SPECIAL FEATURES:
Email
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.
Also on MNN:
Photo: Jupiterimages
You might also like:
Sign in with one of these accounts to add your comment.
EDITORS' PICKS
Advertisement
TODAY'S MOST POPULAR ON
- Student science experiment finds plants won't grow near Wi-Fi router
- How to get a second crop of tomatoes -- for free
- Food fraud: 10 counterfeit products we commonly consume
- 10 cats made famous by YouTube
- 10 false facts most people think are true
- 7 places where you can get a free online education
- Stone Age people may have battled against a zombie apocalypse
- 9 habits that may do more harm than good
- 13 natural remedies for the ant invasion
- Man looks for missing cat, finds 'UFO' instead
MNN'S ADVICE TEAM
Chanie Kirschner (Fridays)
Smart and funny maven.
Some of our favorite Q&As.
Eco-activist and consultant.
Author and television host.
NEWSLETTER
Advertisement
I have been using this method since 1990 and it works every time.
you need to have someone plug your ears while you drink a full glass of water.
I have also done it at a drinking fountain by plugging my ears and using my elbow to hit the button while drinking as much as I can.
When you get the hiccups and holding your breath won't work, use your fingers and plug your ears while you drink water through a straw. My grandpa told me this and it works every time.
Bend forward as deep as possible with a glass of water in one hand. In that position drink the water out of the glass. It worked for me. I think this influences the diaphragm.
I always ask them to describe a blue squirrel... it works... if they're caught off guard by the question and have to really think about it... I'm not sure why it works... but it does lol
Ha! Someone just used this on me and it worked like a charm! She asked me if I had ever seen a yellow unicorn!
The cure that always works for me is holding my breath and swallowing 3 times (tricky to do while holding ones breath).
Try some crazy combos of bodily functions simultaniously! Hiccup and yawn, hiccup and burp, hiccup and sneeze, hiccup,yawn,burp,sneeze and fart. Don't know if it works or if it's even possible! But would shure be funny (especially after smoking some good weeds). Yes, you must inhale.
I was in a grocery store one time and had to yawn, wouldn't ya know, I ended up hiccupping at the same time. A hiccup/yawn combo is not a pretty sound. It was kinda like a bald eagle screech! LOL It could be heard throughout the store.
drink 1 glass of water . it does really help
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2730251.stm
WHY DO WE HICCUP?
WHY DO WE HICCUP?
WHY DO WE HICCUP?
WHY DO WE HICCUP?
WHY DO WE HICCUP?
WHY DO WE HICCUP?
WHY DO WE HICCUP?
WHY DO WE HICCUP?
WHY DO WE HICCUP?
WHY DO WE HICCUP?
WHY DO WE HICCUP?
WHY DO WE HICCUP?
WHY DO WE HICCUP?
WHY DO WE HICCUP?
WHY DO WE HICCUP?
WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY?
THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT TELL ME THE PURPOSE OF WHY PEOPLE HICCUP.
It explains it in the second parragraph, jeez
yes it does...we get hiccups when our diaphragm spasms from eating too much too fast or taking in extra air. you apparently didn't read the article.
Wet a small piece of a paper towel with cold water and put it on your forehead... It's always worked for me :)
my husband gets hiccups if he laughs too hard. we have two sons and since they were babies if they laugh too hard ... *hic*hic*hic*hic*hic* :D
First do a little twist, punch yourself in the genitals, and then run as fast as you can into the wall. If you don't pass out, you didn't do it right, and have to start over again. Works for me every time.
I would like to thank the person who wrote this "cure". I was drinking water while reading these and was mid-swallow when I read this one...I ended up choking on my water, what didn't end up in my lungs, I shot out of my nose all over the computer screen, then I was coughing and snorting so hard that I crapped my pants. If that's not bad enough after I quit choking...I got the freaking HICCUPS! Now I have to twist, punch myself in the crotch and run into a wall. Thanks so much James!
Just did it and ........ it WORKED!!!
all you need to do is hold your breath for 15-20 seconds -__- works for me *hic!*
i love how as you read below (and above) all these posts with the words "works every time", the fact of the matter is of course it works every time. sitting there patiently works every time as well, cause if it didn't you would be dead.
drink nine sips of water- no more no less. they will go away ASAP. also, a harder way is to drink a few sips upside down, if that makes any sense.
drink 9 sips of water!!!!!
Eat a spoonful of peanut butter or even anything with real peanut butter in it, like reese's cups (my favorite). If one spoonful doesn't work, eat one more and I swear to you they will go away. Everytime my children get the hiccups, they come to me, "mom, I need some peanut butter."
When I was growing up, my mom would always give me peanut butter when I had the hiccups and they would go away in seconds! To this day, I use it and everyone thinks I'm crazy when I tell them it works! :P
Pages