Hiccup: what to do

To get rid of hiccups, you need to stop the spasms of the diaphragm and esophagus. This can be done either by distracting attention, or by using breathing techniques. Usually this is enough.

Hiccup is a nonspecific dysfunction of external respiration that occurs as a result of a series of jerky jerky contractions of the diaphragm and is subjectively manifested by unpleasant short and intense breathing movements. It occurs sometimes in healthy people for no apparent reason and, as a rule, is a harmless, rapidly ending phenomenon.

Under what circumstances does hiccups occur?

Hiccups can occur under the following circumstances:

• General cooling (especially in young children), especially when drunk.


• When overstretching the stomach (overflowing his food). According to experts, such involuntary muscle contractions can come from the esophagus. Violations of swallowing and food getting stuck in the esophagus provoke spasms in the place where the esophagus passes into the stomach.


• If the phrenic nerve is irritated. The so-called "ordinary" hiccup is a manifestation of a nervous tic. This occurs under the influence of the phrenic nerve, which, for unknown reasons, transmits excitation to the muscles of the diaphragm. As a result, uncontrolled cramps occur.

Could hiccups be a symptom of disease?

Hiccups can also be a symptom of certain diseases, for example, in case of irritation of the diaphragm during an inflammatory process in the abdominal cavity. Sometimes it becomes long and painful. Hiccups occur in some diseases of the brain and spinal cord, and can also be observed in myocardial infarction, infectious diseases and mental stimulation.

What to do with long hiccups?

In cases of prolonged, persistent hiccups, it is necessary to consult a doctor who will determine its cause and prescribe treatment. With the development of renal failure, a constant or periodic hiccups can also be observed. It is caused by the development of an abscess or tumor in the chest, diaphragm or esophagus. In some people, hiccups occur due to psychological causes; it resembles reactions with transient paralysis in soldiers experiencing fear of combat. In such cases, the hiccup is unconscious and reflects the desire to avoid very unpleasant events. Some individuals suffer from hiccups in the postoperative period, which may be a reaction to pain medications.

What is the cause of this phenomenon?

Despite significant advances in medicine over the many years of its existence, there has not yet been found a reliable treatment for these minor spasms, which cause a person to exorcise indecent sounds like a street child.

Do not worry, there are several ways to solve this problem.

How to get rid of hiccups?

To get rid of hiccups, you need to stop the spasms of the diaphragm and esophagus. This can be done either by distracting attention, or by using breathing techniques. Usually this is enough.

What if the hiccups still fail?

When you do not pass the hiccups, you make great efforts to make it disappear. You are focused on your chest and consciously straining your diaphragm. But, straining and trying to suppress the next attack of hiccups expected by you, you only complicate the situation. Below we recommend you more correct tricks.

• Swallow a small amount of something bitter or sour. When something unusual gets into the digestive system, the spasms usually disappear: try sucking on a piece of lemon.


• Try to suppress hiccups by reflex. Put your finger on the wall of the pharynx as if you were going to induce vomiting. However, in fact, it is not necessary to bring their actions to such an extent. In this way, you can interrupt the established rhythm of hiccups.


• Try to drown out the hiccups with water. If you drink a large glass of water in small sips at a measured pace, you can stop hiccups. In this way, the remnants of food are washed away from the lower part of the pharynx and, possibly, their irritating effect on the nerve passing in this area is eliminated.


• Drink water in an inclined position of the body. The “bottom up” position suggests a completely new approach to the treatment of hiccups. Bend the torso above the sink and begin to drink water from a glass, which is moved as far as possible from you.


• Use the method of sudden startle, for example, frighten the victim of hiccups with a sudden pop of an inflated bag or a loud shout. This can instantly interrupt the spasm.


• Try the folk method with thread. Residents of southern Texas areas of Spanish origin enjoy a popular method of interrupting hiccups using a red thread or a strip of cloth. They are tied around the head of the child in the forehead at the bridge of the nose. Perhaps the child directs his eyes to the thread and thus switches his attention. And this is just what you need to stop hiccups.


• "Sweeten the pill." Sprinkle a little sugar on the back of the tongue and swallow it, you can stir a spoonful of sugar in a small amount of beer and drink this mixture.


• Hold your tongue. Once again, when you will be tormented by hiccups, open your mouth wider, take your tongue, pull it slightly and hold it for a few seconds. This method of treatment of hiccups preferred personal doctor of President Kennedy.


• Make a bet on money - this is a favorite tool of some doctors, which, as they say, has never failed in the case of ordinary hiccups. When someone starts to hiccup, take out the money, put it on the table and make a bet with this person that he or she will not be able to hiccup the next minute. This person will not be able to really hiccup another time without losing a bet.

As soon as you stop trying to interrupt the hiccups, a whole range of other muscles come into play, and the spasms disappear.

In what cases should be examined?

It is necessary to pass an examination in the following cases:

• if hiccups last more than an hour;


• if the attacks of hiccups occur several times a day or several days a week;


• if, apart from hiccups, you have chest pain, heartburn or swallowing problems.

How, then, is the elimination of hiccups?

If you very often experience hiccups or seizures of it for a long time, your doctor may prescribe an X-ray to you after taking a barium mixture in order to detect any obstruction in the esophagus. To eliminate hiccups, which is permanent and not associated with any mechanical obstacle in the esophagus, the doctor may prescribe certain medications, depending on what your disorder is associated with.

An interesting fact is that Charles Osborne of Anton, Iowa, USA, began to hiccup in 1922. He led a normal life, was twice married and had 8 children, and stopped hiccupping in 1990 (Guinness Book of Records).