How to Stop Nail Biting

Onychophagia which is usually called nail biting is a common habit that that many children and adults have. Sometimes you may start nail biting without you realizing it before.

You might start biting your nails when you are hungry, nervous, or bored. Usually nail biting habit occurs when you are doing something else like watching TV, reading books, or when talking on the phone without even thinking about it, in other words, unconsciously.

You may think having this habit is not a big deal, since there are so many people that have this nail biting habit. Since there are numerous people around the world that bite their nails then why should we stop our nail biting habit then?

Obviously, this habit would cause damage to your nails and make them looks really ugly. Nail biting would also damage cuticles, which is the soft tissue that is surrounding your nails. Having damaged cuticles may allow your skin to be infected with microbes and viruses. The saliva may infect your skin too. Nail biting would also lead to gingiva injury. Doing nail biting may also transfer microbes and worms from your nails to your mouth, which then leads to stomach problems.

So, you know that this habit is bad, but you are struggling stop this embarrassing habit. So, how to stop nail biting then?

Luckily there are some ways to stop this nail biting habit you are having. Of course, each method would give different results for each person.

Here are some methods that you could try to stop nail biting:

1. First, find a reason why you wanted to stop this nail biting habit. The most common reason people stop this habit is because this habit could ruin your appearance. Remember this reason every time you start biting your nails, hopefully your urge to stop may be bigger than your urge to bite your nails.
2. Try applying nail polish, cream, or oil that is made specifically to stop this nail biting habit. You could find these items in beauty store or drug store. These products usually have really hot taste or really bitter taste, it's obvious that you won't want to put it in your mouth as it taste really bad. Since you lack awareness when you bite your nails, applying these products on your nails could make you aware that you are biting your nails, so you could stop biting them.
3. When you start biting your nails you could try chewing gum or eating candy, most likely you won't bite your nails while you are chewing gum or eating candy. However, if you have problems with blood sugar you should find sugar-free candy. The bad side of this method is you could have bad habit of chewing gum or eating candy that may be troublesome for you too, even if this method may not work for you.
4. Finding out the reason you are having this habit of nail biting is a good idea too. You should know the reasons behind your habit, because sometimes there are specific reasons such as boredom, fear, stress, or anxiety. Try writing a note of when, where, and what are you doing when you bite your nails. By taking note like this you may find the reason behind this habit and then you may be able to find a way to deal with it.

If you have tried all the methods I gave above and still not achieve success on stopping your nail biting habit, you may want to try to consult your habit to professionals, which is psychiatrists. Onychophagia fall under impulse control disorder category. Your psychiatrist may suggest you to get medication, behavioral therapy, or maybe both of them.