“I Can’t Stop Biting My Nails” #habit

“I Can’t Stop Biting My Nails” #habit.

Biting your nails, a common habit known as onychophagia, can cause various types of damage, both immediate and long-term, to your nails, teeth, and overall health.

Damage to Nails and Surrounding Skin
Nail Deformities: Regular nail biting can cause your nails to become uneven, ragged, and shorter than normal. The constant pressure and tearing can lead to abnormal nail growth, making nails brittle and more prone to breaking.

Infections: The area around your nails is susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections. Biting can cause small cuts or tears in the skin, allowing germs to enter. Paronychia, an infection of the nail bed, is a common result, leading to redness, swelling, and pain.

Inflammation and Soreness: The skin around the nails can become inflamed and sore from constant biting. This can cause chronic pain and discomfort, making it difficult to use your fingers for everyday tasks.

Oral Health Issues
Tooth Damage: Biting nails puts undue stress on your teeth, especially the front ones. This can lead to chipping, cracking, or wearing down of the tooth enamel. In severe cases, it can also affect dental work like fillings or braces.

Jaw Problems: The repetitive motion of nail biting can cause temporomandibular joint (TMJ) issues. This joint connects your jawbone to your skull, and overuse can lead to jaw pain, clicking, or even headaches.

Gum Injury: Bits of nails can get stuck in your gums, causing irritation or infection. Additionally, your gums can become sore and inflamed from frequent contact with your fingers and nails.

General Health Concerns
Germ Transfer: Your hands and nails are often in contact with various surfaces, accumulating bacteria and germs. Biting your nails can transfer these pathogens into your mouth, increasing the risk of illnesses such as colds, flu, and gastrointestinal infections.

#habit #impulsive #struggle

[kaithompson]

I used to bite my nails as a kid. But then I moved to just picking at them and the skin around them. I've tried all kinds of ways to stop, but it's an anxious habit that I don't think I'm ever really going to kick.

[paular.]

I was biting my nails whenever they felt even slightly uneven, ofc it would only get worse and start a circle of biting until not much was left.
At one point I started to put nail files everywhere, next to my bed, desk, in any bag I would carry. Helped me a lot.

[julyol]

I used to bite my nails, because they were bad. They would basically dissolve to layers, get like a wave in them or begin to break off from the side. And they'd get caught in everything. So, I'd bite them off. I used to think the biting was the reason foe the bad nails, but it was the symptom. After finally getting treatment for my hypothyroidism, my nails became perfect all by themselves after like 6 weeks max.
So, it's not always a psychological issue. Sometimes there's another underlying biological condition. Get your blood work done, before you beat yourself up :)

[ThatOneAwkwardLady]

I used to bite and pick my nails my entire life.
At age 30, I finally broke the habit.
My trigger wasn't just stress. It was a texture issue.

My nails have always been very frail and pliable. They bend like plastic and tear like paper. As a result, they constantly break off and leave a jagged scratchy asymmetrical texture.
The only way I broke the habit was by constantly carrying a nail file so I can smooth them out as soon as I feel a chip or break. Then I started painting them with a hardening clear coat.

Breaking the habit is possible.

[margiecook]

I completely stopped when I was 21. The day I had my son, I decided that I wasn't going to do it anymore. I'm now in my mid 50's, and I haven't bitten them since. ❤

[josie]

I struggled with this from age 6-29 and then made the commitment to get regular manicures until I broke the habit which worked for me. I got hard gel or acrylic on top which made it literally impossible for me to bite them off. Yes there was a financial commitment there but for me it worked and I’d do it all over again 👍

[yurib]

I have bitten my nails since I was a little girl, I am 40 years old now and throughout my life I have managed to stop this bad habit but for short periods of time because I always go back to biting my nails again. I feel like it's an addiction for me.

[evilby]

I quit biting my nails by getting fake nails. Having expensive acrylics/fiberglass/gel nails at all times broke the mindless nibbling since i couldnt and didnt eant to chomp on my new nails. Once i wasnt in the habit of biting nails i took them off and kept them manicured and short. Having nice nails kept me from turning back to biting. Once i didnt even think about my nails i could stop painting them. I did identify my triggers and keep those under control, like i bite a nail if its uneven or i break one so i always have a file and make sure they are all kept more or less similar length. Took me about 4 years but its do able

[rgwhiteywins]

Yup. You can get ingrown fingernails that come and go. I bit until age 13. I bought some really cool polish and decided i wanted nice nails. But alas i have had ingrown nails from time to time. I do keep my nails short. The sooner you do it the better. I started chewing them at age four because my cool seven year old friend did it.

[pericoloso]

My mom is a bad biter and to encourage her to grow her nails out, I got her nail stickers that resemble a manicure. I cut her nails to make sure they're not growing in on the side and ask her daily if she's ready for stickers as a reminder. Not only do these stickers last longer than nail polish and are less damaging than gel, but the weird gummy texture is more resistant to teeth and work as a reminder to stop

[MrZAPPER]

One of my profs said he walked around with a nail clipper. Bc for him a component was that they were too long sometimes. He fixed the problem of his nails ever being too long. Then his compulsion / adaptation was even more impractical to continue. That’s how u starve addictions in rehab (along with replacing the bad with good)

[marssmith]

I used a product called "Stop the Bite". It was an extremely nasty kind of nail polish that helped me stop biting my nails for several months. That was the longest I have ever been able to not bite them. Unfortunately, I got used to the taste as it transferred to everything else I touched throughout the day like finger foods. I got so used to it that I started to enjoy the taste of the chemicals and went straight back to biting them! 💀

[Pensnmusic]

Wow, I thought I was bad. She took those nails halfway down the pad.

Any other biters wash their hands obsessively?

[Aoeira]

Nail polish actually helped me, not because it tastes weird to bite them, but because I got a new habit of peeling it out aftew baths. Less unhygienic, equally addictive, so win-win😂.

[randomness]

None of these work when you pick. I only bite off the bits I can't pick. I've never had nails my entire life as far as I can remember so when I managed to grow them 15 years ago I actually didnt like it. It affected everything I did - how I write (left hander), using a laptop, picking up children at work so I just went back to picking. I didn't stop picking completely just cut down - the urge never went away. Most people don't actually see my fingers because I automatically curl my hands up

[mlhlvrt]

Some try to stop and go to biting their toenails instead. Yes. This related to thumb sucking, a compulsive habit. ( classmate in early grades had pulled the front teeth nearly straight out, they couldn’t close their mouth properly. Surgery to straighten them, taping socks onto their hands, they sucked their toes. Dentist removed top and bottom first four and years of therapy. They moved in junior high still unable to stop and no front teeth)

[hitoshishinso]

I used to bite my nails when i was younger and tried everything to stop. And after some sessions with a therapist learned the reason for my nail biting was sensory issue with having any length of fingernail with any white showing it took a couple years of habitually keeping my nails cut short but now i havent bit my nails in 2 years

[notmyrealname]

I have been on an obsession/hyperfixation with doing my nails constantly for the past 3 months, having some few days to let my nails "breath." Its not kicked the habit entirely yet, but Im on my way. 😊

[WildVee]

Gel nails saved me. Not only were my natural nails so fragile I always just bit them off, I'd chew on the skin too. I sometimes still find myself trying to pick at the skin but it's *so* much less now that I get my nails done. Chewing gum really helps. I also tried the bad tasting polish as a teen but it didn't work lol, so glad for gel nails

[jayrhodes]

My wife does it. Non stop, every waking moment if she’s not eating, drinking, etc.

She knows all the germs and dirt and whatnot that accumulates in and on them yet still does it, even after cutting them.

I used to be like that when I was younger, up until it broke my tooth at age 11. Stopped then and never did it again, 30 now. It’s a tough habit to break, let alone recognize in the first place.

I prolly learned it from my nana who would do it all the time.

I firmly believe my wife learned it/copied it from both her parents and other family members.

I can’t stand it but I know it’s one of her stims (even if she doesn’t recognize it as a stim).

Any advice on how to redirect the mouth-centered stims?