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Why do we hiccup? And how can I stop?
Chanie Kirschner wants you to hold your breath, now hop on one foot, now run across the room ... what? She swears it works.
Fri, Jan 28 2011 at 10:51 AM
Q: Just finished scarfing down a plate of nachos and was promptly hit with a case of the hiccups. I’m wondering, why is it that when I eat fast, I often hiccup? What are hiccups anyway? And while we’re on the subject, got any tips on how to get rid of them?A: Well, first let’s talk about what hiccups actually are. Even though it may not seem like it when that attractive noise emits from your throat, hiccups actually start with your diaphragm, the muscle right below your chest, that contracts and expands as your breathe. A hiccup emerges when your diaphragm contracts jerkily instead of smoothly (like it’s supposed to), causing a sudden intake of breath that is stopped when your vocal cords snap shut, causing that characteristic “hic!” noise.
So what causes your diaphragm to get all jumpy in the first place? Hiccups often occur when you eat too fast and you swallow extra air (as in your case), drink carbonated drinks, or just eat too much. All of these things can irritate your diaphragm, causing it to go into a spasm.
Usually, most cases of the hiccups resolve themselves in a few minutes or at most, a few hours (fun, fun). Though rare, prolonged hiccups lasting for days could be a sign of a more serious medical condition, so talk to your doctor. (Remember that episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” where Lexie’s mom came in with hiccups that wouldn’t go away and then, later that episode, she died? It makes me shudder when I think about it. I think doctor shows must research absolute worst case scenarios of every medical condition in order to make good television. Don’t even get me started on “House.”)
For those occasional hiccups that are more annoying than alarming, I’ve got a few tricks for you to try.
The first batch of hiccup cures aim to bring more carbon dioxide into your blood, which in turn helps relax your diaphragm. These include holding your breath for as long as you can, breathing into a paper bag for a short period of time, or quickly drinking a glass of water.
The other remedies? Well, I’m not sure if there’s any clinical research that supports their use, but I know more than a few people who swear by them. They include things like drinking water while upside down (not sure how you’re supposed to do this one), eating a teaspoon of sugar, and having someone scare the pants off you.
If you’ve ever been to a dinner party where someone’s gotten the hiccups, I’m sure you’ve heard of a wacky remedy yourself. The fun begins when you can get the person to actually do something ridiculous (“Now, pick your right leg up, hold your hands over your head, and squawk like a chicken while jumping up and down — I swear, it works!”). Which reminds me of one of my favorite kids’ poems by Shel Silverstein, called “Hiccup Cure,” which I’ll leave you with:
Hic...Hic...Hic...Hic...Want to cure your hiccups quick?Stick out your tongue and bite your lip.Hold your breath and shake one hip.Pull back your left foot and kick up.Now, you see, we've cured your hiccup.Nothing much to it — don't you feel swell?Hic...Oh well...
For more on hiccups, the Mayo Clinic is a great resource.
Got a question? Submit a question to Mother Nature and one of our many experts will track down the answer. Plus: Visit our advice archives to see if your question has already been tackled.
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Gonna sound amazingly cheesy.... but the only way my hiccups go away is if my boyfriend gives me a long firm kiss on the lips. Nothing else works, but his kisses work every time.
I swallow when I feel one coming up, they meet in the middle and the hic-up loses the fight
spoon ful of peanut butter
Think of a hiccup as a burp in reverse. Burping at the first sign of a hiccup works everytime. But, you must push the burp out fully.
I always use the "hold you breath for as long as you can" rick or once you've realized you have the hiccups stare at you knee and when you feel one about to come smack your knee. I think the whole focusing part really works.
im going to tri drinking water upside dwn its not impossible ^-^
I didn't see this one in any of the comments so it must be my original cure. If the sugar or holding your breath don't work, try a spoonful of ice cream, making sure you hold it on the top of your mouth for a bit before swallowing. Hasn't failed yet!
All of the swallow this, drink that all work on the same principle. The Vagus nerve is what inervates the contractions of the diaphram. This nerve runs down the neck very close to the esophagus. When something is swallowed that is difficult (ie, spoon of undisolved sugar, dry crackers, sipping water upside down etc.) this can stimulate this nerve and cause the spasms to subside.
I put my head back and stretch my neck and hold my breath! Always works for me!
Squeeze a couple limes and drink the whole stuff at once (like a shot) works for me.
I drink through a straw swallowing 10 times quickly in a row while cupping my hands over my ears. Works every time. ;)
So i know this is going to sound a little crazy but the best (and only) cure ive ever found for hiccups is i take a glass of water and put a napkin or paper towel over the rim. then i drink water through the paper.
This 100% works !!!!!!!
That is the only thing that works for me, and no one else until now had heard of it.
I get hiccups all the time! This is what works for me - a spoonful of sugar with a few drops of the bottled lemon juice. I guess it's the sweet and sour effect?
Just drink pickle juice. Works everytime.
My husband swears by pickle juice. He won't let me throw a jar away after the pickles are gone "just in case".
i once told my brother to hop on one foot while rubbing his belly patting his head and clucking like a chicken to get rid of his hiccups the funny part was when he went to tell my mom what i did they were gone lol
actually, it's brown sugar, not regular sugar. but a spoonful of brown sugar works for me every time!
Why try so many different tricks when there's one that always works (for me and everyone I know who had hiccup). 7-9 sips of water, that's it.
It ight sound weird but if you drink water through a paper towel works for e . . oh I also like drinking water upside down, that always does the trick!
i don't think your M key works... but what i do is hold breath, close eyes and block ears for a while. always works, and pickle juice and drinking beer upside down. i'm sure it would work with water too, but the beer is what gave us the hiccups!
try putting a paper towel over a cup of water then drink thwe water from the cup wit the paper towel on top
Drinking water upside down always does the trick for me! All you do is take a gulp of water, bend over, and then swallow. It is much more difficult to try to drink a glass of water bending over!
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