Nail Biting Causes

Lily

B.R
Staff member
Are you addicted to nail biting? Does it seem very difficult to quit this bad habit? Most of you have been surely bullied by your parents because of the nail biting habit. Nail biting is a common problem globally, especially with kids. Studies suggest that boys are more prone to nail biting than girls. Chronic onychophagia is a medical term of this serious problem. Not just the nails, nail biters sometimes, even nibble the soft tissues around the nails. While a tense situation, generally, gives rise to nail biting, this habit can also arise unconsciously, while doing some activities. Nail biting can also be a sign of emotional and mental disorder in few. In such a case, a person even reaches to the finger flesh without any realization. In many, it is a reaction against stress and boredom. Surprisingly, few develop a habit of biting the nails while sleeping. Adolescents are the major victims of this dreadful habit. Though for nail biters the habit turns out as a stress buster, it actually is anything but that. Nail biting not only spoils the image of the person, but also promotes the birth of many severe diseases and anxieties, which is why it becomes absolutely necessary to nip this bad habit in the bud itself. But for the same, you need to first know the reason for its occurrence. In the following lines, we have provided the cause for nail biting.


Causes Of Nail Biting

  • When a person goes through a lot of stress, he/she ends up biting the nails, thinking the same would act as a stress buster. People think nail biting helps in dealing with stress easily.
  • When a person feels guilty from inside due to any reason, he/she tends to bite the nails. In the classification of behavior, nail biting has been addressed as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Spectrum. This disorder has been currently renamed as Body-Focused-Repetitive-Disorder. One of the causes of the development of this disorder is believed to be the chemistry of the brain.
  • This bad habit can be genetic too. Children may become the victims of this deleterious problem, due to family history as well. Either they automatically get involved in nail biting or develop the habit while watching their parents indulge in the same.
  • Oral fixation can also be the cause for nail biting. Oral fixation is a state of mind in which a person feels like keeping something in the mouth all the time. It is done in a subconscious state. People end up biting the nails unintentionally. Some believe that oral fixation can be treated by hypnosis, as it is also carried out in subconscious state of mind.
  • Nail biting can also take place unconsciously. When some people get deeply involve in some activities, they unconsciously bite their nails, such as while watching television, reading a book, etc. Most even gets indulge in nail biting when they are hungry. It is common in both kids and adults. You might freak out but some people bite their nails while sleeping, without even realizing the same.
  • Biting nails in excess can be the symptom of extreme anxiety or compulsive behavior. Nail biting turns out to be the coping mechanism. Also, lack or excess of stimulation is one of the causes for this ruinous habit. Some people indulge in nail biting to overcome boredom.
Nail biting causes are necessary to understand the serious consequences of this bad habit. Heed to these causes of nail biting before taking this dangerous problem casually
 
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