Here’s How to Quit Nail Biting Easily and Causes, Risks & Preventions

Everyone is stuck to at least one bad habit in their life. It could be smoking, drinking, stress eating, nose picking, hair twisting, thumb sucking, tooth grinding, skin picking and Nail Biting– the most common habit begins from childhood and continues through adulthood. 

Uncountable people often caught biting their nails because of no reason. And if there is reason then it is irrelevant. You might bite your nails when you’re thinking, when you’re nervous and when you’re bored. But do you know, this small habit can make drastic changes in your lifestyle. Habit of regularly putting your fingers in your mouth may leave you vulnerable to infection as thousands of harmful bacterias and viruses pass from your finger to mouth, mouth to stomach, stomach to the entire body. 

Whatever the reason and case of biting nails is, there are some home remedies to get rid of nail biting that help you to stop biting your nails unnecessarily. 

Before discussing the remedies of nail biting, first we would like to consider the risk factors that can actually cause some serious issues. 

Nail biting risks-

Some serious nail biting risks that include-

• A serious soreness or infection may cause inside or outside the skin around the nails. 
• Regular biting may damage your growing tissues.
• It may cause drastic change in the look of your nails and fingers.
• Putting your nails under teeth regularly may damage them.
• It could cause more frequent cold and illness from placing dirty fingers in the mouth prolonged.
• Risks are not limited to the nails growth only but it could also affect your other body parts growth. 
• In addition to damaging your teeth, nails biting can eventually result in your gum disease. 

Although, nail biting is considered as a small bad habit but its risks might be serious. You are going to come across various beneficial things in this article that help you to know everything about the nails biting. From causes to prevention to risks that might happen from nail biting, we deal with every solution that helps you to stop doing it for good. 

Although, there is no serious cause of nail biting. Medical studies show that it is usually observed in the younger population. The peak age of this habit is observed 10-18 but if not treated timely it may continue to any age. 

According to the studies, Boys tend to be more nail biting than girls. But what are the reasons for causing nail biting? Did anyone think about it? Probably no. To get rid of nail biting, it is necessary to know the facts behind its occurrence, which is the first and best way to lower the effect of nail biting. 

Nail biting cause– 

Behind nail biting, there is no single reason. The following are the most common factors that are recognized as cause.

• Genetics- Children have a bad habit of copying their guardians or parents. Most of the children develop their habits after observing their parents. The children are more likely to nail biting whose parents are still suffering from this habit. Children have an inherited tendency toward repetitive behaviours. 
• Copy- Apart from copying their parents, children also observe several things from their surroundings such as their teachers, classmates, schoolmates and many more. It is common, children tend to copy the behaviour they are amidst.
• Boredom or Nervousness- Some research has suggested that lack of stimulation also leads to nail biting, hair twisting etc. Most people feel stress when they are free and at that time nail biting is the natural reaction. 

Now comes towards the topic and let’s talk about the most effective way to stop nail biting. 

Though, there are some cases when you might need to check with your doctor. But before that you may consider the reasons and circumstances when you start biting your nails. Are you hungry? Stressed?Boredom? Or whatever the reason is, you first need to notice the reason and once you discover it will be quite easy for you to cut off your habit of nail biting. 

Let’s discuss the ways-

1. Keep them short

The first and simple way to avoid nail biting is to keep your nails shorts. Cutting your nails before they get into your mouth minimize the habit of nail biting. The simple fact behind it is if there is nothing to chew, you will feel helpless to bite your nails. Isn’t it a simple way to ignore nails biting? Try it today.

2. Get a manicure

It might be strange to you, how manicure will help to lower the nails biting but yes it is true. Manicure gives a gorgeous look to your nails and you will feel great. And it is obvious that parlour charges a high cost for all these stuff. If your nails are done and you have spent money on your nails, you might be less likely to ruin your work. 

3. Flavour your nails 

Well, it might sound strange at first but applying something with bad smell may kick your habit of biting nails. Mixture of neem oil, garlic and aloe vera gel is the essential gel. The major substance, neem has a bitter taste and the other component smells bad that keeps your nails away from your mouth. 

4. Apply nail polish

No, it didn’t mean to shade your nails with sexy color. But the fact behind it is these products have foul taste that can be enough to break the habit of nail biting. But the question is what about the males who have this habit. Luckily, our market is inundated with cosmetics products. Some transparent nail paint can certainly make males aware of your nail biting when you tend to do it. 

5. Wear chewelry 

Yes, you have read correctly. We’re not kidding here. Chewelry is the silicon made necklace that can be replaced with your nails whenever you crave for nail biting. You can choose color  according to your taste. 

6. Swap your habit with other

If you’re working on breaking your nail biting habit then consciously aware of when you’re doing it is extremely important. Switch to another habit immediately such as chewing gum, sitting on your hands, make yourself busy with other important work or start sucking mouth freshner or else. 

Although, the habit of nails biting can’t be cut overnight. But continuing a single method for some certain span of time can do changes in your habit. If you execute these strategies to cut out the habit of nail biting, you’ll discover that it’s not much hard to eliminate this habit permanently. 
Try yourself and suggest these tips and tricks to get rid of nail biting to your friends and others who have this bad habit.