by Miles Vitnar

Attention all nail biters! Do you ever consider the other negative effects apart from the obvious when you bite your nails? Would like to stop biting fingernails? By the obvious, I mean that you have no nails to speak of and may bite your finger-tips that leads to red and sore fingertips and a pair of not very pretty hands!

OK, so you know you can easily deform your nails, but do you realise there are other side effects that people don’t always think about? These can carry a range of negative consequences on your general health and here are just a few reasons why you should stop biting your fingernails.

As mentioned above, you may have red, sore finger-tips that may lead to minor or severe bleeding from the cuticles. Such aggressive habitual chewing can lead to some bad infections in the nail bed itself and even in the mouth. In turn, infections or viruses in the mouth can badly affect your teeth and gums and lead to more visits to the dentist that you would like.

Remember that transference of infection occurs between the fingers and mouth while you are sub-consciously chewing away. This absent minded biting frequently occurs when people are stressed or anxious and can also be a sign of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). If appropriate and you seek medical treatment for anxiety or OCD then this may help you stop biting your fingernails.

If anxiety is a problem for you then it will only be heightened by your knowledge that nail biting is socially unacceptable, making you think about it more and making a greater conscious effort not to bite your nails in public. This is of course a cycle that must be broken and you will certainly need medication and perhaps therapy to stop it.

I guess by now you are aware of the consequences of your nail biting and know you should stop biting your fingernails. I suggest you first try and identify the reason why you engage in this type of behaviour. When you have done that, if there a medical reason (e.g. OCD or anxiety), get help.

It is likely that you don’t have any particular reason to bite your nails other than to satisfy a habit. If so, there are several methods available to you to try. Not all will work for you, and it may take some time (and money) to find the best method for you personally to stop biting your fingernails, just don’t give up.

About the Author:
OK, so you know you should stop biting your fingernails, all you have to do is find the method that best suits you. For more information, follow this link on how to quit nail biting. Its never going to be easy, but looking costs nothing does it!?

Tagged with:

Filed under: Health

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!