Have you wondered why do people bite nails? Although the real reason hasn't yet been discovered, here is one simple explanation of why so many of us might actually choose to pursue this disgusting habit of gnawing off the tips of our fingers.

    Chronic Onychophagia

    If you are wondering what that is, that is the clinical term for nail biting. It affects 30% of children and 45% of teenagers （me included）.

    A person bites their nails when they are nervous, stressed, hungry or bored and this is very subconscious because nail biting starts as a child but as we grow up this nervous condition is triggered back and to cure nail biting – finding the nervous condition is the only way to satiate it.

    A lot of the nail biting is linked to a physical, emotional or mental disorder. Those nail biters will know that when they face stress or boredom, their hands subconsciously go to their mouth and they start biting it without realising they actually are.

    Some people say that nail biting is also linked when a person is in deep thought. People say that biting nails is related to oral fixation. This means that a person is always holding a craving to put something in their mouth to stimulate it. This may start when a child is very young at about up to 18 months.

    This could be a possible explanation for nail biting. A lot of the times, you will find that if you are a nail biter, you tend to do other things like bite the ends of pens or pencils while at work because you are in thought which could mean that there is a chance of you getting stressed.

    Nail biting can be cured and some people believe reducing anxiety levels will decrease nail biting. Others have different methods like using bitter tasting chemicals and paint them on nails like nail varnish and things so that it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. Nail biting should ideally reduce greatly when adulthood approaches although extreme conditions of anxiety may provoke it again.

    你知道為什么人們喜歡咬指甲嗎？雖然還沒有發現其真正的原因，不過這里有一個簡單的解釋，可以告訴我們為什么如此多的人可能有咬指甲這種惡心的習慣。

    慢性咬指甲癖

    你想什么什么是慢性咬指甲癖嗎？慢性咬指甲癖是對咬指甲這種習慣的臨床術語。這種癥狀影響到30%的兒童和45%的青少年（包括我）.

    當一個人感到不安、緊張、饑餓或者煩躁時，他們就會咬指甲。這是一種潛意識的行為，因為咬指甲這種行為開始孩提時代，但是當我們長大而這種緊張感覺再來時，這種習慣機會出現。治愈這種習慣的唯一方法就是發現這種緊張的感覺，然后滿足它。

    很多的咬指甲癖是與生理、情感或者精神失調有關的。這些咬指甲癖患者知道當他們面臨壓力或者焦躁時，他們的手就會不自覺的送到他們的口中，而他們自己卻沒有意識到自己在做什么。

    一些沉思時也會不自覺的咬指甲。他們說咬指甲是為了固定思路。意思就是一個人總是控制一種渴望來把一些東西放進嘴里刺激它。這種習慣可能開始于你非常小的嬰兒到18個月大的時候。

    這兒有種可能對咬指甲癖有緩解作用的方法。很多時候，當你發現你是一個咬指甲癖者，在工作時你可以試著咬其他譬如鉛筆或者鋼筆筆端，因為當你沉思一件事情時，這件事可能會讓你緊張。

    咬指甲癖是可以治愈的，一些人以為降低焦慮的程度就可以減少咬指甲的次數。其他人還有不同的方法，例如，在指甲上涂抹有苦味的藥劑或者在指甲上涂上有亮澤的護甲油或其他東西，以便使咬指甲癖者在咬指甲時在口中留有苦味。當我們成年時，咬指甲的習慣會徹底減少，只有在及其焦慮的情況下才會被激發重現。