Nail Biting Causes

Onychophagia is the medical term used to describe the compulsive habit of nail biting. Due to this habit, people bite the nail, and some of them even bite the soft tissues present around the nail plate. It is most commonly observed in children, adolescents and young adults, but older adults can also have the habit of nail biting. Usually, in the age between 10 and 18, this habit is at its peak. Later, it subsides in most people. It has been observed that boys are more prone to get the habit of nail biting than girls. Most of the causes are related to stress, anxiety, nervousness, etc.

What Causes Nail Biting?

The exact cause of nail biting have not yet been ascertained. However, some research studies have found that the main fingernail biting causes could be lack of stimulation or excess of stimulation. When these people are under too much of stress, they feel that nail biting will help them release the tension and will be able to deal with their emotions in a better manner. Some of them bite nails when they are not doing any other activity. For them, nail biting is a natural reaction of their body towards boredom. Another psychological factor that may lead to nail biting is that, if a person feels guilty deep within for some reason, they tend to punish themselves by hurting themselves in this manner.

In some cases, the reason could be genetic and may run in the family. Sometimes, children develop this habit if they observe that their parents or any other people bite nails too. It could also be a sign of oral fixation. Oral fixation can be described as the condition when a person feels the need of keeping something in their mouth. Such people carry out the act of biting the nails unconsciously. Like they do it while watching a match, or a TV show, or during reading books, etc. There are some people who continue with the habit of nail biting even during sleeping. In certain serious cases, it could be a symptom of some hidden emotional disorder.

Impact of Nail Biting

Due to the continuous biting of nails, the area where the nail meets the skin tends to become very painful. Sometimes, biting off the soft tissues can cause bleeding, and the fingertip may get swollen and turn red as a result. The cracks on the skin near the nails can get infected by the bacteria present in the saliva and lead to a health problem called paronchia. When it is done for a long period of time, it can lead to deformation of the nail beds. As a result, the nail beds get shortened. If these people grow the nail after quitting the habit, the grown up nails look very odd because of the deformed nail beds. One may even get oral infection due to nail biting. The germs that are accumulated under the nails often cause cavities and gum infection among the nail biters. Nail biting puts a lot of pressure on the front teeth. So those teeth may get chipped off. It can adversely affect the psychology of the nail biters, as they feel self-conscious because of the ugly sight of the bitten nails, and thus find it embarrassing to interact with people.

Try to avoid getting into all those situations that force you to start nail biting. Or else, make a conscious effort to stop yourself from biting nails even when the situation arises. It can be done with a lot of self will and determination. A special colorless nail polish is available which can be applied on the nails. Whenever you bite the nails, the applied nail polish will give a bitter taste in your mouth and you will be forced to stop biting nails. When these steps does not show any result, then you can undergo behavioral therapy to get rid of this problem.