Informational Articals - Bad Habits - Nail Biting

One common bad habit that people of all ages seem to have is nail biting. Some individuals pick up this habit as a young child and it continues all of their life. It can be the result of boredom, anxiety, or a behavior they picked up from one of their parents. Most individuals who bite their nails stick to their fingernails but there are some people who also chew on their toenails. It is most prevalent in adolescent males than any other category of people.

In most cases nail biting isn’t going to cause any major issues but it can cause a person to end up with sore fingers and even an infection due to spreading bacteria. Sometimes the onset of nail biting is related to a mental health disorder or a desire to have complete control over something. For these types of nail biting issues the only way to resolve them is by dealing with the underlying issues.

Those who want to stop biting their nails really need to get to the root of the problem. If it is simply behavioral in nature then it is going to take some positive reinforcement to break the habit. The person will have to make a conscious effort to instill new behaviors. For example each time they plan to bite their fingernails they pick up a pen and write.

There are some awful tasting liquids you can paint on your nails in order to give them a horrible taste. This is a painful reminder that you shouldn’t put them in your mouth as that taste stays with you even when you wash your hands. The downside to this though is it can be transferred to foods you touch making them taste terrible as well.

To give yourself an incentive for not biting your nails reward yourself with small successes. This can be a nice manicure or buying a new CD. Keep your goals small so you can attain them. You will want to see if you can go one week without biting your nails before you get a reward. Extend that period of time in small increments until you have completely lost the urge to do it.