Case Study: Heather Kicked Her 25 Year Nail Biting Habit

 

"Habit is stronger than reason." -George Santayana

Heather bit her nails for 25 years out of sheer habit, even though she knew she should stop.

It is a habit many people have to a certain degree.  For some, they may only bite their nails when there’s a rough edge or one is longer than all the rest.  For others, it can be a painful habit that is so obsessive the nails are bitten down to the skin, and even then, attempts are still made to bite at the nails.

 

Onychophagia is the medical term for nail biting.  Nail biting is considered a body-focused repetitive behavior.  Though it can induce stress, it can also be caused by stress.  A recent study found that two of the largest contributing factors to nail biting were boredom and frustration.

Meet Heather, who spent 25 years biting her nails. 

Heather’s case of nail biting aligns well with the study as she found herself biting her nails consistently when on the computer, driving, or deep in thought.  Boredom was her trigger and she would usually unconsciously be performing the bad habit.  Heather had tried to quit many times, but continually failed because many times she wouldn’t even realize she was biting her nails.

Heather bought a Pavlok to help with her nail biting habit and her diet for figure competitions.  She started with nail biting because it was such an established habit and she knew she could count on her family to help keep her accountable, and notice when she was nail biting and didn’t even realize it.

With the help of Pavlok and her family, Heather quickly stopped biting her nails.

Days 1 and 2 of using the Pavlock, Heather set aside five minutes a day to bite her nails, and shock herself while she did.  Doing these sessions was key in training her brain to dislike nail biting.  Her brain received the shock and associated it with the nail biting.  She also shocked herself every time she caught herself biting her nails or even thinking about it.  But she realized that she was unconsciously nail biting, so that’s where her family jumped in.  Pavlok offers the option to self shock using either the wristband, or via the app.  So when Heather didn’t realize that she was biting her nails, her family would step in (gleefully, actually), and shock her via the app.

See Heather’s complete story here:

 

Heather’s nail biting quickly dissipated.  Her brain associated nail biting with the negative consequence of a shock from the wristband, and she soon saw even her cravings to bite disappear.  Heather’s story shows that no matter how long the habit has been around, it is still possible to quit using Pavlok!

Are you ready to stop biting your nails?  Whether you consciously or unconsciously bite your nails, Pavlok can help you kick the habit in as little as a week. We are so sure we can help that we offer a 6 month money back guarantee!