Nail Biters - How to Break the Habit

Nail-biting is a common nervous habit. It is estimated that up to 60% of school-age children regularly bite their nails, but as kids grow up that percentage tapers off. Not everyone quits, though, and nail-biting may still be a problem for some adults. This habit can be embarrassing as well as dangerous, since broken skin invites infection. Nail-biting can also damage your teeth. Proper nail care, positive reinforcement and stress-management techniques can all benefit biters. Below you will find 8 tips for kicking your nail-biting habit, followed by a list of 5 ways that loved ones can help.

1. Make the Choice

If you are a nail-biter, you will not stop unless you want to. If you are the spouse, friend or parent of a nail-biter, you cannot force him or her to quit. Nail-biting is a habit, and just as with any habit (smoking, drinking, exercising, etc.), the decision must be made before any change will happen.

2. Confront Anxieties

Nail-biting is a nervous habit, and it is usually a symptom of deeper anxiety. It often begins in childhood as a way to comfort the stresses of growing up, and it may continue into adulthood as a method for coping with the stresses of adulthood. For example, nail-biting may increase before a move or during stressful times at work. Acknowledge what is making you anxious and try to confront the issues head-on. Talk to loved ones about what worries you, and keep a journal where you can vent your feelings.

3. Relieve Stress

For excessive biters, talking and journaling about their anxiety is usually not enough. Explore other ways to relieve stress. Deep breathing exercises and meditation have the ability to quiet your mind and help you better manage anxiety. Physical activities such as Yoga and Tai-Chi incorporate deep breathing and meditation into an exercise routine, making them excellent methods for dealing with stress.

If these methods won't work for you, consider visiting a psychologist or experimenting with hypnotherapy. In order to stop the symptom of nail-biting, you may have to confront the root of your anxieties.

4. Find Distractions

One way to hinder your habit is to replace it with another less destructive habit. Try chewing gum or rubbing a "worry stone." When you feel the urge to chew your fingers, twirl a pen instead. Start a new hobby that keeps your hands busy.

5. Medicate Your Hands

One of the first things I did when trying to help my husband stop nail-biting was slather his fingers with Neosporin. It made his fingers taste bad, and it helped heal the open wounds at the same time. Try something like this. You will be motivated to stop because biting will result in a foul taste. There are a number of creams marketed specifically to nail-biters. And, of course, if you find the taste tolerable or even enjoyable, then it's time to switch to a different one.

6. Keep Clippers Close

The picking and biting often starts with a hangnail, a ragged bit, a small chip. Get in the habit of carrying a small nail file and nail clippers- you can buy cheap keychain clippers at most drugstores- and use these instead of your teeth when you notice the imperfections. Using proper nail care can help biters stop their habit.

7. Change Your Diet

In addition to keeping your nails trimmed, you can have healthy nails by increasing your intake of Calcium and Magnesium. Beans and green vegetables are a good source of both nutrients. You can also find calcium in dairy products, salmon and tofu, and magnesium in whole grains, nuts and brown rice. Calcium and magnesium supplements are also available, but try the natural way first. The health benefits of these foods go far beyond your nail-biting needs.

8. Wear Gloves

If all else fails, or if you are having a particularly rough time, put on a pair of gloves. You can't chew your fingers if they're covered in fabric.

What a spouse, parent or friend can do to help a nail-biter:

1. Discuss Your Concerns

Remember, the nail-biter must first make the choice. Talk to them about how often they do it, why they might be doing it and why it concerns you. They may not realize the habit is so prominent or that anyone else cares. You may be able help them use better nail care just by talking about it.

2. Use Gentle Reminders

Nail-biting is often an unconscious act, done without awareness or intent. If I swat my husband's fingers away from his mouth while he is driving or reading, they are usually back within the minute. When I point this out, he will be genuinely surprised to realize it. Help your nail-biter become aware of their habit by giving a verbal or physical reminder- a code word or a specific tap on the arm, for example. This is different than nagging or punishing. Nagging can actually reinforce the behavior, and punishment can deepen the anxieties that cause the nail-biting in the first place. But if you help your loved one realize that they can't go five minutes without biting, you can help them toward the goal of breaking the habit.

3. Offer Distractions

Carry gum with you. Politely offer a pair of clippers. Give them things to distract their hands. Distraction works best if they don't even connect it to the nail-biting.

4. Model Positive Behavior

If I so much as touch my own chipped nail, my husband gets indignant and declares I'm a biter too. So take care of your own nails and be a role model for the person trying to quit. This is especially important for children. Children often pick up habits from those in their homes. If the parents are nail-biters, the child probably will be too.

5. Positive Reinforcement

One of the best ways you can help is to offer compliments when the behavior begins to change. Offering rewards can give the biter more incentive, and you can even make a game out of it, presenting challenges for the number of hours or weeks they can go without biting. Women and little girls may be especially enticed by the promise of a nice manicure. Use your knowledge of your loved one to design rewards that will help them towards their goal.