Anxiety, Stress, and Lip/Cheek Biting

this is wild, I'm 20 years old and have been chewing on my cheeks since I can remember. my mother and my grandmother do it as well. ive always had anxiety problems and as a manger at my job, I'm required to work long and crazy hours with little to no sleep. the dentist has warned me too of getting cancer but I just cant stop. it gets so bad that I get sore like blisters on my tongue after long periods of chewing which makes talking painful and deters you from eating anything. I don't know what to do, I feel like ive tried everything but nothing has seemed to work.

I use to bit my nails I started doing that at a very young age. But a year ago I some how stop biting my nails and went to just biting my top lip and don't know what to do about it. And when I know it's happening is when I stop.

What can I or should I do to stop

I started just a few years ago and i searched on google and found its because of anxiety and causes oral cancer.As i looked for ways to stop i found this really cool article that said if you cut a portion of smooth plastic (like from a plastic milk container) and put it on the sides of your mouth then it prevents you from biting your cheek and you can still talk while having it in there.Hope this helped!

I have the same problem, i recently came across a relaxation exercise that is geered towards this exact problem

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Yes, ive been doing this since 10. 17 now, ihada period where I stopped for a while at 15. Never really paid too much attention to it. I only bite the top layer off

I find that meditation focusing on relaxing my jaw and stopping the biting does help. I saw a hypnotist for a while and that helped. It's something I've been struggling with all my life. A therapist told me that focusing on chewing gum and other things similar to that was only reinforcing the oral habit. You need to find something to replace it. For me, that's the good feeling of a relaxed jaw. So when I meditate I remind myself how good it feels to have my jaw completely relaxed.

I dont know about everyone else, but i have this same problem, but used to use meth, idk if the meth is the reason i started doing this cause i have tendencies to use the drug again, but i stop myself cause it messed up my life. But also i excessively drink alcohol, so i also have urges to want to have a few beers, and when i think about drinking i bit my inner lips/mouth. I also pick at my lips with my nails. When i think about doing something and procrastinate it also contributes to biting my lip. Cigarettes dont even take away the Urge, now does Chew. And as the person who first stated also said, it seems like whenever im asleep its like the only time im not doing this. Another thing is, when im very occupied and heavily multi tasked i dont ever seem to bite myself. Idk what this is.

Just like most of you guys I have been chewing my cheeks for ever! I really want to stop cause it seems like it only gets worse with age. I bite my cheeks, lips inside and out. I don't want to do this anymore, but i guess it's like any other bad habbit I just have to stop on my own. I just noticed I'm doing it while writing this post ha. Oh well, not really funny I guess. It doesn't matter anymore if Im stressed out, thinking, or bored. I do it all the time. All I know Im aware most of the time that I'm doing it. Reading that it might cause a cancer scared me a little, so I'll try to keep that in mind and try to stop. Good to know I'm not the only freak out there :) Good Luck to everyone! We can beat this nasty habbit!

I do this all the time. I try to stop but I can't. and now I have a bump that you can see when I talk and I'm afraid someone will notice.%-)

I didn't realise cheek biting was as vast a problem as this, I've done it since i can remember and subconsciously I start when something is playing on my mind. I suffer from anxiety and depression but I need to find a way to stop this biting, it's almost like the sharp pain of biting helps me feel sharper at the time. It's awful the next day though as they develop into olsers and are extremely painful, I wait till these heal then start biting all over again :(

I am 42 years old and have been biting my cheeks since I was about five.  I still remember my friend Scott in first grade, saying I look funny when I pull my mouth to one side.  That was the first time I realized I was doing it.  I would love to be able to stop but shoot, I've had this compulsion my entire life.  I also think it's contributed to my TMJ (temporo-mandibular joint:  clicking and popping of the jaw).  If anyone finds a cure, please tell the world!  :D

I'm 25 and have been biting my cheeks for as long as I can remember. I get sores all the time, have terrible breath from the constant bleeding, and my right cheek is now visibly thinner than my left. If anyone has any useful information about how to stop, I would great appreciate it!

Never thought so many people had the same problem! I also suffer from anxiety and from reading all these comments its obvious that it has something to do with it. I also read that having miss aligned teeth has a lot to do with it also.

I'm thinking of stopping cold turkey and hopefully it'll help.

I don't know what it is, but since my daughter was born last year (Sept. 21st) I have chewed my bottom lip to swollen meat and I literally feel like Im trying to tear a chunk out of my lip...and I want to...but its driving me crazy. I need urgent help

"Guest over year ago i can identify with everyone ...have history of anxiety ever since I can remember; I started biting my nails around 4th grade; I graduated from this habit during early college yrs and developed habit of lip and cheek biting during this time; I do this almost every day and it gets worse whenever I'm under stress. Five yrs ago, I decided to quit for good after 5yrs of this habit ...I stopped cold turkey, which lasted for several months. I struggled quitting for another couple yrs; in each case, I relapsed but with decreased severity than previous. I have currently overcome this habit (this is doable); haven't bitten my lips for over 2 yrs. If I can do it, anyone can."

Thank you, you are the first to offer any hope on this forum. I have this problem and struggled for years. I'll try going cold turkey.I did have braces put in about 6 years ago. I wore them for one and a half years and that was the only thing that prevented me from biting. Once the braces were removed i had perfectly smooth inner cheeks. I did not feel any desire to start biting again, due to the length of time i had gone without doing so I guessed. Eventually stress kicked in and I was hooked on the old habit again. For the first time I missed wearing braces. Now I can't stop. But I will definitely try to just STOP. I mean i don't suggest to anyone having braces put in just to kick this old habit.