Nail biting? Unhealthy or Just a Typical Habit?


Have you ever been sitting down enjoying your day, reading a book and then notice that you’re chewing on your nails? This has happened to thousands of people on an everyday basis! Did you ever stop to think about the effects nail biting has? Your fingers and nails are teeming with all sorts of germs. These germs are the reasons why we get sick. Our health isn’t the only thing at risk when we bite our nails. Nail biting also contributes to our mental and emotional being. It can be caused by stress or anxiety which are proven emotional problems. The more we deal with stress and anxiety the harder it is to control our mental and emotional challenges. On top of that how would it feel to have people staring at you because of a compulsive habit you just can’t get rid of? Today everyone is so focused on appearance. Everyone want’s to look good,and if you don’t it always seems that these people are left out. Nail biters tend to feel bad about their habit even without the criticizing and awkward stares itself, now imagine the toll it takes on them when they do receive this type of neglection. If don’t think nail biting is a big deal now just wait until you’ve read this editorial

One word to describe nail biting, unhealthy! Everyday we come in contact with germs. Your nails carry germs that end up contaminating your body causing health problems. Did you ever stop to think of how much bacteria is under our nails and on our fingers? Nail biters are always constantly chewing their nails,but what they don’t know is that under their nails there is bacteria and other fungi teeming with life ready to contaminate the human body. As we bite our nails we are also ingesting several bacteria that can cause infectious diseases such as bacterial or fungal aphtha like candidiasis. Nail biting opens the doors to several diseases and viruses. One of the most common viral diseases is herpes. A subject who bites nails facilitates the spread of herpes around the mouth and also spreads contamination around fingers. When you bite your nails you’re making yourself vulnerable to a whole new world of diseases,viruses, and other such health problems.

Along with causing health problems nail biting also damages several parts of the mouth and body.When you bite your nails it creates wounds around the nail and in the nail bed. These wounds may favor the formation of Paronychia. Paronychia is an acute infection of the finger at the junction of the nail and skin in which the finger becomes red,inflamed and filled w/ puss.This can be very painful and untreated Paronychia may lead to the formation of an abbess. Other than causing Paronychia nail biting also affects your teeth,gums,and jaw. Many people don’t know,but your teeth need breaks after meals. Continuously biting your nails means that your teeth don’t get the breaks they need. This puts stress on your front teeth which can cause them to become misaligned. The more you bite the more you contribute to the wearing down and weakening of your teeth. If you want to waste money at the dentist continue chewing on your nails. According to the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), people who bite their nails are at a greater risk for bruxism. Bruxism is the unintentional grinding or clenching of the teeth. As you persist to bite your nails it can end up contributing Temporomandibular (T M) disorder which causes jaw pains headaches and locking and popping of the jaw. Nail biting is a serious problem. If it isn’t addressed now it could cause consequential complications later.

Nail biting has been a hard habit to break for centuries leaving emotional tolls on regular everyday people. About 30% of all children and 50% of adults are nail biters.Regularly biting your nails and cuticles can leave your fingers sore and red. The area around your fingers may even bleed and become infected. Today people are always worried with their appearance. Nail biting is categorized as something unattractive so for nail biters they are always battling against the critics of this world. Would you like to have the nail’s of a biter? Would you like to be in their place? With people always focusing so much on appearance nail biters are put into an awkward spot. They try to stop,but it’s not always easy. Various techniques have been set forward to challenge these nail biters to stop such as coating their nails with a bitter nail polish and in extreme cases even wrapping their finger with bandages or gloves. Many times these techniques don’t work frustrating the nail biter which does cause an emotional toll. They try and try and try but it never gets easier to stop. It’s not as simple as it seems, being a nail biter isn’t just something regular.Nail biting is truly a hard habit to break and it affects the mental state of all those who bite one way or another.

Other people may think that nail biting is harmless. Some people believe that it’s an everyday habit. People ask themselves it’s so common how could it do anything bad for you? All it is is biting your nails there isn’t anything more to it. However, there is more to it. Psychologists say nail biting isn’t about manners, but rather one’s mental health. If people continue to bite their nails it won’t only cause health problems, but also the mental stability of these people will be challenged in the future.If you look at the 30% of children and 50% of adults who are nail biters the majority of them start their habit at a young age. As they dig further and further,deeper and deeper into this habit they realize the toll nail biting takes on them. It seems crazy to think that nail biting could affect someone so harshly, but the truth is that no matter the age, weight, height nail biting is dangerous and could threaten your personal health, physically and mentally.

Overall nail biting has to stop! For the better of teenagers,children and even adults it is important that we start worrying about the things that will affect us in the future for example, nail biting. Nail biting has been proven to cause serious health and mental tolls on those who bite. Once we get rid of this compulsive habit we will have a healthier,mentally stable generation.