You may chew your lips compulsively or automatically bite your lips when you are nervous. Like picking your fingernails or blinking too much, biting your lips may be something you unconsciously do when experiencing stress that requires an outlet. However, if it becomes a habit, biting your lips can cause them to crack, bleed, or scar, and you may feel like you can't break the habit. In mild cases, use a combination of simple techniques to break the habit. In case of compulsive lip biting/chewing, consult a doctor and therapist as soon as possible.
Step
Method 1 of 5: Breaking the Habit
Step 1. Anticipate lip biting behavior
Be aware when you bite your lip. Reflect on your feelings at the time. The habit of biting your lips may be done when you feel anxious or bored. Remind yourself when you are about to encounter a situation that could trigger the habit of biting your lip so that you are alert.
In many cases, biting your lip is just a sign of anxiety. Other signs include shortness of breath, increased heart rate, flushed face, and sweating. When you feel any of these signs, be prepared to stop biting your lip
Step 2. Perform a competing response technique
When you feel the urge to bite your lip, do something else that blocks the bad habit. Lick your lips, or wipe your lips with your finger. Gently bite on a pencil or small pad, or do something else that prevents lip biting, such as breathing with your mouth open, talking, or singing. This technique is usually used in conjunction with relaxation techniques and cognitive behavioral therapy to treat deep-rooted compulsive behaviors.
- Try it this way: when you want to bite your lip, take a deep breath from your diaphragm for 60 seconds, relax one muscle at a time, then use the competing response technique for 60 seconds.
- Replace with other movements, such as wiping your lips with your fingers, pursed lips, chewing gum, whistling, or yawning.
- Talk to your doctor or therapist about developing a competitive response technique that's specific to you. One move that is effective for one person may not always work for another.
Step 3. Prevent lip biting
Using a lip balm that tastes bad can help remind yourself not to bite your lip. Try a lip balm that contains ingredients that can heal chapped lips or act as sunscreen. If you're training yourself to lick, instead of biting, your lips, try a sweet lip balm. The sweet taste and smell of a lip balm or lipstick can make you want to lick, rather than bite, your lips. In addition, use lip balm or lipstick when you feel the urge to bite your lips.
- Apply a small amount of menthol-containing lip conditioner just under the nose as a reminder.
- If you find yourself in a situation that triggers the habit of biting your lip, try sucking on hard candy, chewing gum, or wearing a mouth guard.
Method 2 of 5: Addressing the Cause
Step 1. Consult a doctor
Your doctor can help find the exact cause of your lip biting or refer you to a specialist. Severe chewing and biting habits that cause bleeding, scarring, or other damage to the lips or mouth require medical attention. Lip biting is often a symptom of anxiety, but it can also be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB).
- Lip biting can be a tic (sudden, repetitive, and uncontrollable small movements). This condition is most common in young men and often resolves on its own, without any treatment, after a few months. Your doctor can help pinpoint a possible cause.
- Talk to your dentist about using a mouth guard for biting, chewing, and clenching your lips. If lip biting tends to occur at night or during passive activities, such as reading, watching TV, or studying, a mouth guard can be very helpful.
Step 2. Consult a therapist
Whether due to anxiety or serious compulsions, lip biting is more effective with therapy than medication. The therapist may train you to do the habit reversal method. This method includes mindfulness exercises, relaxation techniques, and competing response techniques. Ask for a referral to a therapist with experience treating compulsive behavior and anxiety.
- Talk to a therapist about cognitive behavioral therapy, which is therapy that focuses on the relationship between thoughts and behavior.
- Support groups can also be helpful, especially if no relatives or friends can understand what you're going through.
Step 3. Talk to a psychiatrist about anti-anxiety medications
If none of these methods help, you may have an anxiety disorder that can be treated with medication. Generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and other anxiety disorders can't always be treated with talk therapy. Depending on your diagnosis and medical condition, your psychiatrist may prescribe medication to treat your anxiety disorder.
- Prescription drugs can include antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
- Buspirone, a medication specifically designed to treat anxiety, or benzodiazepines, a sedative used to treat more severe cases of anxiety, may be prescribed.
- Not all causes of lip biting are effectively treated with drugs. BFRBs, for example, are most effectively treated with the habit reversal method, with medications prescribed only to treat other coexisting conditions.
Method 3 of 5: Prevent Biting Lips
Step 1. Visit the dentist for a dental check-up
In some cases, the habit of biting the lips is triggered by the structure of the mouth. If the teeth are not aligned, the body may subconsciously try to align the teeth by positioning the lips between the teeth. If you have an overbite disorder or other dental position abnormalities that are suspected of causing the habit of biting your lips, consult your dentist to discuss a solution.
The dentist can determine whether the abnormal position of the teeth is indeed the cause of your habit of biting your lips. If so, the recommended treatment may include braces or retainers to correct the position of the teeth. After the position of the teeth is corrected, the habit of biting the lips should no longer occur
Step 2. Compress the wound with ice cubes
If the lip or the inside of the cheek is accidentally bitten, swelling may occur. During the healing process, repeated bites of the swollen area may be difficult to avoid. To help prevent re-biting, compress the swelling with ice cubes periodically until it subsides. Place a roll of cloth between your teeth when doing passive activities so that the lips/inner cheeks are not bitten unconsciously.
Step 3. Chew slowly
Lips can be bitten if you eat too fast or have an abnormal tooth/jaw position. Like other accidental bites, one bite carries the risk of causing more and more painful bites. If you bite your lip or the inside of your cheek while chewing, give your mouth a chance to heal. Eat soft foods, such as yogurt, applesauce, and soup, for a few days until the swelling subsides.
Method 4 of 5: Doing Relaxation Techniques and Mindfulness Exercises
Step 1. Use deep breathing techniques
Deep breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, helps you relax, both physically and mentally. Research has shown that using this technique when stressed helps reduce symptoms of stress, such as lip biting and other bad habits. When you feel like biting your lip, try this technique:
- Sit up straight so your torso is perpendicular to the floor.
- Inhale that fills your stomach, slowly and controlled. The stomach should move in and out. If your chest is moving up and down, you are breathing too short. Focus on deep breathing.
- Continue to breathe deeply until you feel relaxed and no longer want to bite your lip.
- Deep breathing techniques are usually included in the habit reversal method.
Step 2. Practice progressive muscle relaxation techniques
This is another physical technique that has a good effect on the mental. Execution of this technique takes a few minutes. Do this technique when you are under a lot of stress to calm yourself down and stop the urge to bite your lip. Like deep breathing, this technique is usually also included in the habit reversal method.
- Tense your arm muscles as tightly as you can. Take a deep breath and tense the muscles for 5 seconds.
- Exhale and relax the muscles at the same time. Relax completely for 15 seconds.
- Choose another muscle group to tense for 5 seconds. Try tensing your legs, torso, buttocks, or jaw muscles. Keep alternating tensing and relaxing muscles until all major muscle groups have had their turn.
- Continue until the urge to bite your lip is gone. You may need to rotate muscle groups for up to 15 minutes.
Step 3. Do mindfulness exercises
Consciousness is the act of being fully in the present. When you're more aware of your body and how it feels, you're less likely to automatically bite your lip. This technique requires a little practice. However, once mastered, this technique can be used anytime and anywhere with great results.
- When you feel anxious, immediately focus on your five senses. What is in front of you? What's in the mouth? What is heard in the ear? What do your hands feel? What smells in the air?
- Continue to focus on your physical condition until the anxious thoughts go away.
- If it's hard to focus, try a quick trick to see your hands when cupped. This method helps you immediately focus on your own body.
Method 5 of 5: Relieve Anxiety with a Healthy Lifestyle
Step 1. Eat healthy foods
Eating nutritious foods on a regular basis helps you stay calm and feel safe. Eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrients your body needs. Eat fruits and vegetables every day, and don't forget to eat carbohydrates or protein.
Replace alcohol and caffeine with water. Both alcohol and caffeine contain ingredients that can make anxiety worse
Step 2. Exercise
Regular exercise triggers the release of endorphins, which promote feelings of well-being and reduce anxiety. Exercise improves mood and improves sleep patterns. If you don't have a specific exercise plan, try brisk walking for half an hour each day.
Step 3. Get a good night's sleep
Anxiety interferes with sleep, and lack of sleep exacerbates anxiety. Try to break this unhealthy cycle by going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, creating a quiet, electronic bed-free environment, and not eating any food for a few hours before going to bed. Adults need 7-8 hours of sleep every night, as much as possible without interruption. Children and teens need 9-11 hours of sleep every night.
Step 4. Consider using alternative treatments
Some people get great results using alternative treatments. If you are interested in trying one of the alternative treatments, consult with your doctor before changing or changing the treatment that has been recommended by your doctor. Your doctor may be able to suggest alternative treatments, such as meditation and yoga, that complement and support the relaxation techniques your doctor has prescribed.
- Acupuncture is an ancient technique originating in China that inserts needles into specific points of the body. There is growing evidence to suggest that acupuncture can help with anxiety.
- Research has shown that yoga and meditation can help with symptoms of anxiety, both physical and mental.
