I used to bite my fingernails. I quit that, but in its place I’ve developed a more private but more painful habit… I bite my tongue. I bite little pieces of it off the side. There is a semi-large spot of thicker skin that grows over the bitten spot. I also chew on my lips and cheeks. It hurts, it bleeds and is unsightly and I need to stop it now.
Its worse when I’m hungry or bored or both, as I am right now.
The only thing that helps is eating. I’m not going to start munching every time I want to bite my tongue as I’d rather not weigh 400 pounds.
All my bad habits are oral, and I know I have a ‘fixation’. What are some methods to relieve an oral fixation?
I have TMJ (from grinding at night, I’m sure) and chewing gum is out of the question. Water could work, but it makes me feel sick to my stomach. I’ll try it, and just go slow. Thanks.
Well, you could try to eat something that has almost no calories, like carrots or celery. Or maybe try keeping a toothpick in your mouth for awhile? Let me ponder this for awhile and see if I come up with any other suggestions.
If you don’t mind my asking, how did you manage to stop biting your fingernails? I’ve been a chronic nailbiter for as long as I can remember, and I desperately want to quit. Even if I make a consious decision not to bite them, I end up cutting them down with clippers to horribly short lengths.
This isn’t just a habit. I’m thinking you might try a mild tranquilizer for just a short time and you might be surprised. Also, some relaxing activity like swimming, weights, walking, or yoga. Wearing gloves at home might help break the habit part of it. Unfortunately, the anxiety will manifest itself some other way, so may as well deal with that now. No biggie.
P.S. the gloves are mildly uncomfortable and you are always aware of them so they serve as a reminder to stop the activity you want to stop; this could also work for nail biters.
apparantly, a habit can not be stopped or broken, only replaced by another habit.
Try and get yourself another habit, one that’s not unhealthy for you. Chewing gum, maybe?
Eating popcorn? It’s rather healthy, if you don’t drown it in butter, that is…
You might want to consider keeping some notes on what’s going on with your biting–when you do it, who’s there, what else are you doing at the time, what happened previously, what’s going through your head as you’re doing the biting (as well as just before the incident), what your state of mind is afterwards, stuff like that. This is to see whether there are any patterns of thoughts or behaviors that seem to crop up around the biting–the idea being that chawing on your tongue isn’t exactly a standard behavior, so it might help to gather evidence to see what’s setting it off. Once you do the root-cause analysis, you can work on that issue.
If you’re disturbed about the biting, you may want to think about seeing a mental-health professional–not that the biting is necessarily a sign that you’re cuh-razy, but because they’re likely to have a good set of questions that could help you analyze that behavior.
Try brushing your teeth and tounge when you get the urge to bite. Try to get the strongest minty taste you can tolerate so you can savor the sensation in your mouth for a while. That would kind of act to remind you not to bite like the gloves do for your fingers.
We all know that best solution for an oral fixation is to start smoking! If you can make it up to a pack or two a day, the inside of your mouth will probably taste too nasty for you to eat 'em.
I am a chronic cheek-biter too! Oral Fixation? Yup. I sucked my thumb until age 17, and took up smoking immediately after. I still chew my cheeks and tongue like crazy, and have had TMJ. My doctor put me on a muscle relaxant for awhile and that helped… I chew gum constantly to fight the urge - but it’s a tough one. My mom’s advice? “Suck on a button”…
I used to grind my teeth a lot and someone told me a little trick to use to stop it. I’ve since seen it mentioned in other places - only anecdotally, so I can’t direct you anywhere to learn more, but it seems to have to do with yoga and various relaxation techniques.
It works like this: Open your mouth slightly, and gently press your tongue against that part of the roof of your mouth that starts to curve upwards (soft palate?). Concentrate on the feeling of your tongue against your mouth. It will relax your jaw (good for teeth-grinding and TMJ, which also plagues me), and I would guess that it would also distract you from wanting to chew on things. Try it whenever you get the urge.
It’s really quite relaxing. Let me know how it turns out !
Certain SSRI antidepressants can be beneficial for such compulsive behavior, especially if paired with a program of behavior modification. Consider consulting your doc or mental health professional.
I have discovered that a small piece of beef jerky cures the biting instinct. I love jerky and not only does it mean i have something in my mouth, but the salt burns any previous bites, and the memory of the pain keeps me from biting.
Sunflower seeds! The kind that are still in the shell. They’re rather more salty than beef jerkey though, so I don’t know if it would be too painful on your sores. But sunflower seeds are cool because you can keep popping more handfuls into your mouth and you really aren’t eating much.
This isn’t a bad habit - it’s a compulsive behavior. Talk to your doc about a referral to a mental health professional. This sounds like something along the same lines as compulsively plucking hairs (trichotillomania) and similar problems. A shrink will help you modify your behavior (perhaps partially through the use of drugs.)
Look in the nail polish section at a drugstore. Most places sell a clear polish that tastes very nasty. It is specifically made to help you stop biting your nails. Paint it on the tips of your nails (it is clear, so nobody will know you’ve got stuff on your nails). That should work like a charm.