A Short But Detailed Report On Why Do I Bite My Nails And How Do I Stop?

Who All Are Biting Their Nails? 

Often observed to be biting their nails is about half of all kids and teens.

It is also found that many don’t grow out of it. You may have done it when you were younger and just never stopped if you are an adult who bites your nails. 

It may be attributed to your parents’ fault: 

Kids whose parents bite their nails are more likely to bite their nails too as scientists aren’t sure if nail biting is genetic. There are studies suggesting that it may happen even if the parents stop doing it even before the child is born. 

Nail-biting can come to be a sign of emotional or mental stress sometimes. In people who are nervous, anxious, or feeling down it tends to show up. It is seen as a way to cope with these feelings. 

When you are bored, hungry, or feeling insecure, you may also find yourself doing it. It is found that nail-biting is mostly automatic as you do it without even thinking. 

What Are The Reasons To Stop?

It doesn’t cause permanent damage when it comes to nail-biting.

Whereas it does come with its own downsides: 

Making your nails grow in weird is this. They may stop growing the way they should if you damage the tissue around your nails. This results in abnormal-looking nails. 

Sometimes it spoils your smile. When you bite your nails, you can chip, crack, or break your teeth. Nail-biting can even cause jaw problems over time. 

It may also make you sick. Nails are their perfect hideout when hands are a hotbed for germs. It increases your chances of getting sick when you are putting your fingers in your mouth multiple times a day. Creating an easy way for germs to get in is the skin damage you can cause when you bite your nails. 

What Are The Methods Of Prevention?

With a little time and effort, you can bust your nail-biting habit even if you may not see a change overnight. 

It helps to try these tips:

You can always cut them short:

It won’t feel as satisfying when you give biting a try if there is not enough nail to grab with your teeth. 

With a bad taste coat them

With a bitter flavour that you can paint on your nails, there are special nail polishes. Before chewing, the terrible taste will make you think twice.  

It helps when you splurge on manicures

Giving you both good-looking nails as well as a reason to keep them away is spending money and time at a nail salon. 

Always wear gloves

You can’t bite them if you can’t get to your nails which may sound silly. You can look for stickers made to cover nails if gloves won't work for your daily schedule as both have the same effect. 

Always find your triggers.

When you bite your nails, notice how you feel or what you are doing. You can try to find other ways to cope once you know what kicks you into a nail-biting drive. 

You can try keeping the hands and mouth busy

A stress ball, a worry stone, or even a pen to click, find something to fiddle with. So that your mouth has a job, chew gum. Find another place to go for giving out your nail-biting energy.

When Do You Need To Talk To A Doctor? 

Take it a little at a time if you are having trouble with the cold turkey approach. For yourself set small goals. For a week try to stop biting the nails on your right hand. Start even smaller by choosing one nail not to bite similar to your thumb. Put another nail in the no-biting zone once you have kept it up for a while. Until all your fingers are off-limits, keep going. 

Talk to your doctor about whether therapy’s a good option to help you get to the bottom of the problem and take nail biting out of the picture if you still struggle after trying multiple methods. 

The Final Thoughts 

Nail-biting is an embarrassing habit. It renders your nails abnormal and weird in shape. So, kick off the habit as soon as you can. Growing up with nail-biting makes your hands look very crooked. So you can make sure you try out one of these tips to keep away from this disgusting habit.