May 17, 2025

How to Stop Picking Your Nose and Uncomfortable Symptoms of This Gross Habit

Nose picking

When looking around a room full of children, chances are youโ€™ll see at least one or two of them picking their nose. However, when it comes to adults, most will hide their unsightly nose picking habit and only indulge when they are all alone. To maintain optimal nasal health, although, itโ€™s vitally important to cease this unsanitary and disgusting habit. Keep reading to learn the many uncomfortable symptoms of regular nose picking and what steps you can take to stop yourself from digging around in your nostrils.


Nose Picking Symptoms

Both children and adults pick their noses for a variety of reasons. Some may be suffering from allergies and have a desire to dislodge mucus from their nasal airways. For most habitual nose pickers, however, this action develops from either stress or mere boredom. After some time, this habit becomes subconscious and leads to a compulsively repetitive behavior that is often difficult to stop. When nose picking reaches this stage, several dangerous health symptoms can occur, such as:

  • Infections:ย Our fingers and hands encounter a myriad of germs and bacteria during any given day. Then, the act of scraping our fingernails against our inner nasal tissue can lead to many open scratches. Within these openings, bacteria can take root and lead to uncomfortable nasal infections that youโ€™d rather not endure.
  • Nosebleeds:ย Picking your nose can lead to ruptured blood vessels, which can result in minor or major nosebleeds.
  • Catching or Spreading Illness:ย Mucus is notorious for catching particulate matter such as dust, viruses, bacteria, and much more. Whether youโ€™re personally catching illness upon picking your nose, or spreading illness to others via physical contact, no one benefits from you sticking your fingers up your nostrils.
  • Nose Sores:ย Scabs, pimple, rashes, boils, and much more can all arise from habitual nose picking.
  • Nasal Cavity or Septum Damage:ย Frequent nose picking can cause inflammation and swelling of the nasal tissues, which can also lead to the narrowing of nostrils. Additionally, this gross habit can also result in the damage of the bone and cartilage in your septum.

How to Stop Picking Your Nose

The key to quitting the habitual habit of nose picking is to realize why youโ€™re knuckle deep in there in the first place. Some people pick their nose because itโ€™s dry, while other pick to remove mucus, and others can even pick as a form of relieving their anxiety; fortunately, for all of these reasons, there are several methods to quit this act for good, such as:

  • Saline Spray or Rinse:ย If your nasal cavities are regularly dry, this may be the solution for you. While saline spray replenishes moisture to your skin, saline rinse both moisturizes your nose and removes any germs, mucus, and allergens from your nostrils.
  • Too Much Mucus:ย If youโ€™re regularly picking your nose to remove excess mucus, then this could be the sign of a more serious underlying health problem and we recommend you to visit your doctor for a more personal evaluation.
  • Find an Alternate Anxiety Reliever:ย Instead digging your fingers around your nose to relieve stress, try keeping your hands busy with a stress ball or a fidget toy. If this doesnโ€™t work, then try meditating by closing your eyes, breathing in-and-out, and trying your best to resist from picking your nose.

Protect Yourself with O2 Nose Filters

As mentioned, habitual nose pickers may have small scratches within their nostril cavities, which makes them more susceptible to dangerous particulate matter.ย O2 Nose Filtersย has been proven in controlled studies to help protect wearers from inhalingย harmful airborne particlesย such as pollen, bacteria, viruses, dust, and other pollutants. Independent laboratory tests demonstrate that our Advanced Electret Media in O2 Nose Filters block 90% of particulates at PM10 and 65% of particulates at PM2.5. Additionally, O2 Nose Filters are comfortable to wear due to their latex-free design and medical-grade Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) materials.

O2 Nose Filtersย provides inexpensive and effective security to protect people from nose issues. While our nasal passageways try their best when it comes to filtering harmful particulate matter, they arenโ€™t perfect. Thatโ€™s whyย O2 Nose Filtersย are such an effective solution when it comes to improving our mental and physical health as well as sleep quality. Nose filters are a discreet, effective option to protect against airborne viruses and bacteria. The O2 Nose Filter uses our patented AEM™ electrostatic technology to capture allergens, viruses, and other particulates, making them a valuable tool for anyone who wants to drastically reduce their uncomfortable nasal symptoms.

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