It's a bad habit but we've all been guilty of biting our nails at some point in our lives. But the seemingly harmless act can have dangerous consequences - as one dad found out.
Luke Hanoman came close to dying after one nail biting session left him battling sepsis.
The 28-year-old from Southport, Merseyside, has told how he ended up being rushed to hospital after ignoring his symptoms for a week.
The warehouse operator became ill with flu-like symptoms soon after biting the skin down the side of his nail.
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As the days went on he became sicker with his finger swelling until the throbbing was 'unbearable' - but he battled on unaware of how serious his condition was.
Luke said: "I used to bite my nails all the time. It was nervous thing."
"And one day I bit the skin down the side of my nail. It hurt a bit but I didn't think anything of it.
"I was in work throughout the week and started to get flu-like symptoms which were gradually getting worse."
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It was only through the quick-thinking of his mum who called the NHS 111 helpline that Luke was saved - but it was a close call.
Luke said: "My mum raced me down to hospital. The next thing I knew I was on a stretcher with a drip in my arm. It was a bit of a mad one."
He spent four days in hospital and was monitored 24/7, with doctors saying to him afterwards that he was 'lucky to be alive'.
The dad, whose sons are five and six, has now fully recovered but wants to use his life and death situation as a warning to others.
When someone contracts sepsis their immune system goes into overdrive and attacks itself causing organs to shut down.
Symptoms can include feeling lethargic, having a high temperature, and fast breathing.
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They also include dizziness, diarrhoea, and mottled, blush or pale skin.
Luke said: "I knew nothing about sepsis before this. I just thought I had a high temperature and maybe a virus.
"I had no idea what sepsis was and I had no idea about the symptoms to look out for. There needs to be a lot more awareness.
"Eventually they got to the infection in my finger and all of this puss came out. I've never seen so much puss before."
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Chemist-4-U.com, who Luke works for, is now hoping to raise awareness to sepsis by taking part in Wear Red Day on 18 May.
Featured Image Credit: Mirrorpix