How to get rid of hiccups in adults at home

Medically, hiccups are a sudden contraction of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles. This spasm against the background of a closed larynx causes the sound of hiccups and slight twitching of the body.

Science has not offered a single reliable cause of hiccups, but there are hypotheses:

• drank something carbonated, and gas bubbles irritate the muscles and nerves;
• drank too much alcohol;
• smoked;
• inhaled too much air – when we exhale more than we inhale, the level of carbon dioxide decreases, which disrupts the breathing pattern, and this can cause hiccups;
• ate too much and too fast;
• ate something hot or cold – hiccups can be caused by a change in body temperature.

Hiccups can also be provoked by fear, stress, anxiety, or excitement.

People with chronic or frequent hiccups may also have a number of health problems – respiratory diseases such as asthma or pneumonia, gastrointestinal diseases.

Hiccups can also be triggered by certain medications.

There are many folk remedies that are claimed to work for hiccups, but most of them have no scientific basis. For example, to scare a hiccup, stand upside down, chew a lemon. Yes, sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. And there is no way to prove that they are effective for all people.

Meanwhile, there are several remedies that, according to doctors, really work.

Breathe in, breathe in and breathe out

Take a long deep breath and hold your breath for 10 seconds. Then take another small breath and hold for another 5 seconds. And then exhale slowly.

This remedy is recommended by many doctors. The point is to increase the level of carbon dioxide, relax the diaphragm and airways.

Bend over and drink some water

Another great way to get rid of hiccups is to bend over at the waist and drink water from a cup on the floor through a straw. This is known to help relax the diaphragm and stop hiccups. Make sure you do it carefully. It is believed to be one of the best ways to stop hiccups and prevent them from coming back.

Swallow water quickly or drink it through a towel

Take 10 quick sips of water in a row. When you swallow, the rhythmic contractions of the esophagus overcome the spasms of the diaphragm. If that doesn’t work, cover the glass with a paper towel and drink through the towel. You will have to “pull” the diaphragm even further to draw in the water.

Bring your knees to your chest

When you have hiccups, you need to calm your diaphragm, and one of the easiest ways to do this is to bring your knees to your chest. Hold them for a while until the hiccups stop.

Cover your mouth and nose

Try to press your palms to your nose and mouth, but continue to breathe normally. The extra dose of carbon dioxide should help you get rid of the hiccups.

Stick out your tongue

If no one is watching, stick out your tongue. This exercise is performed by singers and actors because it stimulates the formation of a gap between the vocal cords. You will begin to breathe smoothly, which will relieve the spasms that cause hiccups.

plug your ears

The next time you hiccup, put your fingers in your ears for 20 to 30 seconds. Alternatively, you can press on the soft areas behind the earlobes, just below the base of the skull. This sends a signal to “relax” through the vagus nerve, which connects to the diaphragm.

If you can cover your ears and drink water at the same time, even better. Put your fingers in your ears and drink through a straw. This option puts pressure on the vagus nerve but still benefits from constant swallowing – this is one of the most effective home remedies for hiccups.

Press firmly on the palms or finger

Try to press the palm with the thumb of the other hand – the harder, the better. Alternatively, you can pinch the pad of your left thumb between your right thumb and forefinger.

It would seem, what is the connection? And everything is very simple – these actions will cause you discomfort or even slight pain. The nervous system will be distracted from the diaphragm, switched to a new source of disorder, and the hiccups will stop.

Massage your neck

This is one of the weirdest ways to get rid of hiccups, but it works too. Try massaging or rubbing the carotid arteries on the right and left sides of your neck to get rid of hiccups.

Breathe into a paper bag

The next time you have a hiccup, breathe slowly and deeply into a small paper bag. This will increase the level of carbon dioxide in the blood and cause the diaphragm to contract more deeply to deliver more oxygen.

Stop if you feel dizzy.

Eat a green olive

Although it sounds strange, it works quite effectively. Every time you have a hiccup, eat green olives. Some foods really help stop hiccups. Green olives are one of them.

Lick the peanut butter

A large spoonful of peanut butter is a classic remedy for hiccups. It works like this: msalo will stick to your teeth, you will automatically start to remove it with your tongue, while swallowing and breathing will begin to be interrupted. And the hiccups will pass.

Chew dill seeds

Slowly chew a teaspoon of dill seeds. This traditional remedy may work because ingestion of the seeds stimulates the vagus nerve, resulting in less hiccups.

Popular questions and answers

We asked a series of questions about hiccups gastroenterologist Marat Zinnatullin.