Many people perform unconscious repetitive physical behaviors, like biting their nails. Sometimes these habits are a way to deal with stress or anxiety, but they might also have no known cause.
Identifying your individual triggers for the behavior might help you break a nervous habit. You can also try distraction and aversion strategies.
If performing the habit is causing you distress and you have not been able to stop, a healthcare professional may be able to provide a clinical diagnosis. They could also suggest a treatment plan, such as therapy or medication, to help you manage symptoms.
What are nervous habits?
Nervous habits are often behaviors that people perform on a repetitive basis. They might be compulsive, unconscious, or in response to anxiety or stress.
Sometimes a nervous habit can indicate a diagnosis of a clinical condition, such as body-focused repetitive behavior disorder, trichotillomania (hair pulling), or excoriation (skin picking).
In order to receive a clinical diagnosis for a nervous habit, the behavior must:
- result in physical disfigurement, such as hair loss or skin lesions
- persist despite repeated attempts to stop the behavior
- cause significant distress or impairment
If you do not meet the criteria for a clinical diagnosis but your nervous habit is getting in the way of your day-to-day life, consider speaking with a healthcare professional. Your nervous habit may be a sign of an underlying condition.
For example, performing repetitive behaviors can also be known as stimming, a common symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These behaviors in autism typically include flipping hands, rocking the body, pacing, or repeating words and phrases.
A healthcare professional can help identify whether your behavior is a symptom of ASD.
What can trigger a nervous habit?
Sometimes a nervous habit is unconscious, which means you might not have any awareness you are doing it. Tension and anxiety might also lead to the behavior.
A habit like nail biting might start in childhood and continue as you get older.
Body-focused repetitive behaviors are not always compulsive (involuntary), though they can be. Clinical conditions like trichotillomania and excoriation are grouped as obsessive-compulsive disorders.
How can a nervous habit affect your day-to-day life?
Some people can continue a nervous habit with no serious side effects. Others might experience distress that affects their ability to function during day-to-day life.
In some instances, nervous habits may lead to negative physical side effects, such as:
- nail biting can cause skin soreness, changes in nail appearance, and vulnerability to infection
- hair pulling can result in hair loss (alopecia) and emotional distress
- skin picking can result in skin lesions
A small 2022 study that explored repetitive behaviors among 91 people found that when the behavior was compulsive, it correlated with lower quality of life.
The clinical diagnostic criteria of a body-focused repetitive behavior disorder include attempts to stop the behavior but the inability to do so, which most likely suggests that the behavior is compulsive.
What lifestyle strategies can help if you have nervous habits?
You might be able to reduce the frequency of the habit by following some tips to distract yourself or make the behavior less appealing. If these strategies don’t work, it may be beneficial to speak with a healthcare professional about treatment options like therapy or medication.
As an example, the American Academy of Dermatology Association recommends these strategies to stop biting nails:
- keep nails short and manicured
- apply polish with a bitter taste
- play with silly putty or a stress ball
- stop biting nails one at a time
- identify triggers like stress, boredom, or anxiety
What treatment options can help?
If you have a clinical diagnosis, a doctor might recommend treatments to help manage the repetitive behaviors, such as:
- Habit reversal training: helping people to engage in behaviors that stop them from performing the habit
- Comprehensive behavior treatment model: identifying components of the behavior, such as its cognitive and sensory aspects, and changing those to help improve the habit
A doctor might also recommend medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). SSRIs are a common option to treat conditions like trichotillomania, which are considered obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Examples of SSRIs that a doctor may prescribe include fluoxetine (Prozac) and sertraline (Zoloft).
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