Nail biting: causes and remedies of nail biting
Nail biting is considered a compulsive disorder that harms both physically and psychologically. This habit usually occurs in times of nervousness, boredom and stress and can be considered a symptom of anxiety and discomfort.
One of the things that can lead to nail biting is a lack of self-esteem; find out how to recover it with simple exercises in this video.
The habit of biting your nails
Nail biting and nibbling on the cuticles is considered a compulsive behavior that the individual, in most cases, does not notice. It serves to relieve stress and anxiety, but from a medical point of view it is considered a disorder of the control of the impulses (inability to resist the temptation to perform an "action).
Usually the phenomenon of onychophagy occurs during childhood and adolescence, but if not treated properly it continues into adulthood.
According to some theories of Freud, bringing something to the mouth recalls, on a metaphorical level, the experience of the mother's breast and therefore nail biting has a calming effect.
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Nail biting: symptoms
Nail biting is a phenomenon that involves all the fingers and generally disappears on its own around the age of 30. It is not always easy to diagnose because those who suffer from it tend to deny or not to consider the negative effects that nail biting entails.
The act of nail biting can be divided into two phases:
- The preliminary stage
It involves a sort of visual inspection or through touch, in order to search for possible defects to be eliminated. Any irregularity causes the subject to bite the area to make it even.
- The next stage
It consists of the actual bite on the nail and the cuticles that are around it.
Nail biting: all causes
To solve this disorder it is important to understand the causes that triggered it and we anticipate that they can be different. Let's see the most common:
- Stress / anxiety situations
Nail biting to resolve stress or anxiety is very common because it has a calming effect and gives temporary relief. As children, the habit of biting nails can appear when there are episodes of misunderstanding or the fear of losing parental attention.
- Self-injurious attitudes
Some shy and submissive people start biting their nails to vent their pent-up anger by turning it towards themselves rather than others. In short, it is a real manifestation of aggression.
- Imitation of other family members
Especially children can start biting their nails without a real psychological cause, but simply to emulate behavior seen by parents.
- Boredom
If the common opinion traces the phenomenon of onychophagy to states of stress and anxiety, there are also those who consider that often many people bite their nails when they are in periods of inactivity. Here are some examples: in front of the TV, on the train, at the theater, at the cinema and on all those occasions that only involve listening and sight.
All the consequences of nail biting
So far we have seen that those who bite their nails can do it in two distinct moments: when they are bored or on the contrary when they are anxious. Often what is lost sight of, however, are the consequences of this gesture. Let's try to analyze them.
- pain in the fingers
- redness of the nail bed
- bleeding
- high susceptibility to viral infections due to improper and violent removal of cuticles
- accumulation of microorganisms under the nails which are transferred to the mouth in the act of eating them
- infections of the tissue around the nail
In addition to those just described, there are other consequences of nail biting that affect the teeth in a very serious way. Biting the nails, in fact, can lead first of all to gum injuries and wear of the incisors, malocclusion of the anterior teeth and finally, even caries because the layer that covers the tooth is damaged and protects it from caries.
If nail biting occurs when a "cold sore infection" is in progress, the latter can appear in a short time even on the fingers with all the consequences that entails.
Ingesting your nails after biting them also causes stomach problems. Finally, if this disorder does not stop immediately, there can be serious consequences with normal nail growth and deformation of some fingers.
Seeing a hand with worn nails can make you think of a shy person with low self-esteem, and this from a social point of view is never in favor, if for example we are looking for a job, if we are looking for a soul mate and in many others. situations.
Disorders related to onychophagy
Nail biting is related to other repetitive behavioral disorders that are part of the inability to control impulses.
- Dermatillomania: teasing, rubbing, scratching or carving the skin of the face or body, often in an attempt to eliminate real or imaginary small irregularities or skin imperfections.
- Dermatophagia: compulsively biting the skin around the nails until it bleeds.
- Trichotillomania: pulling (and in some cases, eating) hair strands, but in severe cases also eyelashes, eyebrows, beard hair, pubic hair and other body hair.
How to stop biting your nails
To prevent the habit of biting your nails from taking over and becoming unmanageable, it is good to fix it immediately. The ways to quit are many and really effective. For some, nail biting disappears spontaneously, especially when the desire to have a more well-groomed appearance takes over. In other cases, it is the same subject who dwells on the wrong behavior and manages to rework it by immediately stopping to eat his nails.
The most common remedy to stop nail biting involves the application of a bitter-tasting nail polish, which should discourage the urge to bring the fingers to the mouth.
Other options include:
- bandage your fingers
- wear gloves
- wear full pajamas that cover your hands (for children)
- keep nails trimmed short and cuticles neat
For women you can resort to the reconstruction of the nail which must be done by a beautician specialized in nail technician: seeing the perfect nails, enameled and long, in many cases it works as a deterrent to the stimulus to bite them. In addition, applying artificial nails can help to grow natural ones.
Starting to play sports could promote the release of tension and therefore remove the thought of biting your nails.
Finally, a remedy that works is also to nibble on a licorice stick, or a sugar-free chewingum to keep the mouth occupied.
If all these remedies considered simple are not effective, behavioral therapy can be used which will aim to look for the underlying causes of onychophagy.
