Every once in a while I get a hiccup attack just like so many of us do. If there is something that drives me absolutely crazy and makes me super irritated, it is hiccups. I just cannot stand it and I do everything I know to try and get rid of them fast. Last time I had the hiccups it happened at work and my coworkers got to see me furiously consuming glasses of water until my hiccups were gone. I dislike it so much that I decided to do a little research on hiccups to see what they really are and here is what I found out.
What are hiccups?
“A hiccup or hiccough is a contraction of the diaphragm that repeats several times per minute. In humans, the abrupt rush of air into the lungs causes the epiglottis to close, creating a “hic” sound. This is how a hiccup is described on Wikipedia.com. Well, some of this makes sense to me, but I had to dig a little deeper to figure out what the difficult words mean. Kidshealth.org describes your diaphragm is a “dome-shaped muscle at the bottom of your chest, and all hiccups start here”. So essentially, this chest muscle gets irritated and then we have a hiccup.
What causes a hiccup?
Some of the things that can provoke hiccups are drinking carbonated beverages or alcohol, eating spicy foods, laughing for a longer period of time, eating or drinking too fast. For me hiccups almost always occur in connection with drinking soda too fast. Occasionally, I have also had hiccups because of too much laughter, but those are fewer and father in between. The soda one is a sure thing for me. If I am not careful, I will end up with 5-10 minutes hiccup attack.
How can you treat hiccups?
There are a variety of common ways to treat hiccups. The two that usually work for me are holding my breath for a period of time or drinking a glass of water without stopping. The latter seems to work best for me. Other methods include putting sugar under the tongue, having someone jump out and scare you, eating a teaspoon of vinegar or changing your breathing patterns. Another one O have also tried that does not work for me is tickling my pallet with my little finger. Try a variety of ways to see what works best for you.
Medical Treatment
In some cases it may be necessary to treat hiccups medically, but this is only when hiccups are severe and prolonged. There have been reported cases where people have had hiccup attacks that lasted for several weeks or even years.
In conclusion, even after my little research experiment, I still hate hiccups. I learned a few new things that I might try if my methods do not work, maybe they will work for you.
Sources:
Personal Experience
www.wikipedia.com
www.kidshealth.org
