Whenever someone asks me to share something not everyone knows about me, I always tell them of my habit of chewing gum at night…while sleeping. Most gasp at this, thinking that surely I’d get gum in my hair. I never have. I like to chew gum at night because it lessens that dragon breath feeling the next morning that writers often ignore when writing that next morning love scene. Well, much to my surprise, I came across an article hailing the benefits of gum chewing! Yes! I’ve been vindicated. So, here are a few fascinating tidbits I learned from the article…

The oldest evidence of gum chewing dates back 8,000 years. Hunter-gatherers in Scandinavia chewed gum made from birch bark pitch, using the sticky residue as glue for their tools. It is interesting to note that some chew marks indicate some gum chewers were as young as 5 years old. Similar to these early hunter-gatherers, ancient Greeks, Native Americans, and Mayans also chewed sticky substances such as chicle from the sapodilla tree.
Chicle came to the United States via an exiled Mexican president in the 1850s. The New York inventor originally tried to turn chicle into a rubber substitute, and when that didn’t work, he started making chewing gum.
Gum became popular in the 1890’s when the original gum manufacturer, William Wrigley, started giving away chewing gum to people who bought soap and baking soda. Wrigley noticed the gum was more popular than the items people bought. Wrigley was a marketing genius, pitching it to the military during World War I to stave off hunger and keep teeth clean.
With the popularity of gum in the early 1900s, stories of the health benefits popped up everywhere, claiming gum chewing was the answer to anxiety and depression. Soon, researchers were studying the health benefits, and a study in the 40’s found that, “The gum chewer relaxes and gets more work done.” Although this particular researcher could not articulate why.
In 2006, the Wrigley Company created the Wrigley Science Institute to fund experiments investigating the benefits of gum chewing. While the studies found that chewing gum did not improve memory, they did find that chewing gum increased alertness and sustained attention. These studies also found that gum chewing reduces stress. Specifically, in 2022, a study found that women who chewed gum before elective surgery had lower anxiety.
During the Great Depression, many businesses went bankrupt, but William Wrigley continued to make money.
It’s interesting to note that over the last five years, people have stopped chewing gum, and sales have declined. This was especially true during the pandemic. So those research studies and the marketing strategy of touting gum as a health benefit have come back.

While my reasons for chewing gum are different from what the health benefits studies suggest, it’s good to know that I’m getting a side benefit from my obsession. Goodness knows, we need something to reduce our stress from what is happening in our country right now! Right now, I am in Mexico for Girls Just Wanna Weekend to see Brandi Carlile, who, coincidentally, always chews gum during her performances! I’d say I’m in good company. I’m pretty sure I may have woven my little quirk into one of my books because I’ve always thought it odd that people kiss first thing in the morning and don’t feel compelled to brush first! Don’t forget to click the links below to learn more about me, because a little bit of me sneaks into every book!