The Causes & Cures of Hiccups

Hiccups are the result of an involuntary spasm of your diaphragm, which is a muscle in your chest that moves up and down when we breathe. As your diaphragm tightens, the space between your vocal cords closes, leading to the characteristic "hic" sound.

The hiccup may actually serve a purpose, helping to rid your gut of trapped air and draw swallowed food down toward your stomach. Most people find hiccups to be more annoying than useful. Furthermore, no one knows exactly why hiccups occur.

There are many theories, however, such as helping to prepare an unborn baby for breathing or, as mentioned, clearing air from your stomach. It's even been suggested that hiccups could be related to an ancient gill breathing reflex, for those evolutionists out there.

The causes seem to be sometimes triggered by external factors, such as drinking carbonated beverages, eating too fast or gulping your food, as well as from chewing gum.

However, hiccups are actually an involuntary movement triggered by your autonomic nervous system, which also controls your heartbeat, pupil dilation and other involuntary bodily functions. Virtually everyone gets hiccups from time to time.

Sometimes hiccups occur for seemingly no reason. Other times, you may be able to pinpoint a cause.

Drinking alcohol is another common cause because it may promote acid reflux, irritate your esophagus and irritate your vagus nerve, which runs from your brain to your abdomen. Even a sudden change in temperature can trigger a bout of hiccups. Brain trauma, such as from a stroke, can cause severe hiccups. Cancer treatment, drugs used for Parkinson's disease or for treating psychiatric disorders can also change how your brain functions and cause hiccups.

Hiccups Lasting Longer Than 48 Hours May Be Cause for Concern:

Most cases of hiccups last only a few minutes to a few hours, but in rare cases they may last for days, or even years. Hiccups that last for more than 48 hours are known as persistent hiccups. Those that last for more than one month are called intractable hiccups.

There's even a case of a 60-year-old man hiccupping virtually non-stop, every three seconds, for one year. Hiccups can even persist during sleep.
In a study of one U.S. community hospital from 1995 to 2000, 54 visits out of more than 100,000, were related to hiccups. Most of the hiccup patients were male, over 50 and had other health conditions.

What's the Best Way to Get Rid of Hiccups?

In severe cases, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatments have been used. This is because increasing the air pressure in your throat may help to relieve hiccups, which is why the old adage that holding your breath cures hiccups is sometimes quite true.
Increasing levels of carbon dioxide in your body may also help stop hiccups, which is why people sometimes try breathing into a paper bag for relief.

14 Other reportedly successful hiccup halting strategies that you may, or may not have heard of are:

1. Giving someone "a good scare".
2. Being tickled
3. Drinking water
4. Eating a spoonful of peanut butter or raw almond butter, for those without nut allergies
5. Having someone squeeze your pinky fingernail for 10 seconds
6. Gargling with ice water or sipping cold water
7. Chiropractic adjustments
8. Acupuncture
9. Hypnosis
10. A firm slap on the back
11. Eating a spoonful of sugar
12. Eating a lemon wedge soaked in bitters
13. Blowing up a balloon
14. Sucking on a lollipop

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