Hiccup Cures – How to Stop the Problem

glass of water

I think almost everyone in the world can say they’ve experienced a case of the “hiccups.” What a terrible and helpless feeling it is to have them! It makes you feel like you’re constantly at the mercy of your respiratory system, going into a spasm for no particular reason other than to spite you. When you first get the “hiccups,” you usually just take a breath, as you often do, and then—suddenly—they’re there, cutting into your regular breathing cycle and disrupting your attempts to speak normal sentences. After a while, they might even make you laugh as you try to figure out a way to get rid of them. However, if they last more than a minute or two, this laughter usually turns into frustration, confusion, or even anger. What are these little devils that we call “hiccups”? Why do they happen? And what are some ways to try to stop them?

Common Cures for Hiccups

Hiccups are actually caused by your diaphragm, a respiratory muscle that separates your chest and abdomen and plays a role in the process of breathing. Hiccups occur when the diaphragm spasms involuntarily, causing the rapid closing of the vocal cords and producing the strange sound we associate with hiccups. These spasms can be triggered by inhaling and exhaling air in an erratic manner. For example, laughing too much or eating too quickly can set them off. Fortunately, they usually go away on their own.

Over time, there have been countless remedies and attempts to solve this age-old mystery. Instead of listing all the thousands of potential cures for hiccups, I’ve compiled a shorter list of some of the more common and well-known remedies.

One of the most famous cures is drinking water upside down. This involves bending over and drinking a glass of water upside down, sometimes with the help of a straw. Another popular remedy is simply holding your breath. Many people believe that taking a deep breath and holding it will stop the hiccups, and this works for many individuals. You can also try slowly blowing air out in a steady stream, which helps relax the diaphragm.

Another option is to plug your ears while drinking water. Many swear by this method, claiming that if you use your index fingers to plug your ears while someone pours a drink into your mouth, your hiccups will disappear. Some people also recommend breathing heavily into a brown paper bag. To do this, form a seal around your mouth and breathe hard into the bag at least 10 times.

Other remedies include gargling with or without salt. One of the top cures is simply eating sugar. Some people say a teaspoon works, while others suggest using a tablespoon. Either way, this is considered one of the most effective remedies. However, repeated use may cause you some sleep troubles, so be cautious! Here are a few more suggestions that have been passed down through the years: drink a large glass of water slowly, pull hard on your tongue, make yourself sneeze, suck on some ice or a lemon, eat a spoonful of peanut butter, try a shot of pickle juice, get tickled (as laughing alters your breathing pattern), or force a burp or cough without inhaling. There are many more potential cures out there, but these are some of the best-known ones. Try them first, and if none of them work, feel free to experiment. You might just discover the surefire way to rid yourself and others of this age-old annoyance.

Next time you get the hiccups and they last a couple of minutes before either going away on their own or being cured by one of the remedies above, remember this: the worst case of hiccups ever recorded occurred in a man who hiccupped every 1.5 seconds for 69 years. So, your little hiccup episode shouldn’t seem that bad, and it certainly shouldn’t get to you.

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