A 32-year-old member asked:
my 11 year old son has started to chew on his t-shirt after having nightmares. why does he do that?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

Dr. James Ferguson answered
Pediatrics 46 years experience
Comfort measures: Chewing at any age stimulated pleasure centers in the brain that is used as a self settling technique by many.It is closely followed by nail biting, thumb sucking & similar habits. Some understand this feature to be part of why quitting smoking is so hard for some.
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Last updated Oct 4, 2016
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