“I also bit my nails for many years, now I have beautiful, well-groomed hands, I overcame myself, But: I developed a habit of biting the inside of my cheeks and biting my lips. i.e. habits are self-replacing, apparently you need to look for inner peace, then the habits themselves will disappear” Olga Bartenyeva, housewife.

“I gnawed from childhood, for many years .. and not just gnawed, but simply ate .. such a habit .. I forced myself to grow several times, but I could last a maximum of a month .. I developed a habit of clenching my hands into fists, hiding my fingers ..and nothing helped either ..then I somehow saw a girl with the same hands on the subway and was horrified ..in the end I forced myself not to put my fingers to my mouth, I began to take care of my nails (it’s nice when your hands are well-groomed) , paint with bright varnish, gradually restored the shape and forced myself not to hide my fingers ... and I finally did away with this habit) so the main thing is to go crazy for the first few months, just honestly go crazy) and then you don’t want to yourself ... ” Svetlana Grishchenko, office manager.

“I am 16 years old and nail biting started at 6 years old when my parents divorced (stress), biting my nails for 5 years!!! I want to say bitter varnish is nonsense ... I judge by myself .. when I got older (9-10 years old) I was ashamed, but I couldn’t do anything. I stopped biting at the age of 12, once I saw a woman’s nails and asked my mother, “What’s wrong with them?” mom replied “the woman also bit her nails and this is the result!” and I thought! In general, until the child himself understands that biting his nails is terribly ugly - it is useless to wean !!! I stopped biting my nails at the time, because the shape of the nails is constantly deformed, now I have very good and beautiful nails and no more of this habit!” Tatyana Oborina, student.

Useful video

What happens if you bite your nails:

Why, in fact, you can not bite your nails:

How to stop biting your nails

To forget about the problem and stop biting your nails, follow these simple tips:

• avoid stress or change your attitude to problems;
• make sure that the fingers are well-groomed and beautiful, so that it would be a pity to spoil them;
• you need to stop every attempt of onychophobia on your own;
• Carry scissors and a nail file with you. If a hangnail appears or the nail breaks, it will be easy to fix without nibbling;

In extreme cases, use bitter varnish, garlic, or another method described in our article.. The main thing is not to give up, try, try and try again and remember that this will take some time. Good luck!

The habit of biting nails, as a rule, comes from early childhood. Most people get rid of it with age, forget and let it go. Some can not say goodbye to her even in adulthood.

Nail biting has several hidden psychological causes:

• way to overcome the conflict situation;
• self-doubt, low self-esteem;
• reaction to stressful situations, fear, anxiety;
• subconscious auto-aggression, the desire to hurt yourself physically and psychologically;
• childhood habit;
• heredity.

To the question why not, there are several answers. And the reason for this is not only the ugly, unaesthetic appearance of the hands, although this should not be written off. First of all, it should be understood that this is a disease that has its own name: onychophagia.

A person who bites his nails most often does it mechanically, without thinking about cleanliness: thousands of different pathogenic microorganisms and bacteria enter the body, most of which are not at all harmless. This leads to dangerous infectious diseases. In addition, biting nails, a person injures the skin of the fingers, creating wounds and microcracks on them, that is, opening up another way for the same microbes and bacteria into your body.

If a person understands that he simply cannot help biting his nails, psychology identifies several ways to get rid of an addiction. But first you need to find out not why they bite their nails at all, but why exactly you do it. After all, each person is individual, so be sure to understand yourself.

If it's all about a feeling of anxiety, self-doubt, in one's actions and deeds, one should understand oneself, find out what exactly makes one feel this feeling. Behavioral therapy, ways to control over can help here. If the situation is too advanced and this is not enough, the option is possible medical treatment.

If it's all about heredity or a well-rooted childhood habit, you can try using nail products, masks, oils with an unpleasant taste (bitter, salty, sour). Their additional advantage is that such products also strengthen the nail plate, fill in microcracks and heal damage that has been caused to the nails.

And if a person has good willpower, you can try to get distracted, do something, as soon as the nails begin to be dangerously close to the teeth. For example, fixing a wobbly chair, washing the car, screwing a new shelf in the kitchen. You can also make a to-do list ahead of time so that you always have something to do when you need it.

The habit of biting nails is a very common phenomenon among both adults and children. Statistics say that approximately 10% of the population suffers from it. Scientifically, this is called onychophagy. Some begin to bite their nails in a stressful situation, others do it all their lives under any circumstances, as they are insecure.

Experts believe that this habit is a sign of mental illness, in some cases even OCD. It is also believed that girls bite their nails more often than boys.

Why is nail biting dangerous?

Apart from the fact that if a person bites his nails, he experiences emotional stress, this also means that he is unable to cope with difficulties and problems. The need to throw out negative emotions is expressed in the fact that a person begins to bite his nails as a kind of auto-aggression, that is, aggression directed at himself. The panic attacks that may accompany this action can only make the situation worse.

In addition, the nails of people suffering from this disorder look just awful. And the deformation of the nail plate leads to the fact that inflammatory processes can begin, since the same microbes enter the bleeding wounds on the hands.

How to get rid of onychophagia?

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin had his hands tied behind his back in order to wean him from this shameful habit. Modern medicine is more humane, so experts are trying to help people on a psychological level to find out the cause of the habit, and they also advise you to paint your nails with a special bitter varnish. Children often smear their fingers with mustard. Adult girls can build up their nails, and they no longer want to chew on the gel.

However, the most important thing is to figure out why you still bite your nails? What worries you, causes aggression or an agitated nervous state? By understanding yourself, you can gradually unlearn this bad habit in the future.

Everyone has bad habits. Some "accompany" us since childhood, and getting rid of them is a whole problem. One such bad habit is nail biting. Do you want to know Why can't you bite your nails?

According to statistics, about 10% of the population bite their nails. Most often, this bad habit appears at an early age. Some experts argue that nail biting is not just a bad habit, but a serious mental illness - onychophagia.

What are nails for?

Nails are keratinized plates of the epidermis that cover the tips of the fingers of the upper and lower extremities. Not everyone has nails, mainly primates and, of course, humans. Nails protect the phalanges of the fingers from mechanical damage and provide them with hardness when performing various actions. The absence of nails brings inconvenience to our life, because without them, the usual actions become inconvenient and inaccessible. In addition to the main functions, a person uses nails to create nail art (decorative art of manicure, painting and nail design).

Why do they bite their nails?

Most often, the habit of nail biting occurs thoughtlessly and is accompanied by severe stress, psychological stress or an active thought process. This bad habit helps to get rid of problems, fear, worries, nervous tension, self-doubt and self-doubt, self-directed aggression. Some people bite their nails to “perfect” a broken or split nail.

Another reason is the lack of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium in the body, which affects 10% of people who bite their nails. To make up for the lack of vitamins, it is necessary to include certain foods in the diet. The rest of the 90% who “eat” their nails need rest and psychological help.

To get rid of such a bad habit, you need to constantly monitor your actions. This is most difficult for children in whom this bad habit indicates the psychological discomfort that the child feels. Most often, vulnerable, impressionable and anxious children bite their nails. By biting their nails, the child relieves stress associated with life changes, for example, with a new environment or conditions to which it is difficult for him to adapt. Any reason to worry will constantly aggravate the bad habit. In addition, idleness and boredom are common causes of nail biting, and some experts attribute this habit to infantile “memories” associated with thumb sucking.

Why can't you bite your nails?

To answer the question: Why you shouldn't bite your nails ?”, it is enough to name two reasons - medical and aesthetic.

During the day, a huge amount of dirt and germs accumulate under the nails, because it is not always possible to wash your hands. 90% of all microorganisms on the hands “hide” under the nail plates. Getting into the mouth, dirt, microbes, as well as worm eggs enter the body through microcracks in the gums, damage to the tooth enamel or on the inner surface of the oral cavity. The infection gains access to the body and wanders there, causing inflammation and dangerous diseases such as hepatitis. In addition, bitten nails themselves are also an excellent "transport" for infections on their journey through our body.

What causes the bad habit of nail biting?

Constant uncontrolled nail biting leads to:

• damage to the cuticle that protects the nail from foreign bodies and bacteria;
• the formation of bruises in the corners of the nail plate;
• the risk of helminths or intestinal infections entering the body through a damaged nail, which can lead to serious infectious diseases;
• inflammation of the fingers, called paronychia, which requires antibiotic treatment and sometimes surgery
• deformation of the nail plate;
• mental disorder, called in medicine, onychophagy;
• unaesthetic and unkempt appearance of nails.

Who are onychophagi?

Uncontrolled nail biting can be not only a bad habit, but also carry deeper psychic roots. Scientists called such a disease onychophagia (from Greek - “devour a nail”). Under this name, other mental disorders can also be “hidden”, which are difficult to trace and identify. Most often, girls become onychophagous. It would seem that the harmless habit of nail biting requires increased attention not only from doctors and psychologists, but also from nail service masters.

Ways to get rid of bad habits

• The use of various compositions (varnishes, gels, ointments with an unpleasant taste), which cover the nail plate.
• Hypnosis, soothing anti-stress audio recordings.
• Gum or apple.

Some doctors dealing with the problem of this bad habit, consider the most effective way constant control over their actions.

If a child bites his nails, it is necessary to find out the causes of this bad habit. To do this, parents must mentally communicate with their child, explain, why you shouldn't bite your nails and help find a way out of the difficult situation in which their child found himself. Toddlers should try to switch to other activities or games. Only the joint efforts of the child and parents will help get rid of the habit of biting nails.

The problem of nail biting has been popular at all times, but it is only now that it has become seriously interested. People who cannot get rid of this behavior seek advice from doctors and a psychologist, but not always the problem of getting rid of it can be solved even with their help.

The medical term for nail biting is onychophagia, which translates to “nail eating”. But even knowing what will happen if you constantly bite your nails, it is difficult for some people to get rid of this habit, because. many experts classify it as a form of neurosis. In children, nail biting may be associated with an atavistic urge to suck a finger to calm down and relieve anxiety when the mother is not in sight. In adulthood, the desire to bite your nails is also associated with hidden stress, which a person tries to neutralize in a similar way.

Why is nail biting dangerous?

Psychologists have long stated that the problem of nail biting is psychological in nature and appears either due to boredom or due to ongoing emotional stress. For example, being inactive, or in anticipation of an exciting event, a person unconsciously puts his fingers to his mouth. Thus, a person tries to convert energy into a kind of movement. Such a habit repels others: the sight of a person biting his nails is unpleasant

Onychophagia is harmful both from a medical and aesthetic point of view. The appearance of the nails suffers first of all: the plates become thinner, expand towards the end of the nail growth and become short. Often, irregularities are observed on the nail plate. Women, in terms of eliminating such consequences, were more fortunate: flaws that arose through the fault of habit can be corrected by building up artificial tips. However, this will not get rid of the habit of biting your nails. The extension procedure is expensive, so it is not available to everyone. It is much easier to prevent the destruction of the horny plates than to spend time, money and nerves on treatment later.

Those who like to bite their nails and put dirty hands in their mouths are in for a surprise: the risk of contracting infectious diseases in such people is 45%. Bacteria and microorganisms that get from dirty hands to the internal mucous membranes of the mouth acquire fertile soil for reproduction, which means that they can easily provoke a disease. In addition, by injuring the skin of the fingers near the nail fold, a person gets another possible source of inflammation. Exclude such Negative consequences can only completely get rid of the habit of biting nails. Subsequently, the infection can also be transmitted by shaking hands and touching an infected person, or by contact with other people's personal household items. However, for this, the wound on the skin around the finger must be sufficiently open.

Causes of nail biting and remedies

Most often, the cause of nail biting lies in the psychological state of a person. These are childhood trauma, daily stress and other factors that cause emotional discomfort. You can't break a habit unless the root cause is addressed. Consider the factors most likely to lead to nail biting:

• Stress

To get rid of stress, you need to completely change your routine. First of all, make sure that sleep occurs no later than 22-23 hours and lasts 8 hours. This sleep duration improves physiological resources. Be sure to set aside time to relax or engage in your favorite hobby, include a mandatory relaxing walk in your daily routine.

The stress that arose against the background of a certain event disappears when the emotional background of a person comes into balance. Along with such stress, the habits acquired with its appearance disappear.

• Boredom

In the absence of external stimuli, the brain independently includes involuntary reactions. It can be both hand-wringing, scratching, and nail biting and hangnails. It is important during activities that are limited in movement (watching TV, reading a book) to hold an object in your hands that will replace the need to bite your nails. Any anti-stress toy will become such an object.

• copying

Children under the age of five tend to copy the behavior of adults. Therefore, if someone in the house already suffers from the habit of biting their nails, then with 100% probability the child will perceive this as a variant of the norm. Parents can either explain to the child that it is impossible to do this, or distract attention until the child forgets about this action on his own.

It's hard enough to stop biting your nails. The power of habit is much greater than the reasonable arguments of others or your own dissatisfaction. If the moment has come when a person is ready to part with his nail biting style, then only an integrated approach will identify and eliminate the cause of the habit, as well as cure damaged nails.

What can happen if you don't stop biting your nails

The consequences of nail biting, however, are not always pleasant for a person. Since there is a constant mechanical impact on the nails and teeth at the same time, for both of them it will be fraught with superficial damage. With weak tooth enamel, crumbling of the teeth can begin over time, especially if the nails are hard and hard.

For nails, constant biting off of the tips of the nail plate leads to delamination. Prolonged exposure to human saliva softens nails and makes them vulnerable, so even with enough calcium and phosphorus in the body, nails can begin to delaminate.

Other results, if you constantly bite your nails, will also not keep you waiting:

• with improper observance of the rules of hand hygiene, intestinal infections are possible (recall the proverb “all diseases come from dirty hands”);
• deformation of the nail plates, which eventually acquire an ugly shape;
• inability to do a normal manicure;
• in children - deformation of the shape of the fingertips from constant exposure to wet saliva and teeth.

How to get rid of the habit of biting nails

To get rid of the habit of biting your nails, honestly answer yourself the questions: where and when you have a desire to put your fingertips in your mouth. Make it a rule to watch yourself, and interrupt the action halfway through if it has already begun. If self-talk doesn't help, find something to replace the temptation to taste your fingers. It can be inanimate objects or food. For example, anti-stress toys that can be squeezed at the moment of excitement, or a rosary that can be touched constantly when hands are free, will come in very handy. As for food, drying or hard fruits, such as apples or pears, will help here. However, if you bite your nails often, then this method is not convenient, as it disrupts the normal diet.

Get professional help from psychologists and visit several sessions. Perhaps these sessions will give you the opportunity to understand the underlying causes of the experiences that led to the formation of the habit. During receptions, use sedative pharmaceutical products or self-made herbal infusions.

Sometimes it happens that without realizing it, people bite their nails if they feel hungry. Therefore, during the period when you get rid of addiction, watch your diet and regimen.

Additional tricks to help break the habit

Combining psychological methods of getting rid of a habit with other methods is much more effective than each of the methods separately. For example, buy bitter varnish at the pharmacy and treat the nail plates with it. The bitterness of the varnish will not allow you to put your hands in your mouth, over time a reflex will develop: the brain will associate the tips of your fingers with bitterness. It is also worth lubricating the skin around the plates. vegetable oils or any creams, as often the skin there is dry and cracked.

As mentioned above, women can build nails. There is a chance that the habit will disappear, but it is not as high as with an integrated approach. Usually the extended plates are hard, but they can leave imprints from the teeth - this will spoil appearance manicure.

Since young children do not understand the principle of psychological introspection, they must be weaned by physical means. For example, cover your fingertips with adhesive tape. Be sure to accompany your actions with a story about why this is being done, and what the habit of biting your nails leads to. In addition, it is necessary that the child is constantly busy and does not think about nails. Tell teenage girls in detail about the fact that fingertips will become unaesthetic in the future if the habit is not eradicated.

To summarize, we can advise only one thing: get rid of the problem of nail biting in a complex way. Seek help from a psychologist and use available home and pharmacy remedies.

Getting rid of the habit of biting nails is also a task social plan. It is usually unpleasant for people around you to watch and hear someone biting their nails nearby. If the problem is neurological in nature (an obsessive and irresistible desire), then the help of a specialist is needed. A psychologist and psychotherapist will establish the internal cause of onychophagia and prescribe therapy. You may need to take light sedatives that will reduce anxiety and increase stress resistance. Having learned what will happen if you constantly bite your nails, the patient may try to stop on his own, but with serious psycho-emotional factors, this usually fails.