Nail biting

Nail biting is a stress removing habit adopted by many of children and adults. People usually do nail biting when they are nervous, stressed, hungry or bored. All of these things are having a common thing between them which is anxiety.

Nail biting is also a sign of other emotional or mental disorders. In such circumstances people are not aware of the fact that they are biting their nails. Some people also bite their nails while sleeping like some unconscious habit. This leads us to a stage where the habit of nail biting can not be left. One requires a lot of will to eliminate this habit and this very difficult process.

A research project shows that nail biting is a very common thing among children between ages of 10 to 18. Some young adults ranging from 18 to 22 years sometimes bite their nail. Other than this only a small number of adults bite their nails, adults usually overcome this nail biting habit at the age of 30 by themselves.

Nail biting causes too much pain at the place where skin meets the nail. Sore fingers are adopted by nail biting causing the cuticles to bleed. Nail biting leads to give birth to infections in your nails and mouth. Nail biting, if lasts for a long time, causes deformation of nails. Nail biting is rarely said to be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This can be treated with the help of proper medicines.

Problems of nail biting to individuals are numerous such as affect to employability and affect on interactions with other people.

A number of behavioral treatments are available for discouragement of nail biting. One of the most common and cheap treatment is application of nail polish. This develops a bitter taste on the surface of nails and also makes them hard, so when nails come in contact with mouth, children find it bitter and hard to bite therefore, this habit can be discouraged. Another method for discouragement of this habit is use of mouth pieces which prevent biting. There are some behavioral therapies when simple methods are ineffective. One of them is Habit reversal Training (HRT), this helps in replacing the nail biting habit with some constructive habit and a number of researches have proven that it is effective both in children as well as adults. Another such therapy is Stimulus control therapy which identifies the stimulus which urges towards nail biting and then it is cured. Other nail cosmetics help to remove social effects of nail biting. Keep your nails trimmed and polished every time, men can use a clear polish; this encourages keeping your nails attractive and eliminates the nail biting habit. Try to keep yourself busy with some thing instead of nail biting such as a stress ball. You can wear gloves or stickers to remind you not to bite your nails. Discouragement of nail biting is a difficult process but if one is completely willing to do it, one can overcome it.

Nail biting
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