Nail-Biting Isn't Just a Bad Habit - It's a Health Hazard

May 18, 2018

Nail-biting is an incredibly common habit. As many as 20 percent of people - that's one in every five! - bites their nails to some degree. Most people think of it as a harmless (if somewhat unpleasant) habit. But if you bite your nails, you could actually be putting your health at risk.

Why do people bite their nails? There are a number of different reasons, but many of them seem to come down to emotional regulation. People bite their nails to deal with anxiety, stress, and other negative emotions. Understanding this, and finding other ways to cope with those emotions, is the key to kicking the nail-chewing habit.

Biting your nails makes you more likely to get sick. Think about how many surfaces you touch every day at work, on the bus, or at the store. When your fingers are constantly in your mouth, you're giving any germs you've picked up a direct route into your body. This increases your chances of catching colds, stomach bugs, or even the flu. It also makes you more vulnerable to more dangerous bacteria, like E. coli and salmonella.

Biting your nails is also bad news for the skin of your fingers. It's easy to damage the skin around your nail beds with constant chewing, which can lead to pain and bleeding. If you get any bacteria into those sores, you might also find yourself dealing with skin infections.

Biting your nails is bad for your teeth, too. In fact, people who habitually bite their nails spend an average of $4000 more on dental care than people who don't. You can probably think of better things to do with $4000!

It's possible to quit biting your nails. Millions of people have improved their quality of life by kicking the habit. Here's how you can stop biting your nails, once and for all.

First of all, tell your friends about your goal to stop biting. Ask them to keep an eye on you and remind you to stop if you absent-mindedly start chewing your nails. If you can partner up with a friend who also wants to stop biting, that's even better.

Another tried-and-true way to stop biting your nails is to paint them. You won't want to chew on your nails if you have a fresh new manicure. For extra motivation to quit, paint your nails with bad-tasting nail polish.

Finally, remind yourself frequently of the health hazards of biting your nails. It's hard to want to chew your fingernails when you're thinking about all the germs that might be on your fingers.

Nail-biting is a bad habit for more reasons than one. It's not just icky - it's a health danger. Do you bite your nails? If so, are you planning to quit after reading this article? We'd love to hear your thoughts!