Bitten nails (part 1) – causes and consequences

Do you bite your nails and do you know someone who does? Unfortunately, in most cases one of these two questions is answered with a resounding YES. Read on and you’ll find out what’s behind such a harmful impulse.

Onychophagia is the habit of “nail biting” and although it is not considered a disease, it is considered a nervous pathology. We are really facing a habit that not only has negative connotations at an aesthetic level, but can also cause problems with our organism. But before delving into the consequences, let’s try to understand the causes of this behavior to better understand what we are facing. Nail biting is for a large number of people an escape valve for nervousness. It is a mechanism we use to cope with certain situations, just as other people may smoke or eat sweets. At the end of the day, it is about combating anxiety by putting something in our mouths.

– Psychological causes: any state of nervousness, anxiety, anguish, etc; can trigger an unconscious and frantic impulse to bite the nails. Stress, daily problems and social pressure are some of the frequent causes.

– Psychosomatic causes: although it is impossible to generalize to all cases, we will focus on the most severe cases, since in most cases we find accumulated frustrations, shyness and low self-esteem.
Now it is time to talk about the terrible consequences that this bad habit can cause.

– Aesthetically: bitten nails give a very bad image. They give to understand that we are in front of a nervous, anxious and careless person. We cannot hide our hands, as they are a basic part of our way of communicating. We eat with them, we work with them, we caress, etc.

– Emotionally: people who bite their nails are aware of it and the implications it entails. When the person is aware that he/she cannot repress this instinct, he/she feels bad about him/herself, which translates into low self-esteem and lack of control. This feeling of anguish can lead to a greater desire to bite the nails to combat this feeling.

– For your health: the most obvious problem lies in the germs and bacteria with which our hands are in contact. When we put them in our mouths, they come into contact with our saliva and come into contact with our digestive tract, causing diseases. Damage to the cuticle and nail plate, on the other hand, can lead to deformities, infections and chronic inflammation. In addition, damage can be permanent not only to nails, but also to teeth and gums.

As we have seen, it is a more serious problem than it may seem at first glance. The important thing is to know what the causes are and try to remedy it as soon as possible. In the next installment of bitten nails, we will explain some tricks to end bitten n ails once and for all. Are you going to miss it?