Chronic nail biting, also called onychophagia, can be a difficult habit to break. According to the Washington Post, nail biting often begins in childhood and is most common in adolescents, although 10 to 20 percent of adults continue to bite their nails. While not dangerous, nail biting does look unsightly and can be unsanitary, possibly leading to infections if the nail biter touches a surface with viruses or bacteria and then bites her nails.
Bad Tasting Substances
Bitter nail coatings can be bought over the counter that make nail biting unpleasant. These products are non-toxic, odorless, colorless and designed to help stop onychophagia. Other substances that can be used on the nails to discourage nail biting include jalapeno pepper juice, soap or sunflower oil spread on the nails or over the entire fingertip.
Behavioral Modification Techniques
Behavioral modification techniques can help stop nail biting by changing the circumstances under which the person usually performs the behavior. This can involve providing distractions from the nail biting such as small stones, balls or hand-held toys that occupy the hands. Another behavioral modification technique involves providing a reminder, such as a string tied around the finger, that can cause the nail biter to think about her actions and stop.
Stress Reduction
Many programs to help stop nail biting focus on the cause of the habit. Since psychological stress is believed to be a source of nail biting, efforts to reduce stress and anxiety may help solve the problem. Stress reduction can take the form of formal psychotherapy to investigate any underlying sources of stress or it may involve self-help options such as meditation, breathing exercises or relaxation techniques. If the nail biter is a child or teen, parents may wish to cut back on his extracurricular activities to provide more time for relaxation, suggests Fisher-Price.
Physical Obstruction
Some nail biters choose to use physical obstruction to keep fingernails away from the mouth. Gloves or mittens can be a good deterrent. Some people attach adhesive bandages to each fingertip to cover the nails. The Washington Post describes a removable tooth guard invented by a man in the Netherlands that works by covering either the top or bottom teeth, thereby preventing the teeth from being used for biting nails. Physical obstruction methods such as these work because they stop the behavior long enough for the person to think about it and require the individual to take an extra step to complete the action of biting his nails.
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