting event is more stressful than a trip to the dentist's office, public speaking or being late for an important meeting, according to a survey [Download PDF] by Doublemint® gum. With more than 80 percent of athletes looking for ways to combat stress, gum may just be the edge they need come game day. The same survey revealed that 67 percent of everyday athletes who chew gum indicate they do so before their sporting event or competition to help relieve stress.¹

Athletes aren't the only ones who feel stressed. Employees rank time pressures, deadlines, office politics and their bosses as the top stress-inducing factors at work, according to a recent workplace wellness survey conducted by Eclipse® gum and the Institute for Corporate Productivity.² They too may consider chewing gum to combat workplace tension, as studies have shown the use of chewing gum is associated with reduced stress, improved alertness and relieved anxiety.^3,4

Chewing gum also may affect brain activity. Emerging research shows that the act of chewing gum can increase blood flow to the brain. In fact, studies have shown that blood flow to the brain may increase by at least 25-40 percent when chewing gum.^5,6 Also, preliminary electro-encephalogram (EEG) studies indicate that chewing gum can influence brain activity by increasing arousal responses.⁷ Earlier studies have demonstrated a relationship between increased arousal responses and a more relaxed state.

So, the next time stress builds up before a big game, preparing for a presentation, or stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, try chewing a piece of gum. It may offer a relaxing antidote and help improve your mood.

¹ Wrigley Athlete Study. StrategyOne. September 2008 - Survey of 1,000 everyday athletes (adults ages 21-34 involved intramural or amateur sports organizations, non-professional races, tennis or golf).

² Workplace Stress Survey 2008. Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp). Seattle, WA. 2008.

³ Scholey, Andrew, Crystal Haskell, Bernadette Robertson, David Kennedy, Anthea Milne, Mark Wetherell. "Chewing gum alleviates negative mood and reduces cortisol during acute laboratory psychological stress." Physiology & Behavior. 2009 (97); 304-312.

⁴ Hetherington MM, Regan MF. "Effect of chewing gum on short-term appetite control and reduced snack intake in moderately restrained eaters." Obesity. 2007; 15: 510-P

⁵ Sasaki A. "Influence of mastication on the amount of hemoglobin in human brain tissue." Journal of Stomatological Society. 2001; 68 (1): 72-81

⁶ Yue Z. Huang L, Zhou X. "Regional brain activities during gum chewing." Psychological Science 2006; 29: 1153-1156.

⁷ Moss SJ. Benefits of Chewing. New York: Health Education Enterprises, Inc. 2003.

© 2009 Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company. All Rights Reserved. Doublemint and Eclipse are registered trademarks of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company

HIGHLIGHT

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