How to Combat Nail Biting

Nail biting is an oral compulsive habit that is very common in children and adults. Medically, it is known as onychophagia. Many people are not even aware of the fact that they are biting their nails. From a mild habit, nail biting can become a more serious problem.
Stress, boredom, frustration, anxiety and loneliness psychological conditions usually lead to nail biting. Nail biting has both physical and emotional consequences. Nail biting can also harm your teeth. Excessive nail biting can cause severe damage to the nail, cuticles as well as the surrounding skin, which can become red and sore and may even bleed and get infected.
As the appearance of bitten-down fingernails can be embarrassing, this can add to your anxiety and stress. Plus, the act of biting your nails is socially unacceptable and gives a negative impression to others.
Nail biting is an extremely hard habit to break, but not an impossible task. You can do it with a little motivation and strong will power. There are also
many natural aids that can help you stop biting your nails.
Here are the top 7 natural aids to stop nail biting.

1. Bitter leaf
The bitter taste of bitter leaf squash can help you stop nail biting.
1. Use a cotton ball to rub bitter leaf fluid on your nails.
2. Allow it to dry on its own.
3. When you unconsciously bite your nails, the bitter taste will compel you to remove your fingers from your mouth.

2. Garlic
Garlic is another natural ingredient that can help you in the battle to fight nail biting. Many people dislike
garlic’s strong taste and aroma. As garlic is a natural antiseptic, it will also strengthen your nails and keep
infections at bay. You can use both raw garlic and garlic oil.
Cut a clove of garlic into halves. Run one piece over your nails liberally and leave it on for a few minutes before washing it off. The lingering garlic taste will stop you from biting
your nails. You can also rub some garlic oil on your nails with a cotton ball.

3. Nail Biting Polish
Use a bitter-tasting nail biting polish to coat your nails. Its bitter taste will prevent you from biting your nails.
You can even use a regular dark-colored nail polish. When the nails are covered in dark color, they look bad when chipped from nail biting. This can help motivate you to break the habit.

4. Trim the Nails
Another good option to stop nail biting is to. When you keep your nails
relatively short, there is less left to bite. Trimming your nails will also keep them looking neat and tidy. Trim your nails on a regular basis
Choose the right clippers for the job and after trimming, polish the edges with a nail filer.

5. Artificial Nails
Wearing artificial nails is a great way to keep your nails covered so that you cannot bite them. Also artificial nails will hide the bitten nails in a stylish manner. There are different types of artificial nails available in
the market like acrylics, wraps, gels and press-on nails. Always opt for the right size of artificial nails to reduce the risk of falling off.

6. Wear Gloves
Gloves work as a good barrier method that can help you stop biting your nails. You’ll be more motivated
to quit biting if you’re writing or doing something else that is particularly tough to do while wearing gloves.

Another good barrier to prevent nail biting is applying self-adhesive bandages on your fingertips. Also, as bandaged nails do not look good, they work as a motivator to stop nail biting. Keep the bandages on your fingers during the day and take them off at night. You can apply fresh bandages every time you shower, or every time they become wet or dirty.

7. Adopt a new habit
If you bite your nails when you are stressed, depressed or bored, pick up a new habit that will keep you distracted. Opt for a hobby that will keep both your hands and mind busy and thus prevent you from biting your nails. Some hobbies that you can try are making clay models, knitting or crocheting, drawing, cooking, painting and music. Participating in these activities will also help reduce the emotional distress that is contributing to the nail biting.

You can also chew gum or suck on mints or candies throughout the day.
Carry a water bottle with you so that you can take a sip of water instead of biting your nails when you have a weak moment.
Visualize yourself with strong, healthy nails. Put a picture of healthy nails on your wall, or even carry it with you. This will motivate you to reach your goal. Maintain a healthy diet. Eat calcium and magnesium-
rich foods so your nails will repair and grow well.
Reduce stress so that you can become more relaxed.
If you’ve tried everything to stop biting your nails and nothing has worked, it may be time to see your doctor. At times, nail biting can be a symptom of a bigger issue like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or depression.

Dangers of masturbation

Consider it this way: if
you’re constantly thinking of how
bad you are for masturbating,
you’re still thinking about
masturbation all the time. Instead,
acknowledge that this has been a
problem for you and work towards
stopping the habit.
Dangers:

-It can interfere with a relationship if
you enjoy it so much that you forego sex with a partner to masturbate instead.

-Frequent rigorous masturbation
without lubrication can cause
scratches or cuts.

- Frequent masturbation may lead
to premature ejaculation during
sexual intercourse.

-Anxiety and guilt over
masturbation can lead to unhealthy
opinions of sex and, ultimately,
sexual disfunction.

-some people have been known to
become addicted to masturbating.
I hope this information is helpful.

To curb this habit;;;

Remove anything that tempts your
urge to masturbate; Pornographic material: If you have
a collection and you’re serious
about quitting masturbation, you’ll
have to dispose it. Burn or shred
paper, wipe your hard drive etc

Certain times of the day: If you
have problems before going to bed
or in the shower, refrain from any
temptation to masturbate. For
instance, if it’s a problem late at
night, drop to the floor and do
push-ups until you’re too exhausted to do anything but fall asleep. If you find shower time too tempting, start using ice cold water only — you won’t want to be in there for long.

Boredom: If you have so little to do
that your mind frequently wanders
to sexual thoughts, occupy your
schedule. You’ll find it gets easier
to avoid masturbation if you’re too
busy or tired to spare any energy
for distractions.

Loneliness: If you masturbate
frequently because you feel lonely,
avoid being alone For instance,
instead of watching a match at home by yourself, watch it at a sports bar. Even if you’re not hanging out with friends, you will not be alone, ultimately having no time for masturbation. Find another outlet for your time and energy. Fill your life with engaging activities. The excitement of doing something different can help replace the urge to
masturbate, and you’ll have a go-to
distraction next time you’re tempted.

Try some of these options:

Get creative. Start writing, learn to
play a musical instrument, paint,
draw, or do whatever else makes
you feel like you’re doing something productive.

Do sports. It takes discipline and
persistence to excel at a sport.
Develop an interest like running or
swimming, or a group sport like
football, basketball, or tennis.

Eat healthy. Fruits and vegetables
have healthy effects on the body
and provide nutrients necessary to
increase your energy to be more
active throughout the day.

Be persistent and patient. Stopping
a masturbation addiction won’t
happen overnight. It’s a process
that requires commitment, and you
might make mistakes or relapse on
occasions. The real struggle is
persevering, so commit now that
you won’t let little mistakes stand
in your way.
If you’ve tried everything and just
can’t seem to get your addiction
under control, it might be time to
tell someone else about your
problem and ask for assistance.
Don’t feel ashamed, and remember
that many people have similar
problems like an addiction.
Ask your religious leader for guidance. consider asking your
local clergy for help. Request a
private appointment with your
pastor, bishop, imam or other
religious leader, and see if his or
her advice can help you.
Make an appointment with a
medical professional. Counselors,
psychologists and psychiatrists are
all trained to help people with
varying levels of addiction. Start by
seeing a therapist in your area, who
can assess your addiction and refer
you to more specialized help if
necessary.

HEALTH HAZARDS OF WATCHING TELEVISION FOR TOO LONG

Health Dangers of watching television for long.

Adults who watch TV three hours or more a day may double their risk of premature death from any cause. Researchers suggest adults should consider getting regular exercise, avoiding long sedentary periods and reducing TV viewing to one to two hours a day.

Adults who watch TV for three hours or more each day may double their risk of premature death compared to those who watch less, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

 “Television viewing is a major sedentary behavior and there is an increasing trend toward all types of sedentary behaviors,” said Miguel Martinez-Gonzalez,

M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., the study’s lead author and professor and chair of the Department of Public Health at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. “Our findings are consistent with a range of previous studies where time spent watching television was linked to mortality.”

 “As the population ages, sedentary behaviors will become more prevalent, especially watching television, and this poses an additional burden on the increased health problems related to aging,” Martinez-Gonzalez said. “Our findings suggest adults may consider increasing their physical activity, avoid long sedentary periods, and reduce television watching to no longer than one to two hours each day.”

What can be your favourite pastime when you think of unwinding? What do you do when you are alone at home? You spend hours in front of your television set.

Right? And you think that the TV shows are giving you quality time and a healthy company!

In reality, television viewing is always considered to be bad for your health. You cannot accept this fact readily, but watching TV for a long time can put your health at risk. It is accepted that you can gain a lot of knowledge from a few television shows, but still the disadvantages outweigh these benefits with a big margin! TV serves as a medium of entertainment and education for all, but it is associated with a number of physical and mental health problems such as:

1. Increase in the risk of heart diseases

Based on the analysis of the data collected over a period of six years from 8,800 Australian men and women (over age 25 with no history of heart disease), researchers found that every hour of TV watching increased a person's risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 18 per cent, and increased the risk of death from cancer by 9 per cent.

This means that people who watched more than four hours of TV had an 80 per cent increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease over the 6-year time period as compared to people who watched two hours or less each day. The problem normally crops up from a sedentary lifestyle which television offers to you.

According to researchers, the human body evolved to move, not sit still for extended periods of time. So sitting in front of a TV or a computer screen for too long poses serious risks to health, and to life.

2. Disruption of sleep

The light emitted from the television can prove to be too stimulating to our systems. This can reduce the levels of the brain hormone melatonin, which usually increase in the evening as light levels fall. This may effect the body's natural rhythm, keeping you awake longer and results in irregular sleep and extreme fatigue. Reduced levels of melatonin have also been linked to early puberty in girls.

3. Increase in the risk of diabetes

When it comes to controlling diabetes, TV watching habit can be included as the risk factor. A 2003 study of women published in the Journal of the American Medical

Association suggests that the risk of diabetes increases by 14 per cent for every two hours of television viewing in a day.

Another study conducted in the same year and published in the journal lipids found that men who watched more than 40 hours of TV per week were three times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than men who watched TV less than one hour weekly.

According to researchers, all this increased risk cannot be explained by the increased snacking and reduced activity linked with sitting in front of the television.

4. Increase in the risk of obesity

Prolonged watching of television relates to an absence of muscle movement. If your muscles stay inactive for too long, it can disrupt your metabolism leading to weight gain.

Additionally, when you are watching TV, you tend to eat more and eat unhealthy foods due to advertising and other food cues on TV. A study compared the television viewing habits of more than 50,000 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study from 1992 to

1998, and found that weight gain increased as TV watching increased.

For each two-hour increase in television watching per day, there was a 23 per cent rise in obesity.

5. Development of attention deficit disorder

In the 1970s, a Professor named Werner Halperin suggested that the rapid changes of sounds and images on TV may affect the neurological system of a young child and can cause attention problems. Also, a study conducted by researchers at the University of Washington Child Health Institute found that 3-year- old child who watches two hours of TV per day is 20 per cent more likely to have attention problems at age 7 than a child who watches no television.

6. Increase in the risk of asthma

In the UK, a research studied the TV viewing habits of more than 3,000 children ranging in age from infants to 11 years.

The results of the study established that children who spent two hours or more watching television per day had twice the risk of suffering from asthma.

8. Negative effect on the mental development

Watching TV for a prolonged period of time has a negative effect on the intellectual development of children. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages TV viewing for kids under two and recommends no more than two hours a day for older kids.

Prolonged watching of TV can also lead to a deterioration of the mental processing power in case of older people.

9. Increase in the eye strain

Watching too much television is bad for your eyes, especially when watching television in a dark room. Focusing your eyes too long on any one object can strain your eyes.