{"id":11337,"date":"2015-09-14T18:18:01","date_gmt":"2015-09-14T16:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shawellness.com\/shamagazine\/shamagazine\/?p=11337"},"modified":"2023-10-18T10:17:45","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T08:17:45","slug":"what-is-onychophagia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shawellness.com\/shamagazine\/en\/what-is-onychophagia\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Onychophagia?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Nervousness, boredom, emotional disorders and stress<\/strong> are some of the causes of onychophagia. Many people experience this compulsive habit of nail biting without realizing that sometimes it can turn into a chronic disease.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Onychophagia is not just a problem of appearance but it\u2019s directly related to health as it may cause:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Transport of germs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Injuries or bleeding cuticles.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Nail deformity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dental problems such as tooth decay.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Gums Injuries.<\/li>\n<li>Chronic paronychia (inflammation of the cellular tissue of the fingers).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Causes<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>The reasons can be divided in two types: <strong>psychological <\/strong>or <strong>psychosomatic<\/strong> <strong>reasons.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The psychological reasons usually happen because of <strong>nervousness, anxiety, stress, compulsive states, boredom or fear<\/strong>. People don\u2019t usually realize they are biting their nails and this increases in periods of increased exposure to situations that cause suffering, as a way of channeling pain or self-punishment. Breakups, organizing an event like wedding preparations or preparing a long journey, unemployment or change of employment status, are some examples.<\/p>\n<p>There are other <strong>psychosomatic causes<\/strong> that affect emotionally such as domestic violence, changes in the family unit, pressure in studies, new members in the family that are not accepted, low self-esteem, shyness, frustrations or more personal aspects.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Recommendations<\/h4>\n<p>Here we present a series of <strong>tips<\/strong> that can help you quit this bad habit:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Look for substitutes<\/strong> \u2013 As with people who try to <a href=\"https:\/\/shawellness.com\/shamagazine\/en\/services\/anti-tobacco-programme\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">stop smoking<\/a>, try to calm the anxiety of trying to bite something with substitutes like <strong>gum, candy, a stick or a piece of fruit.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Paint your nails<\/strong> \u2013 Keeping the nails polished, even if they are short, can be a good way to avoid eating them. The <strong>color or the bad taste<\/strong> of the nail polish can help you get away from this bad habit. Many pharmacies and drugstores sell transparent glazes specially designed to prevent nail biting as they are made with a bad smell and taste.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fake nails<\/strong> \u2013 <strong>Artificial nails<\/strong> can be of great help. The problem with this remedy is that it can weaken our real nails because of the products used.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Protectors<\/strong> \u2013 Today there are <strong>special gloves<\/strong> to prevent this disease. They are made with latex and placed on the fingers. In winter you can use woolen gloves.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Set achievable goals<\/strong> &#8211; If you find impossible to leave this bad habit, try to <strong>start little by little<\/strong>. For example, start with a hand first. So you can see the difference between a bitten nail and a growing one and motivate yourself.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Seek help<\/strong> &#8211; You can ask your friends and family to tell you something if they see you are biting your nails. You can also make an appointment with a professional if it is due to stress or anxiety.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Home Remedies<\/strong> &#8211; As we know it is not easy to stop nail biting, we present you some effective remedies:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pour two teaspoons of <strong>valerian or passionflower<\/strong> in a cup of boiling water. Cover and let cool, strain and drink one cup a day. These natural sedatives will help you put aside the stress and anxiety that cause this bad habit.<\/li>\n<li>Chew a piece of <a href=\"https:\/\/shawellness.com\/shamagazine\/en\/ginger-benefits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ginger root<\/a> previously washed and stripped. This food <strong>will help you reduce anxiety<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Put<strong> lemon juice<\/strong> in your nails or rub them with a clove of garlic to avoid putting them into your mouth. You can also cut small pieces of garlic and put into the nail polish.<\/li>\n<li>Incorporate foods rich in vitamin B and Omega 3 fatty acids in your diet. They can be found in <strong>nuts, <a href=\"https:\/\/shawellness.com\/shamagazine\/en\/cereals-properties-benefits-and-recipes-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wholegrain cereals<\/a> such as oats, chocolate or fish<\/strong>. They will help to calm anxiety and feel more comfortable with yourself.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Now that you know what\u2019s onychophagia and these little remedies to avoid it, start practicing them and say goodbye to this bad habit!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nervousness, boredom, emotional disorders and stress are some of the causes of onychophagia. Many people experience this compulsive habit of nail biting without realizing that sometimes it can turn into a chronic disease.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":11345,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-beauty"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Onychophagia: Understanding the Habit | SHA Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Unlock insights into onychophagia at SHA Wellness. 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