Adult pacifiers, the new trend to reduce stress and anxiety
What happened to the things that used to help lower stress, like meditation, exercise, meeting up with friends, or going to the spa?
A fair share of trends have emerged from Asia, particularly China, that have confused people in the past, but this one has got to be the most outrageous.
A recent trend in China and South Korea has seen people buying adult pacifiers. Yes, the things parents buy for their babies have become the new trend with adults.
Pacifiers are said to soothe babies and provide comfort. Now, adults around China and the United States are buying them to help reduce their own stress and anxiety and even aid in a restful night's sleep.
People are spending between 10 yuan ($1.40/ R24.58) and 500 yuan ($70/ R1,228.91) on adult pacifiers.
Users of these pacifiers have revealed that it helped ease their "ADHD symptoms, support weight loss, and even curb the urge to smoke".
According to the New York Post: "Experts warn this habit is anything but soothing for your mouth — and could cause serious trouble for both your smile and your wallet."
The trend has dentists in a frenzy. They warn of 'open bite', when your upper and lower teeth don't touch to close your jaw. Sucking on pacifiers will eventually throw people's "natural bite out of whack," said Dr. Ben Winters, an orthodontist.
Check out the video from YouTube.
Read more: Introducing… Breast milk-flavoured ice cream
"Psychologists link the habit to a 'regression phenomenon,' where individuals find comfort in childhood-like objects. Health experts caution that prolonged use can cause dental misalignment, jaw problems, mucosal damage and even pose choking or breathing risks during sleep," reports news and entertainment website, Pubity.
HOW TO LISTEN TO EAST COAST RADIO
- Listen to East Coast Radio on the FM (frequency modulation) spectrum between 94 and 95 FM on your radio.
- Listen live to ECR by clicking here or download the ECR App (iOS/Android).
- Listen to East Coast Radio on the DStv audio bouquet, channel 836.
- Switch to the audio bouquet on your Openview decoder and browse to channel 606
- Listen to us on Amazon Alexa.
Follow us on social media:
Image Courtesy of Instagram