If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s a crash course in proper hand hygiene. Before this year, many of us thought we were handling our hands and fingers like pros, but, let's face it, many of us had less than ideal habits. Maybe you skimped on the 20-second handwashing rule, or maybe you had clean hands but used them to touch your face and rub your eyes constantly. And there are those who, try as we might, can't figure out how to stop biting our nails.
If you’re (like me) among the nail-biting people of the world, then you’ve probably discovered the following: Nail biting doesn’t stop just because we want it to. My guess? Even though the stakes are high given the new coronavirus pandemic, many of us are probably having a tough time avoiding nibbling away at our nubby nails from time to time. You’re not alone. Way before the new coronavirus was disrupting our lives, writer Emily Rekstis tried a few common hacks to see if she could break herself of the habit. You’ll find those tips below. But before we get into that, let’s run through a few basics, shall we?
Why do people bite their nails?
You might not know this, but nail biting falls under a list of behaviors known as body-focused repetitive disorders (or BFRDs), which are those little habits we have (think hair pulling or skin picking) that, when done often enough, can cause harm. As SELF previously reported, it’s not entirely clear why some people have BFRDs, but there are known triggers. SELF previously reported that those triggers fall into five main categories: There are sensory triggers, which might be anything that evokes the senses (taste, touch, sight, smell, or hearing). You may be triggered by certain thoughts or beliefs (these are called cognitive triggers). You could bite your nails when you face something called a motor trigger, which involves postures and movements that you make (and might not even be aware of). Even certain places might make your nail nibbling more prevalent (these are called setting triggers).
Is nail biting actually that bad?
Here’s the thing: Some viruses live on surfaces and when we touch those spots (like doorknobs or subway rails) and then touch our eyes, nose, or mouths, we run the risk of helping those germs get into our bodies, Philip Tierno, Ph.D., microbiologist and clinical professor of pathology at NYU Langone, previously told SELF. It’s not a given that biting your nails will make you sick more frequently than those who don’t, but putting your fingers in your mouth isn’t doing your immune system any favors.
But even if you’re not thinking about germs, biting your fingernails can also cause damage to your nail bed, the Mayo Clinic explains. This can leave tiny cuts that put you at greater risk for bacteria and fungus to hang out and cause infections, the Mayo Clinic says. Biting your fingernails can also potentially damage your teeth, according to the Mayo Clinic. All of that means it’s best to keep your fingernails out of your mouth. So, how to do that you may wonder?
There are things you can do to help you stop biting your nails.
It might be possible for some people to go cold turkey, but many people will need some strategies to guide them. The tips from the American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA) are a great place to start. They offer a mix of practical strategies as well as mental exercises that can help you. For example, among the strategies recommended by the AADA are identifying your nail-biting triggers, keeping your nails clipped short, and taking a gradual approach (as in, just work on stopping biting one fingernail at a time). The AADA also explains that nail biting might be a sign of emotional or psychological distress. So if you’ve tried to stop biting your nails and can’t, there’s no harm in contacting your doctor to discuss your concerns. And if you develop an infection from nail biting, a dermatologist or other healthcare provider can help you treat it, the AADA says.
Here’s what happened when Emily Rekstis tried to break her nail-biting habit. Here’s what she said:
Biting your nails is a terrible habit, one that I can’t seem to knock. I turned to the internet and talked to experts to find the best hacks that will hopefully help me break my habit. Here's how my little experiment went:
1. I dipped my nails in salt.
