Benefits
Sensory jewellery offer significant benefits for both neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals, such as enhancing cognitive performance and improving overall wellbeing. This isn’t just wishful thinking; it’s supported by a range of research studies and clinical practice, a sample of which we’ve included below. These show that sensory jewellery is a safe, effective and convenient way to enhance your day-to-day.
Chewing on sensory jewellery can have a calming effect, and reduces stress and anxiety through repetitive, soothing action. The jewellery provides proprioceptive (body awareness) input to the jaw and mouth, which helps to create a grounding feeling, and the repetitive motion and tactile feedback can help manage sensory overload. For individuals with sensory processing disorders it provides a safe and social acceptable outlet for chewing and fidgeting behaviours, which helps with emotional self-regulation.
Sensory jewellery helps give a sense of grounding. These so-called proprioceptive activities are known to enhance cognitive function by providing the body with sensory feedback that aids concentration, improves task performance and increases attention span.
Additionally, by keeping hands and mouths busy, sensory jewellery can also help reduce the occurrence of distracting behaviours that might otherwise take place, allowing for better focus on the task at hand. Studies have shown that chewing, in particular, can enhance cognitive performance and improve concentration. Some of our users have also told us that they find sensory jewellery particularly beneficial when they’re on work video meetings!
For people with ADHD, sensory jewellery provides an outlet to channel excess energy, which in turn improves attention. As a side effect of managing anxiety, sensory jewellery can also help with cognitive function, since the reduction of anxiety makes it easier to improve performance.
Engaging in tactile stimulation through use of sensory jewellery can enhance cognitive processes by keeping the mind engaged in repetitive activities. A study has found that tactile activities can improve memory retention, particularly in academic settings.
Foss & Bjørn’s collections are, and will always be, made from completely safe and non-toxic materials – adult, teenager or infant, independent testing has proven that anyone can safely chew on Foss & Bjørn’s products without introducing harmful substances to their body. You can read more about our safety credentials here.
Our jewellery offers a safe alternative to chewing on potentially harmful objects, such as your nails, skin, clothing, or pencils. So many of you have told us about the number of regular jewellery you’ve broken over the years because they are not designed for chewing or fiddling. With Foss & Bjørn’s products, no more throwing away damaged necklaces or bracelets, and no more damage to teeth from chewing on hard surfaces not intended for that purpose.
The materials in our necklaces and bracelets are durable and can withstand frequent, regular use. We’re so confident in the quality of our makes that we offer a 90-day guarantee above and beyond your statutory rights. At any time after that, if anything should exceptionally break or get damaged, we offer a reliable repairs service so you can keep on using your jewellery pieces year after year. It’s better for your wallet, and better for the environment too!
The jewellery is available in many styles, shapes and colours, and can therefore be worn as a regular fashion accessory. At the same time, they are a discreet and socially acceptable way to emotionally self-regulate and improve cognitive performance for both adults and teenagers. At Foss & Bjørn we also have several customisation options, so you can tailor the pieces to match your personal style and preferences.
Regular chewing can help strengthen jaw muscles and support oral motor development, which is beneficial for individuals with developmental delays or oral motor difficulties. For babies, fiddling with the jewellery while on their parent or guardians’ laps also helps to support their motor skills development.
Sensory jewellery is easy to carry and, as a wearable item, is always accessible and less likely to become lost or hard to find. It can therefore provide immediate relief and sensory input without the need for additional tools or gadgets, and without having to scramble around in your bag looking for it, making it a convenient solution for when you’re on the go.
For mothers, sensory jewellery is a useful solution to keep their children occupied and calm, either when they’re nursing or when you’re out travelling, or both. Since they’re worn around your neck, they’re less likely to be thrown or dropped by the child, and can be given immediately if the child becomes restless while on your lap.
Sensory jewellery has many uses – besides chewing, it also provides tactile stimulation, visual engagement, and they even work as fidget tools, catering to various sensory needs.
Sensory necklaces provide a safe and effective way to soothe teething pain in infants. Chewing on the soft, textured material helps to massage their gums and reduce discomfort while they’re on your lap. Some of our products can also be given to babies to hold directly without being worn by an adult; these are labelled as such.
Sensory necklaces can be an effective tool for breaking unwanted habits like nail-biting. The jewellery provides an alternative activity that satisfies the need for oral stimulation, which can gradually help reduce the compulsion to bite nails or engage in other negative habits.
By consistently using the jewellery for sensory input, it’s possible to develop healthier behaviours and we can redirect the chewing behaviour via the necklace, reinforcing a positive habit instead.
- Allen, Andrew P. and Andrew Smith (2011) “A review of the evidence that chewing gum affects stress, alertness and cognition.” Journal of Behavioral and Neuroscience Research. Vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 7–23.
- Blickensderfer, E., Cannon-Bowers, J. A., & Salas, E. (2016). “Fidgeting with a Purpose: The Role of Fidgeting in Cognitive Performance and Stress Management.” Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology, 30(6), pp. 967-974.
- Charlton, Rebecca A., Timothy Entecott, Evelina Belova, and Gabrielle Nwaordu (2021) “It feels like holding back something you need to say: Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults accounts of sensory experiences and stimming.” Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. (Vol. 89)
- Miller, Elizabeth J., Roberta A. Schnitz, and Edward W. Carr (2015). “Effects of Sensory Integration Intervention on Children with Autism.”Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (Vol. 45, No 6, pp. 1653-1662)
- Neff, Megan Anna, Dr. neurodivergentinsights.com/blog/the-power-of-sensory-regulation
- Pfeiffer, B., Koenig, K., Kinnealey, M., Sheppard, M., and Henderson, L. (2011) “Effectiveness of Sensory Integration Interventions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Pilot Study.” American Journal of Occupational Therapy, Vol. 65(1), pp. 76-85.
- Sensory Friendly Solutions. www.sensoryfriendly.net/why-workplace-inclusion-training-with-a-focus-on-sensory-sensitivity-matters
- Smith, Andrew (2010) “Effects of chewing gum on cognitive function, mood and physiology in stressed and non-stressed volunteers.” Nutritional Neuroscience (Vol. 13, issue 1, pp. 7-16).
- TotalCareABA, www.totalcareaba.com/autism/benefits-of-sensory-toys
- van der Wurff, Inge, Celeste Meijs, Petra Hurks, Christine Resch, and Renate de Groot (2021) “The influence of sensory processing tools on attention and arithmetic performance in Dutch primary school children.” Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. Vol. 209.
