Hic, hic, hic…

I found a very interesting article about the hiccups. This is something that I’m pretty sure everyone can relate to because we’ve all had the hiccups at some point in our lives. So the article was written by Chanie Kirschner. Someone sent in a question asking what hiccups really are and how you can get rid of them. So I’ll do a little recap of how the author answered those two questions.

So the hiccups start with your diaphragm, which is the muscle right below your chest that contracts and expands when you breathe. A hiccup happens when your diaphragm contracts with jerky movements rather than smooth movements, which causes you to suddenly intake a breath that is stopped when your vocal cords snap shut. This is what causes the “hic!” noise that you make when you have the hiccups.

What causes your diaphragm to get jumpy in the first place? Most of the time it happens when you eat too fast and swallow extra air, drink carbonated drinks, or just eat too much. Most cases of the hiccups only last a few minutes or hours but there are some cases that have gone on for days. In that case, it could be the sign of a serious medical condition.

Alright, now on to the part that I’m sure everyone wants to know. How do you get rid of the hiccups. I’ve heard many different tricks and tried them myself and the article mentions some that I’ve heard of. Some ideas are to hold your breath for as long as you can, breath into a paper bag for a few seconds, or quickly drink a glass of water. Some other remedies include drinking water while your upside down, eating a teaspoon of sugar, and having someone scare you. I have tried the sugar trick and that does work for me 99.9% of the time. I also used to drink some water as I closed my eyes and held my nose. I have no idea where I got that one from but it works for me sometimes.

Well, leave me your comments on what you think about hiccups and what you do to get rid of the hiccups.

Link to the article