Liam Carter
Nail biting, or onychophagia, is a common habit that can be hard to break. It often starts in childhood and can continue into adulthood. While it usually doesn't cause long-term damage, it can lead to frequent illnesses and nail or skin infections due to the germs and bacteria on hands. It can also cause teeth chipping, jaw problems, and skin damage around the nails. Breaking the nail-biting habit may take time and effort, and there are various methods to help, such as keeping nails short, using bitter-tasting nail polish, finding alternative ways to cope with stress or boredom, and practising mindfulness and meditation to strengthen willpower.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Time to break the habit | It is not possible to stop biting nails overnight. While a 1960s book popularized the idea that it takes 21 days to break a habit, a 2009 study showed that the time it takes is not so clear-cut or linear. |
| Triggers | Nail biting is often triggered by stress, anxiety, or boredom. It may also be the result of concentrating on a tough problem. |
| Health risks | Nail biting can cause teeth to chip, crack, or break. It can also lead to jaw problems, frequent illnesses, and nail or skin infections. |
| Dermatologist recommendations | Applying bitter nail polish and keeping nails short. |
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What You'll Learn
Identify triggers and find replacement behaviours
Nail biting, or onychophagia, is a prevalent problem that can have negative consequences for your health. It can cause damage to the skin and tissue around your nails, leading to abnormal-looking nails and increasing your vulnerability to infection. Additionally, nail biting can chip or crack your teeth and cause jaw problems.
To break the habit of nail biting, it is essential to identify the triggers that lead to the behaviour. These triggers can be physical, such as the presence of hangnails, or emotional, such as stress, anxiety, or boredom. Being aware of these triggers can help you anticipate when you are likely to engage in nail biting and develop strategies to avoid or counteract the behaviour.
Once you have identified your triggers, the next step is to find replacement behaviours that can distract or substitute the urge to bite your nails. Here are some strategies that may be helpful:
- Keep your hands busy: This can involve fiddling with a stress ball, worry stone, or a pen. You can also try sitting on your hands or doing arm movements to make it physically impossible to bite your nails.
- Keep your mouth busy: Chewing gum or sucking on a mint can give your mouth something else to focus on.
- Practice mindfulness and meditation: These exercises can help strengthen your willpower and increase your awareness of your emotional responses, allowing you to catch yourself in the act of nail biting and make a conscious decision to stop.
- Use bitter nail polish: Applying a safe but awful-tasting formula can act as a deterrent and discourage nail biting.
- Keep your nails trimmed short: Having shorter nails provides less temptation and makes it less satisfying to bite them.
- Nail decoration: Painting your nails or getting a manicure can make you less likely to bite your nails since you wouldn't want to ruin your nice-looking nails.
Remember, breaking a habit like nail biting takes time and effort. Be patient with yourself and keep trying different strategies until you find the ones that work best for you.
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Keep nails trimmed and coat with bitter-flavoured varnish
Keeping nails trimmed and coating them with bitter-flavoured varnish is a strategy recommended by dermatologists to help break the habit of nail-biting. This strategy works because having shorter nails provides less to bite and is less tempting. The bitter-tasting nail polish also discourages people from biting their nails because it tastes unpleasant.
To use this strategy effectively, it is important to keep your nails trimmed short at all times. This means that you should cut your nails regularly and push back and trim any overgrown cuticles with cuticle nippers. In addition, you should ensure that your nails are clean and dry before applying the bitter-tasting nail polish. The nail polish should be applied in thin, even layers over the entire nail plate, slightly wrapping around the tip. Two coats are ideal for an effective bitter taste, and it is recommended to use a fast-drying top coat to help seal in the bitter taste and add shine.
There are many different brands of bitter-tasting nail polishes available, such as Mavala Stop, Orly No Bite, and Ella+Mila No Bite. These polishes typically contain an ingredient called denatonium benzoate, which is known for its extremely bitter taste. This ingredient is also added to commonly ingested toxic substances like antifreeze to prevent accidental poisoning.
While using bitter-tasting nail polish can be highly effective, there are some potential problems to be aware of. For example, if the taste seems weak, it may be because the topcoat is expired or because the nail polish has been applied too thickly, causing bubbling. It is important to follow the directions carefully when applying the nail polish and to use thin, even layers. If issues persist despite proper application, you may need to switch brands or buy fresh polish.
In addition to using bitter-tasting nail polish, it can also be helpful to find other ways to cope with the urge to bite your nails. This may include finding something to fiddle with, such as a stress ball, a worry stone, or a pen to click, or chewing gum to keep your mouth busy. It is also important to identify your triggers for nail-biting and try to avoid or manage these triggers effectively. For example, if you notice that you bite your nails when you are feeling stressed or anxious, you can try to find healthy coping mechanisms to manage your stress and anxiety, such as meditation or exercise.
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Use a stress ball, fidget toy or chew gum
Nail biting, or onychophagia, is a prevalent problem that can damage your fingers and nails and even lead to infection. It can also cause dental issues such as chipped or cracked teeth and jaw problems. To break this habit, you can try using stress balls, fidget toys, or chewing gum.
Use a Stress Ball
Stress balls are a popular fidget tool that can help keep your hands busy and reduce stress. They come in various forms, such as the Happy Snappy Neato Balls, which make a satisfying "gurgling" or soft "popping" sound when squeezed. This sensory fidget can help keep restless fingers happily engaged and reduce the urge to bite your nails.
Explore Fidget Toys
Fidget toys are excellent for distracting you from nail biting while also providing stress relief. Fidget toys come in many different forms, such as:
- Silicone Zen Strips or Dots: These can be stuck under your desk, phone, notebook, or anywhere you like. They provide a subtle tactile sensation to keep your fingers busy.
- Fidget spinners: These are well-known fidget tools that can be spun between your fingers, providing a satisfying sensory experience.
- Textured chewy necklaces: These come in various colours and are made from safe materials like silicone, free of harmful substances like lead and phthalates. They provide an oral sensory experience and can be a discreet way to redirect the urge to bite your nails.
- Chewy bangle bracelets: These are made from hypoallergenic, bacteria-resistant silicone and are free of harmful substances. They are designed for mild to moderate chewing and can also be used as a silent fidget.
Chew Gum
Chewing gum is a simple and effective way to keep your mouth busy and avoid nail biting. The fresh taste of gum can make nail-biting seem unappealing. Keep a pack of gum handy, so when the urge to bite your nails arises, you can reach for gum instead.
Breaking the nail-biting habit can take time and effort, but with persistence and the help of stress balls, fidget toys, or chewing gum, you can successfully redirect your nail-biting energy and improve your nail health.
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Understand the psychology of nail biting
Onychophagia, or nail biting, is a pathological oral habit and grooming disorder characterised by chronic, seemingly uncontrollable nail-biting that is destructive to fingernails and the surrounding tissue. Nail biting is thought to be the most common of the body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs), which include hair pulling and skin picking. While it is frequently associated with anxiety, as the act of chewing on nails reportedly relieves stress, tension, or boredom, Dr Kieron O'Connor, a professor of psychiatry, argues that it is not an anxiety disorder. Instead, he suggests that nail biters may have traits in common, such as perfectionism and a tendency to be dissatisfied with themselves and their performance.
Research suggests that nail biting can run in families, with a potential genetic link to BFRBs. It may also be linked to neurological roots shared with OCD, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. Nail biting is also commonly associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder, separation anxiety, enuresis, tic disorder, and other mental health issues.
Nail biting typically begins in childhood, usually after the age of three or four, and can continue through adulthood. It is less common for children younger than three to bite their nails persistently. In very rare cases, an adult may start to bite their nails suddenly, which may be the side effect of a medication.
Punishment and threats are not effective ways to stop nail biting and may, in fact, increase the behaviour. Instead, dermatologists recommend keeping nails trimmed short and applying bitter-tasting nail polish. Other strategies include finding alternative ways to keep your hands or mouth busy, such as fiddling with a stress ball or chewing gum. Setting small goals, such as choosing one nail not to bite, can also help.
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Visit a doctor or therapist for further help
Visiting a doctor or therapist is a good idea if you have repeatedly tried to quit nail-biting and failed. While minor nail-biting issues rarely warrant a visit to the doctor, excessive nail-biting may require a more serious treatment regimen that addresses the physical and psychological factors involved.
Nail-biting, or onychophagia, is a body-focused repetitive behaviour (BFRB) that involves the destruction of fingernails by habitual biting. It is not an anxiety disorder, but those who engage in it may have problems regulating emotions. It is often associated with visible nail damage, tension before or when resisting nail-biting, feelings of pleasure after biting, nail eating, and psychological distress.
Therapy for onychophagia is tailored to the individual, as each person has a different motivation behind their biting. Working with an expert in the area of TTM treatment increases your success rate dramatically. The goal of weekly treatment is to reduce nail-biting behaviours and replace them with healthier alternatives. With those who are highly motivated, significant improvements can be seen within the first couple of months of treatment.
Therapy can also help you identify triggers and develop a plan to stop biting your nails. For example, you could keep your hands or mouth busy with a stress ball, worry stone, pen to click, or chewing gum. You could also apply bitter-tasting nail polish to your nails, which discourages many people from biting their nails.
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Frequently asked questions
There is no clear answer to this question. While the book *The New Psycho-Cybernetics* popularised the idea that it takes 21 days to break a habit, a 2009 study showed that progress is not always so linear. Persistence is key.
Nail biting can cause dental problems, such as chipped teeth, and jaw problems. It can also lead to stomach or intestinal infections if you swallow your nails. Nail biting can also cause skin damage, which can lead to infections.
Nail biting is a body-focused repetitive behaviour (BFRB) and is often linked to obsessive-compulsive disorders. It is also associated with perfectionism and dissatisfaction.
There are several methods to stop biting your nails. One way is to keep your nails trimmed short, so there is nothing to bite. You can also paint your nails with a bitter-tasting varnish, which will deter you from biting them. Finding the triggers that cause you to bite your nails can also help, as you can then find alternative ways to cope, such as chewing gum or playing with a fidget toy.
Stopping biting your nails will reduce the risk of infections and illnesses caused by the spread of germs from your hands to your mouth. It will also improve the appearance of your nails and hands, and prevent dental problems.
