Nail biting, medically termed as Onychophagia, can be characterized by seemingly uncontrollable nail-biting that is destructive to fingernails as well as the surrounding tissue. People who frequently bite their nails may experience both psychological and physical symptoms like:. A lot of people have nervous habits such as pacing or fidgeting.
While a lot of these are harmless, but nail-biting when stressed or anxious exposes you to several ailments. Your nails are an ideal dwelling place for several germs. When you bite your nails, these bacteria travel from the mouth to the gut, causing stomach infections that lead to diarrhoea and abdominal pain.
It may seem harmless, but it can increase the risk of bacterial or fungal infection entering your blood, and that could lead to cold or flu. That same review identifies a four-stage sequence common to anxious nail-biters: After raising the hand to the face or mouth and holding it there for a few seconds, the fingers are quickly tapped against the front teeth, the study authors say.
Next, a series of quick spasmodic bitings occur, followed by visual inspection or feeling the newly bitten nails with your other fingers. If that sequence sounds familiar, your habit may be an easy way to assess when you're stressed out. While that's sort of helpful— symptoms of stress can be silent or hard to identify —biting your nails can also lead to some truly gross or harmful health issues, says Adam Friedman , MD, associate professor of dermatology at George Washington University.
If you bite off too big a piece, you can expose the delicate skin beneath your nail, leaving it exposed to any bacteria or pathogens in your mouth—and there are plenty of them. One of the most common forms of infection is called paronychia, and it can cause swelling , redness, pain, and pus-filled lumps.
That infection can stick around for weeks at a time, shows a study in the journal American Family Physician. Friedman says biting your cuticles—the narrow crescents of skin that rim the bottom of your nail—is the most common cause of paronychia.
Your saliva's chemical composition allows it to break down fats and other food molecules, Friedman says. While that aids your digestion , it can also damage and inflame the skin of your fingertips if you're constantly jamming them in your mouth, he says. For the same reason, licking your lips can cause them to become chapped; your saliva is actually corroding the skin, Friedman says. Dealing with weak nails?
Here are 8 reasons why your nails keep breaking. While exposing your fingers to the bacteria in your mouth is bad news, giving all the nasty microorganisms on your fingers access to your mouth is probably worse. Boys tend to bite their nails more than girls. In other words, your nail-biting habit may have begun as early as when you were a child. You may not think much of chewing your nails, but dermatologists explain that chronic nail biting may actually cause some serious issues.
How do you stop biting your nails? There are some different things you can try at home. There are also some cases where you may want to check in with your doctor instead of going it on your own. Before you try to stop biting your nails, you may want to spend some time thinking about why you bite them in the first place.
Try keeping a log of when you find yourself biting. Are you tired? You may start to notice a pattern. An easy way to deter yourself from biting your nails is to keep them short. The idea behind this method is simple. Try dropping a chunk of change on a gorgeous manicure to see if it can help you stop.
Your nails will look and feel great. While it may sound strange at first, using a bitter-flavored varnish like ORLY may help you kick your habit. You can apply this type of deterrent over your bare nails or even over manicured nails. Simply brush it on, let it dry completely, and reapply when you need to. You read that correctly: chewelery.
A company called Ark makes a silicone Saber Tooth necklace that is meant for anyone ages 5 and above who needs to chew. You can choose your color and your toughness on a scale from soft to extra-extra tough.
This type of gadget may work best if you are aware of your nail biting. Instead of chewing your nails to help yourself focus or soothe, you can replace your nails with the necklace. Note: You may want to discuss using chewlery with your dentist. Chewing on anything — nails or otherwise — may damage your teeth or harm your jaw. Instead, the American Academy of Dermatology suggests cutting the habit by focusing on just one nail at a time.
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