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Hiccups are the result of irritation of the vagus nerve, which passes from the brain to the abdominal cavity, innervating (penetrating with nerves and providing communication with the central nervous system) the muscles of the larynx, soft palate, pharynx, heart, lungs, esophagus, diaphragm, stomach. As a result, the muscles of the diaphragm contract sharply, followed by the muscles of the larynx, because of this, the vocal cords close, making an unpleasant sound. Sometimes this condition happens to everyone, but hiccups in a drunk person have their own differences.
Causes and danger of drunken hiccups
There are several varieties of drunken hiccups that differ from each other in the cause of irritation of the vagus nerve:
- toxic. If a person abuses alcohol, over time, the liver ceases to cope with the neutralization of toxins. It increases in volume and presses on the diaphragm;
- central, starting due to irritation of nerve endings in the brain stem (due to alcoholic encephalopathy or a tumor);
- peripheral – a consequence of the effects of toxins on the peripheral nervous system, due to which alcoholic polyneuritis develops;
- reflected, arising from diseases of any organ along the vagus nerve (stomach, intestines, liver). The cause may be gastritis, enterocolitis, hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver.
Thus, the occurrence of drunken hiccups is always a signal of a disease. Sometimes it precedes a microinfarction. It is especially dangerous that others consider the patient’s poor health to be the result of intoxication and do not even assume the presence of a heart problem until it is too late.
If hiccups begin when pieces of food are in the esophagus, a person may choke, cough heavily. Hiccups can provoke vomiting. If a hiccuping person is conscious, it is not so scary. But if the hiccups begin in a dream, a drunk person may suffocate due to vomit.
Prolonged incessant hiccups in a drunk person is often accompanied by fecal and urinary incontinence.
Fighting drunk hiccups
The intensity and duration of hiccups are individual. If a person is only slightly drunk, and hiccups last only a few minutes, then getting rid of it is relatively easy using one of the popular methods:
- take a deep breath and hold it longer, mentally counting to at least 10. Then exhale as slowly as possible. Repeat the procedure several times;
- exhale into a plastic bag, and then slowly inhale from the same bag. Repeat 5-6 times. Inhaling air from a bag, a person saturates the body with carbon dioxide, which is useful for hiccups;
- get out of the room and get some fresh air;
- if hiccups began when a person chewed and swallowed food, it is necessary to spit out what is left in the mouth into a napkin. Then you should very slowly chew a piece of brown bread crust and swallow it in several passes. The crumbs will clean the walls of the esophagus from pieces of food that irritate them;
- slowly, in small sips, drink a glass of non-carbonated water at room temperature (you can’t drink carbonated drinks with hiccups). Peppermint tea and boiled milk also help well;
- in small sips drink a glass of cabbage or cucumber pickle;
- put something with a sharp taste in your mouth: a slice of lemon, a piece of black bread, spread with mustard or horseradish, and chew slowly;
- put an ice floe in your mouth and wait until it dissolves;
- with prolonged hiccups, put the drinker to bed and put a cold compress on the stomach. Change compresses every 5-10 minutes for an hour. Always be nearby and make sure that the hiccuping person does not choke;
- artificially induce vomiting (press on the root of the tongue with two fingers or a teaspoon handle, tickle with a feather).
After the hiccups have passed, it is better not to drink alcohol for the rest of the evening.
What not to do if a hiccuping person is drunk
To get rid of hiccups in a drunk person, in no case should you frighten him: the nervous reactions of the drunk are unpredictable, and a sudden fright can cause fainting, a heart attack, or even a microinfarction.
Often there are tips to perform physical exercises: bend over and drink liquid in this position. But even for a slightly drunk, such an exercise is not safe: with impaired coordination of movements, it is easy to break a glass or even fall. Therefore, all physical exercises, except for the usual walk, it is better to postpone the next day, when the hops disappear.
Medical help for drunken hiccups
Drunken hiccups are not as harmless as they seem: in addition to the fact that a person makes unpleasant sounds, causing the hostility of others, his body is constantly tense and shaking, which causes the vessels to experience additional stress. It is better not to leave a hiccuping drunk person alone until the hiccups pass.
If a drunk hiccups in a dream, you need to try to wake him up, or at least make sure that he does not start vomiting. If the hiccups last more than 12 hours, it is best to see a doctor.
Physicians in such cases prescribe neuroleptic, enzymatic drugs or antidepressants. But after getting rid of hiccups, additional examinations will probably be needed: it is necessary to find out the reasons for such a prolonged hiccups. Most likely, the patient will have diseases of the stomach, liver, or cardiovascular system, and may need to undergo treatment for alcoholism.
Attention! Self-medication can be dangerous, consult your doctor.