What Causes Hiccups
What Causes Hiccups?
The other common name of hiccups is hiccoughs. To understand what causes hiccups, it is important that we understand the phenomenon that causes hiccups. This irritating problem occurs during the involuntary contraction of the diaphragm muscle. The diaphragm is the thin muscle lining that separates the lungs/heart and the abdomen. This thin muscle lining tends to undergo involuntary contraction/expansion during which the glottis, the top part of the windpipe in our body tends to close and reopen. This snap shut action of the glottis during diaphragm contraction leads to the hic sound in humans which in turn comes out as hiccups.
How long does Hiccups Last?
Now that we have understood what causes hiccups, its time to look into as to how long can a hiccup last. This can range from few minutes to several hours. If this is brief, the distress is tolerable. If this is going to last for hours, this proves to be very distressing that we run to medical practitioners to get out of this problem.
Causes of Hiccups
The root cause of hiccups is often any one of the following
Bloated Stomach: We often get into this when we overeat or eat too quickly or in a hurry. When air gets into our stomach too, it appears to become swollen.
Alcohol consumption beyond limits: Consuming too much alcohol can lead to entry of huge amount of air. This can in turn lead to hiccups.
Over smoking: If you are a chain smoker, then while smoking its likely that air can enter your stomach with ease. This tends to provoke hiccups with ease.
Emotional overstress: If you are stressed emotionally, there is every possibility that the same can be expressed by you as hiccups.
Possible Remedies to Overcome Hiccups
When you get hiccups, you can do a few of the following when you try getting rid of the same.
1. Drink 2 glasses of water
2. Try breathing fast and wait for a few minutes
3. Try holding your breath for 40 seconds
4. Have a paper bad and try breathing into that. Drink half glass full of ice water.
5. Try to put an ice cube in your mouth
6. Have a pinch of salt or sugar
If you further continue to have this problem, then this might be due to acidic reflux that your system is undergoing. In this case, you might also be experiencing other acidic problems like belching, stomach burning, disgorging and the like. In such scenarios, it is better if you could cope with the following
- Stop having carbonated drinks
- Say to smoking and alcohol consumption
- When you eat, take time.
- Come out of stress
Even after adhering to the above practices, if you still suffer from continuous hiccups and don’t understand what causes hiccups in you, its better that you consult your medical practitioner and take medications as per his suggestions if you really decide to get rid of it!
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Anise seed (for infants) Pour a cupful of boiling water over a teaspoonful of anise seeds; steep; give the baby one or two teaspoonful. It often cures immediately. Nursing the baby will frequently stop the hiccups, too.
Apple cider vinegar Slowly sip a glass of warm water mixed with one teaspoon of vinegar. Works better when the water is drunk from the far side of the glass.
Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) Mix two teaspoonful of baking soda, two teaspoonful of aromatic spirits of ammonia with four ounces of peppermint water. Dose: one tablespoonful; repeat if necessary.
Breathing Breathe into a small paper bag that is tightly pressed around your mouth. Or try spreading your arms out like a “T” and take a very deep breath. Repeat several times. Or try taking a deep breath and holding it as long as you can.
Chamomile Put 1 drop of chamomile essential oil in a brown paper bag; hold bag over nose and mouth; breathe in and out slowly and deeply through the nose.
Camphor Mix three drops of spirits of Camphor in half a glassful of water and drink.
Collar bones Put strong pressure on the collar bones.
Honey Take a teaspoon of honey.
Ice Eat or suck on a piece of ice.
Lemon Mix the juice of one lemon in half a glass of water; drink; repeat if the first drink didn’t stop the hiccups.
Lemon/salt Put a teaspoonful of salt on half a lemon and then suck the juice out of the lemon.
Lemon/bitters Eat a slice of lemon which has been soaked in angostura bitters.
Orange Drink the juice from 1/2 an orange.
Peanut butter Eat 1 teaspoon of peanut butter.
Pepper, red Pour a half pint of boiling water over a quarter of a red pepper; steep; drink a wineglassful. If no red pepper is available, use five drops of tincture of Capsicum in a tablespoonful of water.
Pineapple juice Take a few rapid swallows of canned pineapple juice. Repeat hourly if necessary.
Sugar Cure hiccups by placing a teaspoon of sugar on the tongue and washing it down with a glass of cold water. Another sugar remedy suggests swallowing it dry.
Sugar/lemon Soak a cube of sugar in fresh lemon juice and let it dissolve in your mouth.
Tartar, cream of Add 1/3 teaspoon of cream of tartar to 8 oz. of warm water; drink 2 tablespoons at a time on an empty stomach.
Water Drinking water in various fashions has been an age-old cure. Here are several variations. Plug your ears and drink a glass of ice cold water; or slowly sip a cup of warm water; sip a cup of warm water with honey in it. For infants: hiccups usually disappear in 5-10 minutes. If hiccups do not disappear, give the baby a bottle of sugar water. Mix one-quarter teaspoon of sugar with four ounces of water.
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