Do you bite your nails? Try these foolproof tips

Published: 07/05/2010 - Updated: 07/10/2016

If you bite your nails or you have the mania of pulling out the flakes of the contour of your nails, and want to quit or you've tried everything and nothing works for you, check out the following tips that will help you put your nails very nice and presentable.

Effects of nail biting

You must know above all that the onychophagia (the name given to the habit of nail biting) is not an easy habit to eliminate, stop biting your nails is perhaps as difficult to stop eating, smoking or gambling. And although apparently biting you nails just have aesthetic consequences for you, you need to know that can also affect your health, especially in the health of your teeth, which suffer excessive wear of dentin every time you bite the hard material which forms nails, and this can eventually make your teeth weak, that break easily or become very sensitive to temperatures and flavors. Besides this, your teeth wore out because of the pressure that makes a tooth against the other every time you pull a fingernail; this steady drumbeat causes the teeth look rotten.

As for nails, the constant gnawing that are subject to creates micro-trauma throughout inside the nail (which is under the nails), and altering their anatomy and appearance. This can make the nails appear to be damaged or broken.

Furthermore, bringing your nails ugly can lead to insecurity and shame on the person.

Why do I bite my nails?

This is a very common disorder among children and adults and occurs in both men and women. Experts attribute this as a pleasant way to reduce pressure, anxiety, nervousness, etc. When you are in time of stress, or do not know what you feel or what you should do (anxiety) or feel judged or criticized, biting your nails can help distract your attention from what causes these emotions you. Feelings of guilt or remorse can make you to bite your nails. This habit can exist from very early childhood, between 3 and 5 years, and hence can become a habit that can be very difficult to remove, even to adult age. Many times this habit is created unconsciously, and this makes it much more difficult to remove.

How can I stop biting my nails?

So don’t think more. If you find a refuge or calm place while biting your nails, appreciate the action as one of your weaknesses that can become strengths and do not give up until you do. Some of the habits that follow can also be used in children.

Tips to quit biting your nails

Dream: Can you imagine the nails of your hands very nice and presentable? Viewing or dreaming like your hands would be if you did not have these habits is a major step and a way to crave your will get stronger. In order to keep this and remember very well what this article says, cut a picture from a magazine where they show beautiful hands and nails well manicured. Glue the picture near your desk or in a place where you see often, as the bathroom or the refrigerator. If possible, stick two or three images where you can see.

Watch yourself: when you fall in mechanical habits, is that you lose sight of the reason or the activity. So note on what you feel when you bite your nails. Surely you will find that you feel pressured, judged, devalued, dissatisfied, far from being accepted, etc. They may also feel guilt or remorse for something or you do not criticize too much because things right. Do you think, this may be related to not knowing what to do with what you feel, and often has to do with self-esteem. In children, it usually happens that they feel very scolded, unloved or judged by the adults around them. In any case, it is best to begin by removing the tension of the eyes that judge us, and begin to accept ourselves as we are, learning from mistakes.

Replaces the habit: every time you catch yourself biting nails, eat an apple or drink a glass of water, or do something that will be beneficial, such as writing something or washing some dirty dishes. Replace harmful habit for something good is a great help especially in the beginning, while still solving the stress, anxiety or emotional root causes of this behavior.

Keep will: like in every habit, you need will and the will consists in understand you more and do different acitivies. Even if you bite your nails when you feel you are calm, there may be a little distress or any of the emotions. You should make the effort to get your nails off your mouth every time you find yourself biting them.

For children, it is necessary not rebuke or punish them, you can help them better you make them understand the problem that may be causing anxiety, and then helping to replace the habit with a new one. It is not good to repeat "Do not do it" "That is not right" "You look ugly nail biting!", etc. These are naive statements because we have to remember that it is the refuge of the child. In every habit should be noted that there is a cause that feeds it, so it's best to get to the point of the matter instead of just mowing the problem with simple remedies and passengers, such as garlic spread for nails, put in your mouth appliances, etc. A child can be helped distracting, taking him for walks, chatting with him, playing a game that requires your full attention, and so on. These remedies may appear very effective and fast, and are rarely applied because require patience, time and commitment of the parents. But surely, eventually, are unquestionably the best remedies for the child avoid seeking new havens to calm their emotions. 

About the author
  • K. Laura Garcés G

    Writer, therapist and lecturer. She is a lover of natural medicine and the power of mind and emotions in body and life. In addition, he has studied nutrition and develops appropriate diets to support this healing process.She has written more than 1500 articles in magazines in Spain and Mexico, winner of two literature contests. Linkedin.

2 Replies to “Do you bite your nails? Try these foolproof tips”
  • Carl says:

    Hey people, recently my little girl has acquired this habit and I do not the reason but my wife and I have done a lot of things to make her stop and nothing seems to work, I hope she doesn?t maintain this habit for a long time but maybe I should try the last recommendation and find new activities or the reason of her stress or something, thanks for the information

  • Stacy says:

    I have never bit my nails really…just every now and then to get to occassional hang nail off, but my brother always used to bite his nails when he was younger. He actually has significant tooth wear because of it (or so we all assume that’s what it’s from), but he also drank lots of soda as well, which weakens the teeth.