You’re sitting in class listening to Andrew talk on and on about how dangerous smoking is. Yea we know, and you just daze off, thinking about all the tests you have in the next week, and you find yourself biting your nails. Nail biting is actually quite harmful to your body.

There are many reasons why people bite their nails, the most common reason for nail bitting is stress. According to estimates, 30% of children, 45% of teenagers, 25% of young adults and 5% of older adults bite their nails. Sometimes their could be a reverse causation for this, people who are used to biting their nails as children can grow this into a habit when they are older, and can become embarrassed because their nails are bitten off, this could lead to stress, and depression.[1]

Your fingernails can actually have more bacteria and germs than your hands, because they are very difficult to clean. When you bite your nails, the germs then transfer into your mouth and you are very vulnerable to bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli, which are very commonly found under you finger nails.[2]

According to Dr. Mercola, people who “bite their nails have stronger immune systems, and therefore get sick less often, than those who do not.” Although, we do not have any proof of any research on this topic.

Bitting your nails can also make you vulnerable to skin infections that can happen near your nails. When you bite your nails, germs and other bacteria are able to break their way into your skin from tears on your skin near your finger nail. This could result in redness and swelling. [3]

If you have warts on your fingers, they can transfer to your mouth, and infect your mouth, and cause unwanted warts.[4]

When you bite your nails, you can also be harming your mouth. You can interfere with the growth of your upper and lower teeth.[5]  

In conclusion, nail biting is actually way more dangerous than it seems. There are many alternatives to nail biting such as gum, stress relief balls, and candy.