Just before a high-pressure presentation, or immediately after receiving an unreasonable complaint. Your heart rate jumps, your breathing becomes shallow, and your hands are sweating. This is a state where the brain has determined that “an enemy is right in front of you (a crisis situation)” and has fully opened the sympathetic nervous system (accelerator), spewing cortisol and adrenaline into your blood vessels (fight-or-flight response).
Many people try to suppress this runaway autonomic nervous system with “deep breathing” or “positive thinking.” However, when the brain has entered the red zone, hitting the brakes with mental theory alone is a monumental task.
That is where the most immediate hacking method, exposed by the latest biosensing technology (measurement of HRV: Heart Rate Variability by smartwatches, etc.), comes in. It physically crushes (buffers) the runaway sympathetic nervous system. That is, “continuously chewing a hard object at a constant rhythm (mindful chewing).”
The “Serotonin Rhythm” That Flattens the Stress Waveform
The heartbeat is not constant. It has a “fluctuation (Heart Rate Variability = HRV),” becoming faster when you inhale and slower when you exhale. The larger this fluctuation (the higher the HRV score), the stronger the parasympathetic nervous system (relaxation brake) is working, indicating a high state of adaptability to stress (evaluation method related to E08).
Conversely, when subjected to intense stress, the heart continues to beat at a constant, fast pace like a metronome (zero fluctuation), and the HRV score drops sharply. How does “chewing” destroy this dangerous deadlock?
- Direct Intervention in the HPA Axis (Stress Response System): Immediately after receiving stress, a powerful arousal route (HPA axis) heading from the hypothalamus in the brain to the pituitary gland and adrenal glands is activated, and cortisol continues to be secreted (physiological transition related to E09).
- The Process of “Offsetting (Buffering)” by Chewing: At this time, you begin the physical exercise of “putting 2 pieces of hard gum in your mouth and chewing powerfully at a pace of once per second.” This rhythmic up-and-down movement of the jaw (input from the trigeminal nerve) sends a signal to the brainstem saying, “You are not fighting an enemy right now, you are moving your mouth and eating = you are safe.”
- Forced Braking by Serotonin: The rhythmic stimulation of chewing directly hits the “raphe nuclei” in the brainstem, causing it to instantly secrete “serotonin,” a tranquilizing hormone. This serotonin brilliantly offsets (buffers) the action of the runaway cortisol and restores the severely dropped HRV score to its original “beautiful fluctuation (relaxation waveform)” in just a few minutes (autonomic nervous system adjustment evidence in E11).
The “Fastest Breakwater” in an Inescapable Stressful Society
“Living without feeling stress” is impossible in modern society. What is important is whether you have the means (skill) to quickly and reliably return the stress you received (sympathetic nerve spikes) back to “green (normal state of mind).”
No special mindfulness meditation training or quiet rooms are required.
On your way home from being chewed out in a meeting, or amidst the frustration of a packed commuter train, just take gum out of your pocket and toss it in your mouth. Then, while immersing yourself in the rhythm of “5 times on the right, 5 times on the left,” concentrate your entire consciousness solely on the power of your jaw (masseter muscle) and the resistance (friction) applied to your teeth.
This simple, physical, and primitive action stops your heart from running wild, forcibly carves out a peaceful (serotonin) space in your brain, and becomes the “strongest armor” that fully protects you from the worst chronic stress.
Chew Better, Live Better.
Bring scientifically proven benefits to your daily life. MoguExercise supports your healthy eating habits.