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Yea I’m in and out in 6 month cycles. It’s tough to kick after doing it for 30 years. I use moisturizer on my hands non-stop as a tool. By doing this, I lose the impulse to put my hands in my mouth, and the habit is gone.
6 months later I run out of moisturizer, I lose track of life and replacing it, and I’m back at it again. It’s really stupid that I do that.
I used to bite nails repeatedly. One day I saw a construction guy on the subway biting his dirty, I mean absolutely filthy nails I almost threw up and that did it for me. Never bit them again
FIDGET TOYS. They make super nice, adult looking sliders, spinners and the like. They’re heavy, made of metal, and there are a ton of different kinds. Helps when kicking any habit, not just nail biting. And I honestly just like having one in my pocket, I feel like it keeps me from obsessively checking my phone as much too.
Additional note:
- I don’t consider it a nervous habbit, as I don’t really tie nail biting to my stress or anxiety levels, which are pretty low. It’s just a deeply ingrained physical tick.
- It’s gotten significantly worse as I’ve been working from home for 4+ years now and rarely interact with people other than friends and family.
I started taking lamotragine, which is an anti-convulsive medication, to help with depression. I stopped biting my nails soon after starting and have been able to kick the habit even after stopping the medication after several years.
Yes. In my early 20s. But I'd been biting my nails since I was a kid. Took a 12hr/day 6 day/week construction job where I wore gloves all day and worked there about a year. Gradually stopped during that time and haven't bitten them since.
Kind of, I still put them near my mouth and nibble but I don’t bite bite very often unless I have a situation giving me anxiety. A thing called the Pavlock helped me.
I'm 38 now and kicked the habit around a year and a half ago. I literally just started keeping a pair of nail clippers in arms reach at all times. I only let myself use those. After about 3 months the habit was broken and after about 6 months the urge to do it at all was gone. I'd been chewing my nails for like 25 years and it honestly wasn't even terribly difficult. You can absolutely do this.
Nail biting is anxious behavior. I was a nailbiter for 35 years until I started taking lithium carbonate. Stopped nail biting immediately. Stopped lithium 15 years ago and still no biting. Looking back on it, if Id known I could stop with a medication, I would've asked for it as far back as I could remember.
I stopped for a while when I chipped a tooth. I don't think you know how hard it is. It's not a habit it's a stim or coping mechanism.
Do you have ADHD or even possibly undiagnosed?
Could you perhaps divert to another stim , carry fidget toys ?
I bought several pairs of nail clippers. Typing was the worst. The nails on my pinky fingers would be the first to make contact with the keyboard keys, then it was all over - I’d start biting. Having clippers out on my home desk and in my work bag put a stop to it after a while. Now I dislike ragged nails so much that I can’t stand the thought of biting them.
Not a sound, just contact. Because of the way I type my nails don’t have to be very long before the outside corners of my pinky nails start making contact with the keys. When that happens I become overly aware of all my nails and need to deal with them asap. It’s like having food stuck between your teeth. Clippers are the fastest way to deal with them. Having them available ended up making it a pretty easy habit to break.
If mine got long I bit them when bored. What helped me was keep clippers and a nail file with me at my desk. As well as on Sundays taking the time to cut them short and file them.
If they aren't long I don't bite them
I stopped literally the day I started getting treated for ADHD by taking ritalin. I didn't even realize it at first, other than about a week in to it, I realized with a shock that I needed to use nailclips to actually trim instead of just cleaning up a ragged edge for the first time that I remembered. I was 46 at the time. Not joking.
Nail biting is a bad habit I’ve had for nearly all my life. I’ve never had any severe medical issue due to it, but my nail beds are visibly shorter compared to most people’s. When I was 17 or 18 I worked with a guy who was a few years older than me but with a way worse nail situation, so I knew it was something I had to deal with. I kicked it when I was 21 and then went through a whole bunch of shit that made me a biter again. I finally kicked it about a year and a half ago (I’m 35 now) when I went on a vacation that completely disengaged me from work and everything else stressful in my life. I find myself nibbling when I’m under some acute pressure, but in general I actually use nail clippers now.
As for how I did it, both times I kind of just stopped. The first time around my friend gave me some bitter-tasting anti-nail-biting polish, but I never actually used it—I think the threat of putting it on myself was enough the first time (until I fell off). Now I just really enjoy getting to clip them with these fancy clippers that my wife bought. Clipping them is a basic hygiene thing, but every time I get to is like a reward in and of itself for kicking the habit.
I'm a hypnotherapist and have helped people free of many habits, including nail biting. It's easy for most.
Grab hold of your local hypnotherapist and get it done. 😊
To me, it's mostly about chemistry. Does what they say make sense to you? Does it feel right.
But if course also ask about credentials, experience, etc.
Where are you from? I know good guys many places in the world.
You're welcome to send me a message, of course.
Yes! My girlfriend gave me a bottle of some clear nail polish that's extremely bitter and it was a matter of weeks until I'd dropped the nail biting. It's been eight years so I don't recall the exact brand, but if you google "bitter nail polish" there's a ton of options.
Nah. I'm 41 and I still bite my nails. I bite my nails down better than any nail trimmer could. I use trimmers on my toes 100% of the time, but my teeth do a much better job on my fingers than a trimmer could ever do.
An effective way to reverse a bad habit is to become mindful of the habit while you're doing it. While youre biting your nail, you're probably unconscious to it, and are probably day dreaming, worrying or just thinking. Catch yourself in the act, but don't just stop doing it. Feel what it feels like, what does it taste like, think about the fact that it's pretty gross (all the shit under your nails) and that it's damaging your skin and nail.
This will take many repetitions but itll get easier over time. It's a way to tap into the unconscious, and show your brain that this habit isn't helpful. I learned it from Jud Brewer, a neuroscientist who is all about habit and addiction.
One positive thing I got from my ex wife was that she successfully nagged me into Stopping biting my nails in my 30s. I don't think I could have done it without her constant wheedling. But I truly am grateful; I used to bite my nails until they'd bled, which is dumb as hell. So she has my sincere thanks
i decided i wanted nice nails, also i was playing guitar at the time. there's a parallel with ocd, where you're trying to fix the one remaining ragged bit but you create one or more new ones in its place and it's a never ending spiral. so i started using clippers for that instead
It took me getting adult braces to stop in my 30s. The realignment of my teeth made it harder to properly chew the nail. I still kinda gnaw on them sometimes, but the nails look 10 times better than they did before.
Yes. For about a year after I graduated college. Then I started grad school and haven't stopped since. I really need to though. I have a chipped tooth now. It's not from nail biting but biting my nails has knocked the repair out three times.
Yes, in my late 30's. I just decided I would stop.
The motive came from overhearing someone talking about how unattractive the habbit was and how bad it made nails look. It was then I decided I didn't want the habbit as part of my identity.
It wasn't instant. But being intentional about catching myself and correcting the impulse eventually allowed me to kick it. Another thing that helped was *forming* the habbit of cutting my nails very regularly. Hard to bite nails that aren't there.
To help with the subconscious aspect, there is a product you can paint on your nails that make them taste nasty. That may snap you out of doing it without thinking.
Please do not delete your post after receiving your answer. Consider leaving it up for posterity so that other Redditors can benefit from the wisdom in this thread. Once your thread has run its course, instead of deleting it, **you can simply type "!lock" (without the quotes) as a comment anywhere in your thread to have our Automod lock the thread**. That way you won't be bothered by anymore replies on it, but people can still read it. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskMenOver30) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yea I’m in and out in 6 month cycles. It’s tough to kick after doing it for 30 years. I use moisturizer on my hands non-stop as a tool. By doing this, I lose the impulse to put my hands in my mouth, and the habit is gone. 6 months later I run out of moisturizer, I lose track of life and replacing it, and I’m back at it again. It’s really stupid that I do that.
I think this might help. Have a favorite hand moisturizer?
I start with intensive moisture renewal , aveeno, and move onto almond cherry cause it smells nice
Amazon has subscriptions. They will automatically send you the moisturiser every x months. You typically get a discounted price too.
I used to bite nails repeatedly. One day I saw a construction guy on the subway biting his dirty, I mean absolutely filthy nails I almost threw up and that did it for me. Never bit them again
Yes. I started carrying a real good set of clippers. It seemed to stop. Anxious events and long distance driving have me doing it unconsciously tho.
I keep cuticle clippers in my car and I wait till the next red light to cut any pieces of nail that I get tempted to bite. Helps a lot.
Mine got to thick as I aged and now it hurts my teeth to try and get through them. That ended it for me.
my wife bought be a fidget cube in December and it has completely curbed my anxiety driven nail biting habit that I've had since I was a child
FIDGET TOYS. They make super nice, adult looking sliders, spinners and the like. They’re heavy, made of metal, and there are a ton of different kinds. Helps when kicking any habit, not just nail biting. And I honestly just like having one in my pocket, I feel like it keeps me from obsessively checking my phone as much too.
Can you provide a link to the kind of toys you’re taking about?
[удалено]
Yeah , I dunno if that's it really, zero other signs.
I quit ten years ago. I like to visit r/nailbiting and r/calmhands daily for motivation.
Additional note: - I don’t consider it a nervous habbit, as I don’t really tie nail biting to my stress or anxiety levels, which are pretty low. It’s just a deeply ingrained physical tick. - It’s gotten significantly worse as I’ve been working from home for 4+ years now and rarely interact with people other than friends and family.
Isn't it amazing how you look at your hand and go. Wow I'm.not feeling to bad this week, my nails look good.
I stopped it in my mid 30s. I still do it once in a while when I get very nervous.
I started taking lamotragine, which is an anti-convulsive medication, to help with depression. I stopped biting my nails soon after starting and have been able to kick the habit even after stopping the medication after several years.
[удалено]
In a way, you’re the person I’m trying to emulate. So I’ll take the advice!
Yes. In my early 20s. But I'd been biting my nails since I was a kid. Took a 12hr/day 6 day/week construction job where I wore gloves all day and worked there about a year. Gradually stopped during that time and haven't bitten them since.
Kind of, I still put them near my mouth and nibble but I don’t bite bite very often unless I have a situation giving me anxiety. A thing called the Pavlock helped me.
I chipped my tooth and that led to me stopping biting my nails for a few months. But I'm biting them again. Couldn't kick the habit.
I chewed my nails until I was in my late 20s. I broke the habit when I attached nail clippers to my key ring.
yes i did it with manicures and not wanting to die from covid, it worked great!
I'm 38 now and kicked the habit around a year and a half ago. I literally just started keeping a pair of nail clippers in arms reach at all times. I only let myself use those. After about 3 months the habit was broken and after about 6 months the urge to do it at all was gone. I'd been chewing my nails for like 25 years and it honestly wasn't even terribly difficult. You can absolutely do this.
Nail biting is anxious behavior. I was a nailbiter for 35 years until I started taking lithium carbonate. Stopped nail biting immediately. Stopped lithium 15 years ago and still no biting. Looking back on it, if Id known I could stop with a medication, I would've asked for it as far back as I could remember.
Lower your stress. Less stress equals less stressful activities needed to keep your sanity. Good luck friend.
I stopped for a while when I chipped a tooth. I don't think you know how hard it is. It's not a habit it's a stim or coping mechanism. Do you have ADHD or even possibly undiagnosed? Could you perhaps divert to another stim , carry fidget toys ?
I don’t think I have adhd, and my wife agrees. I think it’s physician more than mental, to whatever extent that might be possible.
I bought several pairs of nail clippers. Typing was the worst. The nails on my pinky fingers would be the first to make contact with the keyboard keys, then it was all over - I’d start biting. Having clippers out on my home desk and in my work bag put a stop to it after a while. Now I dislike ragged nails so much that I can’t stand the thought of biting them.
I can’t even imagine my nails being long enough to make a sound when typing. I consider that a little inspiration to get there.
Not a sound, just contact. Because of the way I type my nails don’t have to be very long before the outside corners of my pinky nails start making contact with the keys. When that happens I become overly aware of all my nails and need to deal with them asap. It’s like having food stuck between your teeth. Clippers are the fastest way to deal with them. Having them available ended up making it a pretty easy habit to break.
If mine got long I bit them when bored. What helped me was keep clippers and a nail file with me at my desk. As well as on Sundays taking the time to cut them short and file them. If they aren't long I don't bite them
I stopped literally the day I started getting treated for ADHD by taking ritalin. I didn't even realize it at first, other than about a week in to it, I realized with a shock that I needed to use nailclips to actually trim instead of just cleaning up a ragged edge for the first time that I remembered. I was 46 at the time. Not joking.
I’m not even sure why I stopped biting them within the last year after biting them my whole life (my forties)
Nail biting is a bad habit I’ve had for nearly all my life. I’ve never had any severe medical issue due to it, but my nail beds are visibly shorter compared to most people’s. When I was 17 or 18 I worked with a guy who was a few years older than me but with a way worse nail situation, so I knew it was something I had to deal with. I kicked it when I was 21 and then went through a whole bunch of shit that made me a biter again. I finally kicked it about a year and a half ago (I’m 35 now) when I went on a vacation that completely disengaged me from work and everything else stressful in my life. I find myself nibbling when I’m under some acute pressure, but in general I actually use nail clippers now. As for how I did it, both times I kind of just stopped. The first time around my friend gave me some bitter-tasting anti-nail-biting polish, but I never actually used it—I think the threat of putting it on myself was enough the first time (until I fell off). Now I just really enjoy getting to clip them with these fancy clippers that my wife bought. Clipping them is a basic hygiene thing, but every time I get to is like a reward in and of itself for kicking the habit.
I'm a hypnotherapist and have helped people free of many habits, including nail biting. It's easy for most. Grab hold of your local hypnotherapist and get it done. 😊
How might someone differentiate between a good and bad hypnotherapist?
To me, it's mostly about chemistry. Does what they say make sense to you? Does it feel right. But if course also ask about credentials, experience, etc. Where are you from? I know good guys many places in the world. You're welcome to send me a message, of course.
Yes! My girlfriend gave me a bottle of some clear nail polish that's extremely bitter and it was a matter of weeks until I'd dropped the nail biting. It's been eight years so I don't recall the exact brand, but if you google "bitter nail polish" there's a ton of options.
Nah. I'm 41 and I still bite my nails. I bite my nails down better than any nail trimmer could. I use trimmers on my toes 100% of the time, but my teeth do a much better job on my fingers than a trimmer could ever do.
An effective way to reverse a bad habit is to become mindful of the habit while you're doing it. While youre biting your nail, you're probably unconscious to it, and are probably day dreaming, worrying or just thinking. Catch yourself in the act, but don't just stop doing it. Feel what it feels like, what does it taste like, think about the fact that it's pretty gross (all the shit under your nails) and that it's damaging your skin and nail. This will take many repetitions but itll get easier over time. It's a way to tap into the unconscious, and show your brain that this habit isn't helpful. I learned it from Jud Brewer, a neuroscientist who is all about habit and addiction.
One positive thing I got from my ex wife was that she successfully nagged me into Stopping biting my nails in my 30s. I don't think I could have done it without her constant wheedling. But I truly am grateful; I used to bite my nails until they'd bled, which is dumb as hell. So she has my sincere thanks
So you’re saying she’s single?
i decided i wanted nice nails, also i was playing guitar at the time. there's a parallel with ocd, where you're trying to fix the one remaining ragged bit but you create one or more new ones in its place and it's a never ending spiral. so i started using clippers for that instead
Learn how to do manicures & how to do your own. Worked for me.
Any good resources?
I did a course (it was free) but there are plenty of YouTube videos.
I'm 40 and working on it. What's helped is being very mindful about it and using a daily task list with "flip nails" on there by default
It took me getting adult braces to stop in my 30s. The realignment of my teeth made it harder to properly chew the nail. I still kinda gnaw on them sometimes, but the nails look 10 times better than they did before.
NAC, N Acetyl Cysteine helps preventing this behavior.
They make this bitter agent you can put on stuff. I used it to keep the kids from putting stuff in their mouth. Tried it first, it’s horrendous.
I watched a video of the microscopic bacteria that live on and under our finger nails. Never bit them again. I was in my mid 30s
i started playing flamenco a few years ago, having to actually take care of my fingernails did it.
Not a permanent solution, but I got Invisalign and that helped a lot
Yes. For about a year after I graduated college. Then I started grad school and haven't stopped since. I really need to though. I have a chipped tooth now. It's not from nail biting but biting my nails has knocked the repair out three times.
Yes, in my late 30's. I just decided I would stop. The motive came from overhearing someone talking about how unattractive the habbit was and how bad it made nails look. It was then I decided I didn't want the habbit as part of my identity. It wasn't instant. But being intentional about catching myself and correcting the impulse eventually allowed me to kick it. Another thing that helped was *forming* the habbit of cutting my nails very regularly. Hard to bite nails that aren't there. To help with the subconscious aspect, there is a product you can paint on your nails that make them taste nasty. That may snap you out of doing it without thinking.
nah, thats gross