Fingernail Biting

Britney Spears, Elijah Wood, Lisa Marie Presley or Eva Mendez are only few famous nail biters. Did you know you share with them the habit? Fingernail biting, also called onychophagia, is a common habit for children and adults as well. Its origins lay in a nervous condition, and affects 35% of children, 40% of teenagers and 29% of adults. Boys are more tempted to do it than girls.



They start it without even noticing it. Doctors agree that the reason for which a person bites nails is very important, in order to find the solution for stopping it. It may indicate obsessive compulsion – emotional or mental disorders. For nail-biters this may be a way of self-punishment for different problems and a sign of bad self-image.

The habit of nail biting starts usually in early childhood and, as the person grows, if not quited, turns into a problem. Bitten fingers are often sensitive to pain, on the area where skin meets the nail. Some persons may not even seize the gesture, chewing and biting their nails to the flesh. Hangnails, or the broken skin around the cuticle, may cause infections if removed improperly. Dental problems can also occur, especially gingival injuries. One may observe that along with nail biting, there come other ticks as thumb-sucking, nose- picking or hair-twisting.

Children are often biting nails and parents would do anything to make them stop. And because this habit is annoying they just yell and say no to the little ones, without understanding the need of anexplanation and the fact that it already became an uncontrolled gesture. As a reaction to the parents' saying no, children will continue biting their nails.

What reasons do they have? There are many answers to this question. In most cases, the cause is hunger, nervousness, boredom or anxiety. The parent should talk first with his child about this bad habit. Next step will be replacing it with something else, and try to find distractions when he puts his nails into the mouth. His favorite game or play will do this. If you failed, ask your doctor's advice.

How can adults avoid biting nails? They have to pay attention at every movement of hands, and try not to put them close to the mouth. The nails must be short cut, so there is nothing to bite and use nail polish. It will make nails harder to bite. Fingernails have to be kept very clean, and chewing gum, can diminish anxiety. Finding a new hobby is also a great solution, and if it implies working with hands the better it is. Strong will is needed if you want to quit fingernail biting. It is true, it's hard to stop, but you only have to try to deal with stress and anxiety in a different way. Success comes soon!