How to Treat a Nervous Nail Biting Habit

Nail-biting is a nasty habit. Not only does it look unprofessional and somewhat gross in public, you could transfer all kinds of germs and bacteria from your hands and under your nails into your mouth by continuing the habit. Although there are a number of remedies you can try to break a vice like nail-biting, like all bad habits, it may take multiple tries and a lot of determination before you are successful.

Instructions

• 1

  Relax. Try to loosen up and focus your attention on something else keep your hands occupied. This way, there is less inclination to bite your nails.

• 2

  Identify what makes you feel like biting your nails, and try to avoid it. If you are able to prevent or eliminate a situation that prompts you to bite your nails, it may be easier to cut the habit. For example, if you realize that you are particularly anxious and want to bite your nails after you've had coffee, try cutting down on the caffeine.

• 3

  Chew on gum or mints. Occupying your mouth by chewing on something else will lessen your desire to chew on your nails.

• 4

  Trim your nails short. If you have short nails, there will be less there for you to chew on when you feel like biting them. Eliminating long nails will render it difficult or impossible to continue chewing on your nails.

• 5

  Paint your nails. If possible, paint them with bitter-tasting polish. This way, you will be greeted with an unpleasant taste whenever you try to chew on your nails, and you may eventually be discouraged from biting your nails altogether.

• 6

  Wear gloves. Gloves would provide an actual physical barrier between your mouth and your nails, making it impossible to chew on them.

• 7

  Tape your fingers with bandages or stickers. Bandages and stickers also provide a barrier between your mouth and nails, making them difficult to chew. These may actually be more successful deterrents than gloves because they are harder to remove from your fingers.

• 8

  Undergo hypnotherapy. Some people find getting seeking the aid of a hypnotherapist helps them quit negative habits, such as smoking or nail-biting. A hypnotherapist may be able to help stop an unconscious trigger in your mind that prompts you to bite your nails.

• 9

  Take medication. Some medications, such as anti-psychotics may be helpful in treating a nail-biting problem. However, you should consult your physician to make sure this is the right step for you.