Many people have nervous habits such as fidgeting, and while many are harmless, biting your nails when you're stressed or anxious can put you at risk for certain conditions. Here are five reasons why you should quit this habit.
Your nails contain a lot of dirt Even if you wash your hands regularly, it's hard to get rid of all the germs and dirt from under your nails. So just imagine what you're exposing your body to when you give these germs and grime access to your mouth. Bah! Once the bacteria that were under your nails gets into your body, the chances of getting sick will increase significantly. Make sure you wash your hands well and pay extra attention to your nails.
It increases infection risk Biting your nails increases the risk of paronychia, an infection of the nail. Symptoms of paronychia include a painful, red, swollen area around the nail, often the cuticle or on a patch of detached skin or other injury. If the infection is bacterial, pus-filled blisters may form at the site. Also, biting nails that have warts caused by a virus and then biting other nails can spread the warts to other areas.
Nail biting is bad for your teeth
It is not recommended to use your teeth as tools other than chewing food. Regularly biting your nails can cause your teeth to shift out of place, requiring you to have braces. Nail biting can also cause the teeth to break or it can damage tooth enamel. The bacteria can also infect or irritate the gums. The bacteria that have lingered on your fingers or nails can also cause bad breath.
You may get more loose skin or ingrown nails If you're constantly biting your nails, chances are you'll be biting off more than you expect, and when a patch of torn skin appears at the base of your nail, it's a hangnail. Hangnails are open wounds that can easily become infected. The best way to prevent the painful sores is to prevent the hangnail from developing in the first place by rubbing it regularly and not biting your fingers.
Most ingrown nails occur on the toenails, but biting your nails can cause the nails to grow under the skin of your fingers. An ingrown nail can lead to pain, swelling and possibly infection.
There is a risk of toxic poisoning
If gel nail polish is your thing, it is better that you stop biting your nails sooner rather than later. Regular nail polishes already have many toxic substances, but gel nail polishes have chemicals that can be harmful if ingested.
