There are a lot of people across the globe who bite their nails whenever they’re under stress, nervous or irritated and this is a very bad habit. Some of them, especially younger people, bite their nails so often that it almost becomes a habit. In some people, this habit is lost after a certain age, but many continue to do it even when they’re older.
Biting your nails is not just a nasty habit that makes your fingers and nails look bad, but it’s also highly unhygienic, especially under the current conditions, with the COVID 19 outbreak. It makes you more susceptible to bacterial and viral infections and can put your health in danger.
Why do we bite our nails?
Psychologists claim that some people bite their nails constantly because it represents a certain stress release mechanism or they do it out of boredom. We usually do it subconsciously; we don’t even notice it when we start doing it. If you have this nasty habit as well, you’ve probably noticed that it intensifies when you are under stress or when you feel like you’re not in control of the situation.
But how does nail biting help us cope with stress, anxiety and boredom?
Well, it distracts us from whatever it is that’s bothering us. Stress and boredom can make us feel uneasy and our inner energy that makes us feel this way triggers the nail biting and cause the release. Hunger can also be a trigger for nail biting in some.
4 Reasons Why You Need to Stop Biting Your Nails
- When you bite your nails you ingest millions of microbes
It’s not that all of these microbes are pathogens, most of them probably aren’t, but it’s enough if our hands are only dirty once and a dangerous microorganism enters our body and cause an infection. With the coronavirus pandemic we realized that it’s important that we don’t touch our face and we wash our hands often. According to research, people who bite their nails are at a higher risk of catching a cold, the flu and COVID 19.
- Biting your nails increases the risk of skin infection
We’re all aware that every cut and wound should be disinfected quickly if we want to prevent an infection. Biting our nails and fingers can cause small cuts and wounds around them and these are a breeding ground for bacteria which can easily enter our blood stream. The infection that occurs as a result can look really bad, can cause redness, swelling and harden the skin around the nails.
- Increased risk of infection in the mouth cavity
The potential microbes that you may have on your fingers and nails can cause problems in the mouth cavity if you bite your nails. Biting your nails can also damage the tooth enamel, which can lead to breaking your teeth as well.
- Increased risk of bad breath
As we already said, biting your nails can lead to increased risk of infection in the mouth cavity and this can make your breath smell bad.
