Adults pick their nose and eat it due to a mix of habit, compulsive behavior (rhinotillexomania), stress relief, sensory curiosity, or even a perceived (though unproven) immune boost, often triggered by anxiety or dry nasal passages, leading to a satisfying "tidying up" sensation or a perceived tasty snack, despite health risks.
The technical name for bogie-eating is mucophagy, and when it becomes a true, obsessional habit, it is known as rhinotillexomania. But is this behaviour safe? After all, bogies are made of bacteria, viruses and dirt that get trapped by the little hairs and mucus in your nose.
Over 90% of adults pick their noses, and many eat those boogers.
You may sometimes see headlines touting booger-eating as a way to boost the immune system. But because boogers are made from the same ingredients as the mucus we swallow every day, Otto says eating boogers doesn't matter much to your immune system.
Occasional picking is normal, but if it's constant and people are noticing you touching your nose, make sure it's not something else!
How to stop nose picking
One explanation is that nose picking might function as tension reduction behaviour, this tension and anxiety may be secondary to ADHD and its consequences.
Here are some tips to help you stop picking your nose! (#ad)
Don't try to pick boogers out of your nose
Boogers can carry bacteria and viruses. These germs can spread from your hands to whatever you touch. It also works the other way. Germs on your hands can also get into your nose, which is why it's important to regularly wash your hands with soap and water.
Picking your nose occasionally is often all right, but if this becomes a habit, you risk causing nose damage or developing an infection. Try instead to encourage blowing or the use of a tissue. Speak to your doctor if you find that your nose picking has become a habit. They can help you manage this compulsive behavior.
But just because boogers aren't likely to cause harm doesn't mean that you should eat them. They're not a delicacy (though some toddlers might disagree). They're not nutritious in any way either. “There really isn't a good reason to eat boogers,” emphasizes Dr.
Rhinotillexomania is a psychiatric compulsive nose-picking disorder. It is more common in children and young adults, and while it rarely has serious consequences, it can result in serious self-inflicted lesions, such as perforation of the nasal septum and destruction of other facial bone structures.
Nasal breathing better regulates and conditions airflow because of the nose's intricate structures [31]. Because of the resistance of nasal airways to the airstream, oxygen uptake can be 10–20% higher [32].
But compulsive nose-picking, or rhinotillexomania, is a psychiatric condition that can cause physical damage and other complications. Stress or anxiety often triggers rhinotillexomania. The picking behavior provides feelings of relief and gratification. Other causes include OCD, dementia, and anxiety.
Share on Pinterest Eating boogers has the potential to cause infection. There is not a lot of research to suggest that there are benefits to eating boogers. However, one study suggests that the salivary mucins present in boogers helps form a protective barrier on the teeth. This barrier may reduce dental cavities.
Nasal crusting is caused by abnormal mucus production or excessive accumulation. The mucus is thick and does not drain normally. Large crusts may form which may interfere with breathing or emit a foul odor.
Try using positive reinforcement to help stop this behavior. Don't scold your child for picking and/or eating boogers. Instead, use praise when they use a tissue to blow or clean out their nose. Since boogers hold onto germs, teach them to not pick their nose to reduce the spread of bugs.
They sent a survey by mail to 1,000 adult residents of Dane County, Wisconsin. Of the 254 that responded, a whopping 91% of their respondents confessed to picking their noses, while only 1.2% could admit to doing it at least once each hour.
Other body-focused repetitive behaviours commonly associated with ADHD include trichotillomania (hair pulling), onychophagia (nail biting), and rhinotillexomania (nose picking).
While occasionally picking your nose might be a harmless habit, rhinotillexomania could be damaging. Some researchers classify rhinotillexomania as an obsessive-compulsive disorder. A diagnosis of rhinotillexomania is typically made when a person continues picking their nose even when it causes them harm.
The ADHD "2-Minute Rule" suggests doing any task taking under two minutes immediately to build momentum, but it often backfires by derailing focus due to weak working memory, time blindness, and transition difficulties in people with ADHD. A better approach is to write down these quick tasks on a separate "catch-all" list instead of interrupting your main work, then schedule specific times to review and tackle them, or use a slightly longer timeframe like a 5-minute rule to prevent getting lost down "rabbit holes".
The ADHD "30% Rule" is a guideline suggesting that executive functions (like self-regulation, planning, and emotional control) in people with ADHD develop about 30% slower than in neurotypical individuals, meaning a 10-year-old might function more like a 7-year-old in these areas, requiring adjusted expectations for maturity, task management, and behavior. It's a tool for caregivers and adults with ADHD to set realistic goals, not a strict scientific law, helping to reduce frustration by matching demands to the person's actual developmental level (executive age) rather than just their chronological age.
The top 3 core symptoms of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, which can appear in different combinations, leading to issues with focus, excessive movement, and acting without thinking, affecting daily life, school, and work. Not everyone has all three, and symptoms vary in presentation, with some individuals primarily experiencing inattention (ADD), while others have combined or hyperactive-impulsive types, even showing up as inner restlessness in adults.