If you're a nail biter (or hair twirler or finger tapper), there's a good chance your habit started during childhood. About half of all adolescents bite their nails, but more than three-fourths of those will stop by age 35 Pediatric . Nervous habits like these are unconscious behaviors that we repeat out of anxiety, stress or boredom. Nail biters have what doctors call onychophagia.
Constant nail biting can lead to:
- Split or fractured nails
- Bleeding around the cuticles
- Infections
- Pain
One problem with nail biting is that it's considered socially unacceptable; ragged, bitten nails aren't attractive, and neither is the act of biting your nails. Some people bite their nails so badly that their fingers bleed, or the nails are so stunted that there is almost no nail left. But it's not just about having pretty hands -- in addition to having a negative impact on your appearance, nail biting can also affect your health.
When you bite your nails, you transfer bacteria back and forth between your mouth and fingers (which isn't where you want germs!). If you bite your hangnails, infections can grow under the nail bed. Even worse, you can permanently damage your nails, your gums and your teeth.
So if you're reading this article and looking at your ragged nails, wondering how to stop nibbling them,
There are a number of steps a person can take to stop biting their nails:
- First and foremost, confront the source of your stress and nervousness.
- Develop stress management techniques.
- Keep your hands busy and distracted by writing in a journal, sewing, and knitting, planting or playing video games. Learn any activity that will be productive and keep the hands busy.
- Have regular manicures
- Try anti-nail biting polish such as Orly Nail Polish “No Bite’ Nail Treatment, Defender 10 Bite Ender, or Barielle No Bite Pro Growth.
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