How to Stop Biting Your Nails

How you stop biting your nails is less important than simply doing so. Along with wreaking havoc on your manicure, repeated nail biting can damage the tissue that promotes nail growth, put you at risk for a chipped tooth, trigger painful jaw issues, and transmit bacteria and viruses from your nails to your mouth.

Chronic nail biting affects up to 30% of the general population. If you are still a part of that group, these six tips may help you kick the habit once and for all.

Everyday stress is one of the biggest factors in chronic nail biting. To ease your stress—and alleviate anxiety—try taking up techniques like meditation, yoga, mindfulness-based stress reduction, deep breathing, or guided imagery.

Helpful in knocking out your nail-biting habit, such techniques may also enhance your overall well-being. For example, a study published in the journal Mindfulness found that practicing brief sessions of hatha yoga and mindfulness meditation can significantly improve brain function and energy levels.

In a study published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, researchers determined that people who are easily bored, frustrated, and/or impatient are more likely to engage in compulsive behaviors like chronic nail biting and skin-picking.

To find out what’s feeding your habit, try keeping a journal and making a note of your mental state whenever you feel the urge to bite your nails. Once you’ve identified a pattern, change your circumstances by taking action against your triggers. For example, if you tend to bite your nails when you’re zoning out in front of the TV, try going for a walk or picking up a book instead.

If you keep your nails trimmed and filed short, there will be less to latch onto, possibly making the nail biting habit less satisfying.

Similarly, getting regular manicures and keeping your nails in top shape could serve as a deterrent. (You may not want to ruin how they look.)

For some people, applying bitter-tasting nail polish, which you can buy over-the-counter at most drugstores, can be a deterrent to nail biting.

Chewing gum might help you stop biting your nails by giving your mouth another activity to engage in.

While home remedies are beneficial for many chronic nail-biters, some people may require more comprehensive treatment. In fact, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) warns that nail biting may signal a more serious psychological or emotional issue in some cases. If you’re struggling in your efforts to quit biting your nails, talk with your doctor.