6 tips to stop biting your nails, and why kicking the habit is important for your health

Stress ball — A stress ball can help you stop biting your nails.
Peter Cade/Getty Images

To stop biting your nails, try applying bitter-tasting nail polish, wear gloves, or get regular manicures.
Another effective way to stop biting your nails is to try habit reversal training, which swaps the nail biting habit for another one like snapping a rubber band on your wrist.
It’s important to stop nail biting as it can increase your risk of infections and permanently disfigure your nail bed.
Visit Insider’s Health Reference library for more advice.

People bite their nails for many reasons, and may not be aware they’re doing it. While a seemingly harmless habit, nail biting can have health-related consequences, including bacterial infections and deformed nails.

Here are six ways to stop biting your nails once and for all.

1. Get regular manicures

When it is at the cost of your beautiful, new manicure, nail biting can become less enticing. Additionally, the chemical taste of nail polish can act as a deterrent.

Traditional manicures can reduce the urge to chew, but getting gel or fake nails applied may further curb nail biting.

It’s important to redo your manicure shortly after the previous one begins to chip to continue breaking the habit. Of course, sitting down for a regular manicure can be expensive, so if you or someone you live with is able to do an at-home manicure, the effect can be the same.

2. Apply bitter-tasting nail polish or product to the nails

Applying an awful or shocking flavor to your nails can also deter biting. Bitter tasting polish is widely available at most drugstores for anyone looking to stop chewing on their nails.

You can also make your own "bitter application" at home with the help of ingredients such as jalapenos or salt. When applying these items to your nails, mix it with something sticky like honey to ensure it stays. You can use a cotton swab or small brush to apply the mixture.

However, this method can be very messy and it is hard to use your hands while it is on the nail.

3. Trim your nails regularly

"Keep your nails trimmed short, so you'll have less of a nail to bite," says Gan Eng Cern, MD, an ear, nose, and throat surgeon in Singapore. "With this trick, there's a high chance that you'll get disinterested in biting your nails if you have a hard time reaching them with your teeth."

Of course, you may still find yourself nibbling on your fingers. Biting your nails when they're this short can cause skin irritation, bleeding, and improper nail growth.

4. Try habit reversal training

Another way to stop biting your nails is habit reversal training, which is the process of substituting an unhealthy habit with a different, healthier activity. Once your habit is broken, the new practice is no longer necessary to continue.

There are many habits, both short and long-term, that you can try to do instead of biting your nails. When you feel the urge to bite your nails, experts recommend doing one of the following things instead:

Chew a piece of gum: "This will keep your mouth busy and prevent you from nibbling your fingers," says Gan.
Play with something in your hands, like a ring or a stress ball
Snap a rubber band around your wrist
Move if you can. "When you find yourself biting your nails, don't be hard on yourself - instead, get up and do something different to shift your attention," says Paul Greene, PhD, a psychologist in Manhattan, New York.

5. Wear gloves

Cover your nails either with finger toppers or gloves to prevent nail biting, says Susan Bard, MD, a dermatologist in Brooklyn, New York. If you decide to remove this barrier to bite your nails, you will be more conscious of the habit and stop yourself.

However, in warm weather, gloves may be sweaty and uncomfortable. They can also make it challenging to use touchscreen electronics or other actions that require precise hand movement.

6. Find your triggers

While you may not be conscious of biting your nails, try your best to be mindful of when it occurs.

"Whether you are nervous or just bored, knowing the when and why will help you understand the issue better, allowing you to find a solution that can reverse your body's response to the determined causes," says Gan.

Greene agrees, suggesting you create a physical record to consult. "Track when you do it. Keep a log, on your phone or on paper, of each time you bite your nails," he says. "Make note of what you were doing at the time and where you were. This will make you much more aware of your habit, and help you strategize too."

According to Gan and Greene, some common triggers for nail-biting include:

Long nails
Lack of nail polish
Nerve-inducing situations
Boredom

Why do people bite their nails?

It is believed that about 20% to 30% of the general population chronically bites their nails. After age 10, the habit is more common in males than females. While the exact reason people bite their nails is unclear, some factors increase a person's likelihood:

Genetics. If your parents bite their nails or have a history of biting your nails, you are more likely to do so as well.
Anxiety. People are more likely to bite their nails as a coping mechanism if they are anxious or stressed.
Boredom

"Nail biting may be an echo of behaviors that were adaptive at earlier points in evolution - grooming behaviors perhaps. Ultimately, we don't know why nail biting is so common," says Greene. "It does appear to happen more frequently in those with anxiety, but this doesn't tell us why the behavior occurs."

If you believe nail biting is a result of an underlying mental health problem, like anxiety, reach out to a mental health professional.

Why you should stop biting your nails

According to Bard, the negative ramifications of biting your nails include:

Transferring infections between your mouth and hands - especially if your hands are dirty
Bleeding
Creating cuts that allow bacteria and viruses to enter the skin
Permanently misshaping the nail

Insider's takeaway

Nail biting is a common habit that occurs in up to 30% of the general population. Techniques for breaking the practice include identifying your triggers, getting regular manicures, and wearing gloves. If continued, nail biting can lead to infections and misshapen nails.