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How To Get Rid Of Hiccups Using These Easy Remedies- Causes, Treatment, Prevention
Hiccups are pretty common and every human on this planet has gone through it many times and one common question that keeps floating in our mind while we have hiccups is How to get rid of hiccups as soon as possible. Right? It becomes a bit annoying after few minutes of nonstop hiccups.
While it is commonly observed and felt by many that hiccups do not take hours to go, they usually vanish within few minutes of occurring but they are really annoying to deal with when we are talking or eating something because they constantly interfere.
People have come forward and brought endless lists through which you can get the answer to a popular question that strikes your mind which is how to get rid of hiccups? Some people say if you breathe into a paper bag your hiccups will vanish quickly while some claim that consuming spoonfuls of jaggery or sugar can also help you get rid of hiccups. These sound wired and do they actually work?
Many studies have not stepped forward to prove anything related to many remedies or medicines for hiccups if they occur but many remedies are backed by anecdotal evidence from centuries. Some of these remedies that have proven to be most beneficial include stimulation of phrenic nerves or vagus which are directly connected to the diaphragm in ones’ body.
To understand better the ways on how to get rid of hiccups, it is always important to first find out the causes behind it. Let’s see what happens.
Causes Of Hiccups
You might be familiar with diaphragm relaxation and contractions by now. The hiccups occur when your diaphragm starts spasming involuntarily. The diaphragm is basically a large muscle in our body situated below our lungs. As it is situated below the lungs we can easily make out that it is involved in breathing in and breathing out. When your diaphragm spasms you tend to suddenly inhale air due to which your vocal cord splinters shut causing a distinctive sound.
In most cases, hiccups are not a very huge problem because they only last for few minutes. Many things can cause hiccups to occur including your lifestyle factors. These include:
- Binge-eating your food very quickly
- Consuming carbonated drinks
- Having spicy foods
- Being very excited emotionally
- Taking stress
- Drinking alcohol
- When you are exposed to very quick alterations in the temperature.
How To Prevent Hiccups
Common causes that triggered hiccups in your diaphragm including certain lifestyle factors should be taken care of if you want to prevent occurring hiccups anytime later. If you have noticed that certain behavioral features of yours is causing hiccups, try not to overdo them. Some prevention tricks to keep in mind.
- Take a small amount of food per serving.
- Eat your food slowly.
- Do not eat too spicy if that causes hiccups.
- Consume less alcohol or quit vaping.
- Practice deep breathing and meditation that can not only reduce the chances of hiccups again but can also help you manage stress.
How To Get Rid Of Hiccups
If you are dealing with short bout hiccups that are not going easily. If you anyhow face hiccups for more than 2 days or so, that might be a signal or sign of greater diseases that needs to be cured and taken care of as early as possible. Visit your doctor soon to know what can be the cause behind non-stop hiccups for hours.
Shirt term hiccups? Read the remedies and follow them
Posture And Breathing Related Remedies On How To Get Rid Of Hiccups
- How To Get Rid Of Hiccups Using Measured Breathing: Disrupt or rearrange your respiratory system by practicing measured and slow breathing techniques. You can take a number, for example, breathe in using a count of 5 and then again count 5 and breather out solely. It is highly effective.
- How To Get Rid Of Hiccups By Holding Your Breathe: Take inside or inhale a major gulp of air altogether and then hold your breather for nearly 10 seconds or 20 seconds, and then you may breathe out. Keep repeating the process.
- Breather Inside A paper bag: Take a paper bag and place it over your nose and mouth, now slowly and gently breathe inside and breathe out. The bag should deflate and inflate while you breathe in and breathe out. Always keep in mind to use a paper bag or bag made up of any other material other than plastic.
- Hug Your Knees: Another remedy or trick you may call it that works for many. All you have to do is sit down in a comfortable position and place. After sitting down, bring both legs (Knees) closer to your chest and hold them using your hands. Just sit this in this position from 2 to 4 minutes, and you will see that the hiccups have vanished.
- How To Get Rid Of Hiccups By Compressing The Chest: As we know hiccups are related to unusual spasm in your diaphragm, all you have to do for this to work is bend forward or lean forward for compressing your chest. This will put some pressure on the diaphragm and change its working to normal which will later help you get rid of the hiccups.
- Usage Of Valsalva Maneuver: It is basically a method of breathing that helps in slowing your heart if you feel your heart is beating too fast. To carry out the Valsalva maneuver, all you got to do is try to exhale by keeping the mouth closed along with pinching the nose using fingers. This will help you on how to get rid of hiccups.
How To Get Rid Of Hiccups By Using Pressure Point Of Your Body
Pressure points in your body are certain areas that are more sensitive than other areas and sensitive to any pressure applied. Using your heads to apply pressure on these pressure areas will help you to relax the diaphragm and make it function regularly. It will not only relax the diaphragm but will also stimulate phrenic nerves or vagus present inside the body.
Some pressure points to work on includes:
- Pulling On The Tongue: This is another great remedy and highly beneficial for other problems too. Just pull in your tongue because doing this stimulates muscles and nerves inside the throat. Don’t be harsh, gently hold your tough with the tip of your fingers and pull it out 2 or 3 times and see if the hiccups have stopped.
- Pressure On The Diaphragm: The main organ associated with hiccups as we already know. The location of the diaphragm is situated between the lungs and your abdomen which makes it the organ of separation between these two. With both your hands apply little pressure on the rea where your diaphragm is situated, it is just below where the sternum ends.
- Swallow water by keeping your nose pinched or closed: You may try this remedy out. Just bring a glass of water and drink it keeping your nose closed. It is easy and may help you get rid of hiccups.
- Squeeze the Palm: Use the thumb of one hand to apply pressure mainly in a circular motion on another hands’ palm. Although many remedies do not have any sort of backed-up shreds of evidence, they have worked for many people and helped them on how to get rid of hiccups many times in few minutes.
- Massage The Carotid Artery: Carotid artery is located on both sides of your neck. If you want to find it just check using your hand, it is the place where you will feel the pulse. All you have to do for this is lie down, massage the carotid artery of your right side on the neck, and use a circular motion for massaging. Do it for 10 seconds and you will see the results.
How to Get Rid Of Hiccups By Eating Or drinking
As advised above, eating slowly is important while avoiding eating too much. Also eating and drinking certain food items along with changing the way you consume or intake them may also help you on this question how to get rid of hiccups by stimulating the phrenic nerves of the vagus.
Let us see what are the things to prioritize if you face hiccups:
- Consume Ice Water: Sipping a glass of cold water or chilled water from your refrigerator can also help you get rid of the hiccups. Coldwater may help you by stimulating your phrenic or vagus nerves associated with the diaphargm.
- Drink From Opposite Side: Sounds funny and inappropriate, right? As said earlier many remedies are not proven and work for many, this is one of those remedies. Tip your glass up under the chin to drink water from the opposite or far side.
- How To Get Rid Of Hiccups Using Warm Water: You have to consume warm water slowly without having any impact on your breathing, which means breathing at a normal rate and the way you breathe in general along with consuming warm water slowly.
- Use A Paper Towel Or Cloth To Drink Water: Another remedy to use at home. Just grab a glass of water and a pair of clean and washed cloth. You may also use a paper towel instead of a cloth. Place it on the glass and sip water forming this layer in between.
- How To Get Rid Of Hiccups Using Ice Cube Remedy: Grab an ice cube from the refrigerator and suck on it for few minutes until you see or notice that the hiccups vanished. Once the ice cube shrinks to a very small size, you may swallow it.
- Gargling Ice Water: Use cold water or ice water for the process of gargling. Gargle it for few minutes and then throw it away. You can do it 2 to 3 times as per the hiccups to see if you are having them or not after gargling.
- Eat A Spoonful Of Peanut Butter Or Honey: A remedy you will love to perform. Take regular peanut butter or the one having chocolate and consume it. You can also replace it with honey, based on their presence in the house and your likings. Remember to keep them in your mouth so that they can dissolve before you are swallowing inside.
- Consume Some Amount Of Sugar: You can instantly rush to your kitchen if you see that hiccups are not getting stopped even after few minutes have passed by. Take a pinch of some granulated sugar on the tongue and let the sugar sit on your tongue for 5 seconds or 10 seconds and then you are free to swallow inside.
- Suck On Lemons: Another remedy that has worked amazingly well for people to get rid of hiccups. You can also add a pinch of salt and spread it over the lemon. After you have sucked on the lemon, rinse your mouth using normal water for protecting it from citric acid.
- Use Vinegar: multiple times when asked the question how to get rid of hiccups a vinegar has helped. A drop of vinegar, when placed on the tongue, can also help you with getting rid of hiccups.
Some Other Remedies To Follow On How To Get Rid Of Hiccups
If you do not wish to try the above-given remedies for some reason or have not received any relief by trying a few out of the given, here are some other enduring remedies that you can follow to get rid of hiccups.
- Rub The Neck Back Or Tap On It: If you wish to know how to get rid of hiccups, stimulating your vagus or phrenic nerves is important. Rubbing the skin present on the back of the neck may help in stimulating these nerves.
- Poke Back Of The Throat Using Cotton swab: Gently srub the back portion of the throat using a clean cotton swab until you cough or gag. How will this help? The reflex of your gag may help in stimulating the phrenic nerves.
- Distract Yourself: Hiccups generally go away when you stop giving them too much attention or don’t focus on them. Do anything that engages you completely or something that you love doing, it may be playing video games or watching your favorite series. You can also perform some difficult calculations in your head that will divert the attention and your hiccups will go away within few seconds.
- Talk Something Out Of The Context: If you find someone near you getting troubled by hiccups, you can probably help them by saying something that instantly divers their attention. For example, you may accuse them of doing something they did not do or giving them a surprise. This will instantly distract them and you will see the hiccups vanish within no period of time.
When Do You Need A Professional Help?
Mostly the cases of hiccups vanish completely within few minutes while some take hours to go. If you are having hiccups unusually or regularly for more than 2 days or 48 hours it is time that you should seek expert help. Visit a clinic nearby and get tested by a doctor. Your constant hiccups can be related to some diseases that need to check as soon as possible. These include:
- GERD or Gastroesophageal reflux disease.
- Strokes.
- Multiple sclerosis.
In addition to these, some cases are more severe and stubborn of these hiccups. You might even get prescriptions for certain medications to consume. These are to be followed by visiting a doctor and the prescriptions for everyone differ. Some medicines prescribed by the doctor based on certain tests and questions asked to the person are:
- Reglan or Metoclopramide.
- Chrolopromazine or throazine
- Backlofen or Fablofen.
