Reasons Why Biting Nails Can Seriously Harm Your Health

Nail biting usually occurs when a
person is suffering from stress, anxiety,
or nervousness. Such feelings trigger
the person to automatically chew on the
nails to attain calmness. Now, is it the
only way to calm yourself, or is their
any alternative solutions? Of course
there are. And before we answer that,
here are the horrifying facts that will
explain why you should stop biting your
nails.
1. Your nails are full of germs.
No matter how many times you wash
your hands, germs will still live
under your fingernails. Because
among all other body parts, your
hands, meaning your fingers which
have nails, come into contact with
surfaces of all types. The thing is,
your fingers may stay clean, but
your nails aren’t. So when you are
biting your nails, you are also biting
on the earthly bacteria, germs, yeast,
etc. Yum!
2. You are transferring the bacteria into
your mouth.
So what happens after chewing on
your delicious germs and bacteria?
You are carting them from your nails
to your mouth. Once they are inside
your mouth, they will eventually
enter your digestive system. In 2007,
a group of Turkish scientists
experimented on 59 people,
combined of nail biters and non-nail
biters, to see whether they transport
bacteria to the mouth. After
swabbing each person’s saliva, the
results were quite alarming. 76%
actually transported E. coli, and
similar germs, compared to 26.5% of
non biters. E.coli is responsible for
diarrhea and vomiting.
3. In extreme case, you can end up with
oral STIs.
It is not only commuting E.coli and
other bacteria, in extreme cases, you
may end up with oral STIs. If you are
a nail biter, and one fine day you
notice herpes, or blisters on your
lips, don’t fret. They are the results
of your nail bacteria that you have
successfully transferred to your
mouth.
4. From bacteria in your mouth to
dental damage.
When you are constantly gnawing
down your nails, your teeth are
clicking together. This results in
tooth fracture, tooth chips, and in
rare cases, tooth loss.
5. For biters who wear braces, brace
yourself!
Those of you who wear braces, you
are risking yourself into tooth
resorption, meaning your body cells
are reabsorbing its own cells, and
tissues. There is also a possibility
that your braces might break down
which would force you to undergo
expensive and potentially painful
dental treatment.
6. You’ll end up having stinky breath.
Stinky breath occurs due to bacteria
in your mouth and saliva. When you
are continuously biting your nails
and transferring different bacteria,
they are prone to permanently stay
inside your mouth. This leads to
stinky breath, which, no matter how
many times you wash your mouth
with fresheners, the foul breath will
never go away.
7. You may have pus in your
fingernails.
What happens when you bite your
nails? You leave the nail bed
exposed. Bacteria, such as
Staphylococcus aureus, can enter the
open pores and build pus around the
nails, causing nail abnormality. This
pus is a horrible business. It can be
cured through pills, or has to be
drained out through surgery.
8. Polish your nails, but don’t eat them!
Nails look beautiful with nail
polishes. But if you are prone to eat
them, then stop using them. Because
polishes contain harmful chemicals,
and some varnishes contain
formaldehyde, the chemical that is
used to embalm dead bodies. If this
information isn’t enough scary to put
you off, then I don’t know what is.
9. In the end, your nails will never grow
back to normal.
Nails are formed on nail beds, and
never-ending biting will eventually
ruin your nail bed. Your once long
nails will gradually shorten, and at
one point, will no longer grow any
further. The nail’s surface will tear
off as well, looking awful, and
embarrassing for you to publicly
show off.
So, how can you ever stop?
Now, you know what harm you are
doing to yourself through this
horrendous activity. Previously, I
have mentioned that there are
solutions to stop biting nails. Well,
first of all, try to stay relaxed and
avoid too much stress and
frustration. If you can’t, or not
allowed to, then indulge yourself to
physical exercise/activities that
releases stress. You can go for
manicures. That will make you feel
guilty of spoiling your beautifully
trimmed, polished nails. Put some
nail polish and imagine the harm
you are doing by biting into the
varnishes.
And if you really want to chew on
something then try sugar-free
chewing gum. They might help you!
Just stay away from biting your
beautiful nails because when you do
that it shows how anxious you stay
all day. In public places with people
around, it might not be a pretty
sight.