Does Chewing Gum Actually Help with Anxiety?

June 24, 2025

Authored by: Taylor Shaw, B.S.

Edited by: Kristian Concepcion, AMFT

If you’re looking for a simple solution to daily management for anxiety, chewing gum helps with anxiety by reducing cortisol and increasing alertness. Chewing gum helps activate salivary glands, catalyzing cerebral blood flow, and lowering cortisol levels. Current meta-analyses have suggested that chewing gum is an inexpensive, safe, well-tolerated, and widely available anxiety and stress reliever, although it’s unclear exactly why.¹ Cortisol, or the stress hormone, is reduced by the act of chewing gum. For those struggling with generalized anxiety disorder, it can be helpful to have some short-term strategies for relieving anxiety levels on-hand. While psychiatry and psychotherapy help with anxiety symptom management, having tools in your toolkit like chewing gum can help manage cortisol levels in a pinch. If you or a loved one are struggling with anxiety and are looking for a comprehensive mental health treatment plan, don’t hesitate to call us today for more detail. AMFM Mental Health Treatment has over a decade of experience providing compassionate care for individuals living with anxiety disorders. If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of chewing gum for anxiety, read more below.

What are the Benefits of Chewing Gum?

Research has shown that chewing gum–more specifically sugarless gum–can reduce stress levels in individuals with anxiety. In one study, two groups were tested with long-term and short-term gum chewers, and tested on self-reported stress levels and different stressors. In the long-term (19 days) and short-term (7 days) chewing gum groups, the pretest scores of depression, anxiety, and stress were significantly higher than the posttest scores.² The benefits of long term chewing on stress reduction suggests that it may be a simple, cost effective method of reducing stress and improving quality of life and well-being.³ Animal studies have also shown that the physical action of chewing reduces the sympathetic nervous system response to stress.⁴ In another study, results proved that long-term chewing gum was effective in reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and improving test scores in school nursing students.⁵

Sugar-Free Gum

While chewing gum should not be a replacement or substitution for brushing and flossing, chewing sugar-free gum can not only lead to reduced stress, but it can also help with oral health. When stimulated by chewing, your mouth produces from 10 to 12 times as much saliva; that saliva contains much more of a key ingredient called bicarbonate, compared to unstimulated saliva.⁶ Bicarbonate, in turn, improves oral health by minimizing plaque, a contributor to cavities, tooth decay, gum disease, and bad breath.⁷ The ADA has given its seal of approval to gums sweetened by non–cavity-causing sweeteners including aspartame, sorbitol, xylitol, or mannitol.⁸

Neuroscience of Chewing Gum

In another intervention study of chewing gum at varying stress levels, the research showed reduced stress and fatigue. During both levels of stress the chewing gum condition was associated with significantly better alertness and reduced state anxiety, stress and salivary cortisol.⁹ Some studies have delved into the neuroscience behind the relief of chewing gum, but results remain varied. The mechanisms underlying these effects are unknown but may involve improved cerebral blood flow and/or effects secondary to performance improvement during gum chewing.¹⁰ What’s clear is that chewing gum can serve as a productive short-term strategy for anxiety-relief.

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Additional Short-Term Strategies to Reduce Stress

Anxiety symptoms can be deeply uncomfortable, and it makes sense to need relaxation techniques at the moment of stressors. If you’re looking for mental health treatment to help with anxiety management, don’t hesitate to reach out today.

Grounding Techniques

Grounding techniques can be helpful to break the cycle of anxious thoughts when you or your loved one might feel an anxiety attack coming on. One simple but effective grounding technique is the 5-4-3-2-1 method: name five things you see, four things you can touch, three things you hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This practice can help you acknowledge your surroundings and get you out of your head’s negative thought cycles.¹¹

Breathing Exercises

There are a variety of breathing techniques and deep breathing exercises that are helpful when your anxiety symptoms feel overwhelming or out of control. One simple deep breathing exercise is to use a count to five as you breathe in, hold it for four counts, then release it for five counts, and repeat until you begin to feel yourself relax.

Physical Stimulation

Physical stimulation can help you to jump start your body out of the fight-or-flight physical response of anxiety. Taking a cold shower, splashing your face with cold water, tasting sour candy, going for a run (and other types of physical activity) are all ways to trick your body into remembering that it is in a safe place.

Expressive Arts

Wellness activities like yoga, journaling, making playlists, art therapy and more can help build the mind-body connection through a more holistic healing process.

What is Anxiety Mental Health Treatment Like?

In a mental health treatment center, the day-to-day may vary depending upon your diagnoses and personalized treatment plan, but it will often consist of some combination of individual therapy sessions, group therapy sessions, psychiatry services, and more. AMFM Mental Health Treatment combines holistic and evidence-based mental health services in order to help each person overcome their particular obstacles and mental health conditions for greater overall well-being.

Group Therapy

Group therapy sessions can be used to help provide structured times to help you understand that you are not alone in your struggles, offering peer support, and the reminder that others are also walking through these challenges. At the same time, groups provide guidance from qualified mental health professionals, with suggestions and communication from psychologists with specialized backgrounds. These groups can span a variety of backgrounds, including but not limited to art therapy, somatic therapy, and narrative therapy.¹²

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a form of therapy that’s focused on restructuring and reprogramming maladaptive and negative thought processes. Psychologists are trained to help adults and young adults change their cognitive and emotional processes in order to outgrow maladaptive coping mechanisms.¹³

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is most commonly referred to as “talk therapy,” and is designed to help process emotions. Qualified professionals offer psychological therapy to move forward with healthy ways of engaging in interpersonal relationships and alleviating physical and emotional distress.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)

EMDR Therapy is a renowned method of reprocessing most often used in trauma therapy. By activating the prefrontal cortex through a series of bilateral stimulation, qualified mental health professionals can lead you through traumatic experiences, helping you to alleviate the distress symptomized by trauma.¹⁴

Crisis Intervention and Stabilization Services

A crisis is defined by the National Library of Medicine “as an overwhelming event, which can include divorce, violence, the passing of a loved one, or the discovery of a serious illness.”¹⁵ The goal of crisis intervention is to provide safety and reduce any potential harm to an individual undergoing a crisis.

Family Therapy

AMFM Mental Health Treatment offers family therapy through virtual family support groups that provide a dedicated time for families to engage in supportive and constructive interactions, fostering stronger relationships, and enhancing the overall treatment experience. Recovery takes a village, and it’s often helpful for family members to be involved in behavioral growth.

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Additional Mental Health Disorders for Treatment

AMFM Mental Health Treatment has extensive experience treating a variety of mental health conditions–through evidence-based therapies, support groups, mental health resources and more–including but not limited to the following:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Depression
Eating Disorders
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Crisis & Traumatic Events
ADHD
Bipolar Disorder
Mood Disorders
Panic Disorder / Panic Attacks
Psychosis
Phobias
Schizophrenia

Recovery can feel isolating; mental health programming can provide treatment options and mental health benefits to help you or your loved one as you move forward.

Citations

Smith AP. Chewing gum and stress reduction. J Clin Transl Res. 2016 Apr 24;2(2):52-54. PMID: 30873461; PMCID: PMC6410656.

Yaman-Sözbir Ş, Ayaz-Alkaya S, Bayrak-Kahraman B. Effect of chewing gum on stress, anxiety, depression, self-focused attention, and academic success: A randomized controlled study. Stress Health. 2019 Oct;35(4):441-446. doi: 10.1002/smi.2872. Epub 2019 Jun 14. PMID: 31125164.

Koizumi S, Minamisawa S, Sasaguri K, Onozuka M, Sato S, Ono Y. Chewing reduces sympathetic nervous response to stress and prevents poststress arrhythmias in rats. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2011 Oct;301(4):H1551-8. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.01224.2010. Epub 2011 Aug 5. PMID: 21821783.

Luo J, Xia M, Zhang C. The Effects of Chewing Gum on Reducing Anxiety and Stress: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. J Healthc Eng. 2022 Jan 31;2022:8606693. doi: 10.1155/2022/8606693. Retraction in: J Healthc Eng. 2023 Sep 20;2023:9834258. doi: 10.1155/2023/9834258. PMID: 35140905; PMCID: PMC8820850.

Ehrenfeld, T. (2023, September 18). Anxious? chewing gum may help. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/open-gently/202309/anxious-chewing-gum-may-help

Andrew Scholey, 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, Volume 97, Issues 3–4, 2009, Pages 304-312, ISSN 0031-9384, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2009.02.028.

Smith, Sara. “BHP Blog – Behavioral Health Partners (BHP).” BHP Blog – Behavioral Health Partners (BHP) – University of Rochester Medical Center, 10 April 2018, https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/behavioral-health-partners/bhp-blog/april-2018/5-4-3-2-1-coping-technique-for-anxiety. Accessed 9 April 2025.

“Psychotherapy: Understanding group therapy.” American Psychological Association, 31 October 2019, https://www.apa.org/topics/psychotherapy/group-therapy. Accessed 20 February 2025.

“APA Dictionary of Psychology.” APA Dictionary of Psychology, https://dictionary.apa.org/cognitive-behavior-therapy. Accessed 20 February 2025.

“What is EMDR?” EMDR Institute, https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/. Accessed 20 February 2025.

MA, Carlberg K. “Crisis Intervention – StatPearls.” NCBI, 24 April 2023, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559081/. Accessed 20 February 2025.