Most people have experienced them and some of them had trouble stopping them. Of course, we are talking about hiccups.
A hiccup is an unexpected and spontaneous contraction of our diaphragm which occurs together with larynx contraction and closure of the glottis. In this way the airflow is blocked and this is what leads to the specific hiccup sound.
Although this sound makes people around you laugh, you are probably aware that hiccups are irritating and frustrating.
In vast majority of cases, hiccups stop on their own after few seconds or a couple of minutes and they don’t cause any serious issue. But, it is not unusual for people to experience hiccups that last for a long period of time.
In cases like this, people have trouble finishing their everyday tasks and falling asleep. It is good to point out that there are cases when hiccups must be removed with professional medical help, but these cases are extremely rare.
Hiccups – Causes
There are many different things that trigger hiccups and some of them include:
- Intense feelings including euphoria, joy, fear and/or anxiety;
- Fast eating or overeating;
- Consumption of high amount of soft drinks;
- Consumption of spicy or dry food;
- Rapid change of the temperature in the stomach;
- Excessive drinking of alcohol;
- Intense laughing.
How Can We Stop Hiccups?
As we have already said, in most cases hiccups disappear without intervention within minutes. However, there are situations when hiccups last longer. In case the hiccups last for more than two days you must visit your doctor’s office and find a solution for this problem.
In addition, there are many all-natural remedies that have proven to be helpful when people deal with hiccups. Even if you are experiencing these contractions for a minute it is always a good idea to try these remedies and stop the hiccups immediately. Although some of them look funny and ridiculous they actually work. If one of them doesn’t work try another one.
- Breathe in and keep your breath as much as you can. So, inhale and count to 10 or 15 before breathing out. Perform this procedure 3 or 4 times.
- Take a glass of cold tap water. Drink ten little sips from the glass as fast as you can or just gargle with cold water for a while.
- Take a teaspoon of honey or sugar.
- Inhale and exhale in a paper bag. In case you can’t find a paper bag you can use your hands to cover the mouth and nose and breathe in this way for a minute or two.
- Keep the tongue out of your mouth. Do this as long as you can and the hiccups should be gone in less than 30 seconds.
- Keep the ears covered. Gently cover the ears with the fingers or hand for half a minute. Many people say that this practice helps them every time.
- Bite a slice of lemon or just drink one sip of apple cider vinegar. You will eliminate the hiccups thanks to the acidic nature of lemon.
- Raise the knees in the direction of your chest and push them against the chest as much as you can.