You Can Stop Your Nail Biting With Habit Substitution

Nail biting is a habit that doesn't discriminate. Young, old, rich, poor, male and female are all found in the nail biting category.

People bite their nails for any of the following reasons:

*Bored or nothing interesting to do

* Stress

*Need for food

*Turmoil

*Just Sitting Around

*Behavior repeated over and over

*Emotional condition like OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)

The medical name for fingernail biting is Onychophagia. The word comes from the Greek language Onycho means nail and phagia to eat.

Treatment for nail biting can include therapies such as behavior modification, medications and hypnosis. No matter the cause, nail biting can be a difficult habit to stop.

The best nail biting treatment programs are designed with the individual biter in mind. The personal trigger or cause for nail biting needs to be considered. The ultimate treatment goal for nail biting is to have nails in good repair. The goal must also contain an alternative plan to deal with the trigger that starts the nail biting activity.

Using a step by step approach habit reversal works to make the individual aware of their nail biting. With a physically competing response, the person's usual way of starting to bite their nails is changed. Habit reversal is considered to be a successful way of stopping the nail biting habit for many people.

You can substitute other behaviors such as:

* Chew gum

* Have a lollypop

* Fold hands and place in lap

* Clench hand into a fist

* Move or wiggle your fingers

The best results of habit substitution come when a trained therapist guides the nail biter through the change process.

There's a plan for every nail biter to stop or change their habit. It's just a matter of finding the right plan that works.

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Learn more about how to stop nail biting now. Sherry Miller bit her nails for more than 20 years. With hypnosis she was able to stop nail biting in one week. You can stop your nail biting too.

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