Why gnaw nails and how to get rid of this bad habit

Agree that it is quite unpleasant to see a person, especially if he is your interlocutor, who has a persistent habit of biting his nails, or onychophagia. This is not only aesthetic, but, according to doctors, quite dangerous. In medicine, there is even such a term as onihofagiya, denoting it is this pernicious habit.

Help: Onychophagia (from al-Greek. — nail and — to eat, devour) — a mental disorder, manifested in the obsessive biting nails. In ICD-10 this disorder refers to F98.8 - other specified disorders of emotional and behavioral disorders with the beginning usually attributable to children's age.

For what reason gnawing at fingernails?

There are several theories explaining the causes of onychophagy:

1. Manifestation of child neurosis: this is the opinion of many doctors, explaining that a child who bites nails, gets rid of discomfort and psychological stress in this way. This habit gives way to the accumulated aggression, while delivering pleasure. A significant role is played by the fear of" adult " life (the child, holding a finger in the mouth, feels still small, entitled to weakness).
2. Domestic causes: Another source of think boredom, inability to do. And often this occurs as a result of imitation of adults (if parents have a habit of gnawing their nails, then the child will be engaged in the same). By the way, this habit can appear in the event that the baby's nails are poorly cared for. Dried burrs force the child to get rid of them.
3. Suppressed desires: the Followers of Freud, I believe this habit is analogous to Masturbation. But, unlike the latter, it is a less satisfying way, which obviously affects its prevalence.

In fact, involuntary desire to bite the nail plates and burrs is a symptom of deviation in behavior. This "addiction" not only makes a person somewhat unattractive in communication for other people, but often these people continue this action as long as the skin is not injured and there is no blood. In this situation, quite often undergoes damage and nail hole.

Mainly, this pathology occurs in children of four to five years and, if no measures are taken, only worsens when the baby goes to school. Statistics show that 34% of children attending primary school suffer from this habit. Not rare cases when the pathology under consideration occurs in a teenager during puberty, which is manifested in his adult life. You can meet families where the nails bite adults and children just start to imitate them, not considering it something harmful.

Often we begin the nail-biting when the test:

• Nervous tension. Ever notice how some people, trying to appease anger or to relieve stress, clench my fists until the knuckles whitening, or in a fit of rage breaking items and thus release negative emotions? Provides that the reason for the habit of nail biting may have a similar picture, and in this way the person tries to relieve tension.
• Stress. Depressing to say the situation can cause the appearance of neurosis, just manifested in razgryzaniya nails.
• Alarm. Fears and apprehensions force the person"to return to childhood". In search of protection people unconsciously start nail biting. What's more, they can't even remember why they chewed their nails.
• Thinking about the problem is probably one of the most common reasons why an adult bites his nails. Someone to focus on the task of nibbling on the cap of the pen, someone tears the paper or draws on paper nothing insignificant scheme, and someone corny nibbles nails. It is noticed that such habit is subject to perfectionists, people constantly trying to achieve the best results.
• Habit from childhood. Typically, all adults, gnawing fingernails, have suffered from this habits in childhood. If the child has not been able to distract from the problem or acted prohibiting methods, then sooner or later the adult returns to the addiction.
• Mental illness, accompanied by a desire to inflict harm or injury. People suffering from mental illness, often in the" meat " eat their nails, tear off the plate completely. In this case, a person needs a qualified psychiatrist.

Negative consequence

Habit an eye fingernails can lead to unpleasant consequences, which can manifest itself a long time. The negative aspects of this issue include the following:

• weakening of the nail plate;
• damage to the cuticle;
• the violation of the beauty of healthy nails;
• the appearance of ingrown toenail;
• the appearance of worms;
• getting into the blood of infectious microorganisms;
• the evocation of viral diseases;
• violation of the digestive tract and other internal organs;
• and of course the spoiled manicure in women.

How to get rid of the habit of nail biting?

To answer the question how to get rid of the habit of nail biting, you can determine the cause of the catalyst. But certain recommendations can already be given immediately.

It should be noted at once that modern medicine and methods of traditional medicine today do not have a "classic pill", which would allow you to easily and quickly cope with the problem.

1 sold In pharmacies special lacquer with a bitter taste – treating his nails, no one will be able to chew on them without noticing. This method is good for people who bite it nails, not the skin around the nails. Note that for people who bite the skin, the method does not work, because the bitter substance does not hold on to the skin for a long time.

2 Many successfully replace a special varnish improvised means-mustard, garlic or economic toilet soap.

3 you Can invent a system of penalties: for every bitten nail to perform thirty sit-UPS, or to defer to the Treasury a certain sum to charity.

4 the Owners of weak and brittle nails that want to nibble, when they once again break, it is useful to get used to carry nail scissors. Then if necessary you can carefully cut the nail instead of to nibble it to the desired shape. The same goes for burrs. The owners of brittle nails is recommended to dedicate a manicure to any day of the week to do them regularly, not waiting until some of the nails will crack or break.

5 Should be short cut nails – usually the temptation to chew decreases with length. In addition, short nails are more practical (for example, typing on a keyboard or smartphone or homework) and they look great with almost any color. However, sometimes Vice versa: when you want to chew nails. In this case, it is useful to try the option with a manicure.

6 a Good way to unlearn biting his nails, specially for girls is to make yourself beautiful manicure in the beauty salon. After already spent time and money to give the hands an attractive look, carefree bite them no longer work. To strengthen the motivation, nail Polish can be bright red or dark to conceal obkusyvanie not exactly transparent. But most importantly, he must like the owner that she has not appeared too much reason to resort to teeth.

7 it is Recommended to find an alternative method to cope with stress. When it is impossible to solve all problems, it is necessary to change your attitude to them and learn to look at the world more positively. This will help yoga, breathing exercises, sports, any hobby, expander, etc.

8 Radical method to protect nails is to wrap the fingertips with band-aid so that the nails will be unavailable for the attacks. It will look, of course, not in the best way — and perhaps add motivation to correct.

9 False nails not only look impressive, they are also quite unattractive from a gastronomic point of view. Therefore, the artificial nail extension you can use in order to learn not to chew your own. The main thing is to entrust the procedure of building professionals. An Amateur approach to build-up can harm your own nails as well as gnawing.

10 some people are helped by redirecting energy: for this reception, you need to stock up on a hand expander, a stress ball or something like a small thing, which you can take your fingers whenever you want them to chew.

11 If you certainly want to take the teeth instead of nails you can chew an Apple or some other fruit.

12 the stronger your nails, the less desire them to nibble. A healthy diet will help your nails grow healthy and strong. To do this, you must consume enough calcium and magnesium. These substances are found in dairy products, chicken eggs, legumes, cereals.

13 Positive visual images can be a powerful motivator. It is useful to place photos of healthy hands with a beautiful manicure in a prominent place as an incentive. This can be as others ' photos, so and take pictures own of fresh professional manicure.

14 If this applies to the baby then, initially, the mother must try to remove it with friendly conversation and find out the reason for his excitement. In this situation, it is sufficient to caress the baby, to say that they love him and are proud of him, as well as independently or together with the child to find a way to solve his problem. If parents are unable to do so, a child psychologist can help.

The approach to the problem should be more thorough. It is necessary to take into account as many factors as possible: the situation in which a person lives, his social status, his personal characteristics, and so on. If there is a feeling that to cope with the problem yourself does not work, it is necessary to call for help to a specialist, seeking advice from a psychologist.

It is possible to stop the problem by various psychotherapeutic methods. First of all, just categorically deny the nail-biting impossible. Man himself must feel and want to be free from pathological addiction. Otherwise, you will not be able to solve the problem.

Experts offer a number of ways, if desired, allowing to stop the problem:

If the source of the pathological addiction is anxiety or stress, it is possible to use sedative drugs. It can be easy herbal tinctures on the basis of Melissa, Valerian, motherwort and so on. If the situation is particularly complex, can be appointed by pharmacological agents: the Persians, life 600, circulin, dormiplant, negrustin, novopassit, trasplant, darim (produced on the basis of plant components), or valokordin, valocardin, dormiplant, cardola, corvaldin, Corvalol, nabnasset, Sanson and others.

The combined preparation novopassit is prescribed one teaspoon, which corresponds to 5 ml, three times during the day. If the clinical picture of the disease requires, the recommended amount of the drug is allowed to increase twice and take 10 ml three times a day.

But this pharmacological drug has its contraindications: individual intolerance of components of the drug, the presence in the history of human muscle weakness (myasthenia gravis). Caution should be taken in patients with disorders affecting the digestive tract.

Also in this case, doctors can prescribe behavioral therapy, which is a patient colliding with his fears and develop the ability to control their emotions.

People nibble a nail plate because of its fragility, therefore, it is necessary to do to strengthen them. Therapeutic activities can include a warm bath based on sea salt, vitamin complexes or single-agent preparation or of calcium and other minerals and vitamins. For example, calcium gluconate is taken 1 to 3 grams of the substance, two to three times during the day.
Contraindications to the use of this drug may be hypercalcemia, hypersensitivity to components of the drug. Calcium gluconate is not prescribed in severe form of hypercalciuria, severe renal dysfunction, as well as if the patient's body is prone to thrombosis.

So, the nail-biting is a nasty, dangerous for human health reflex. But she's not a sentence for the rest of her life. This can and should be fought.