Hiccups
How to stop hiccups instantly at home! Do you want to know how to get rid of hiccups fast, how to get rid of a baby’s hiccups, how to get rid of hiccups for adults, baby hiccups, infant hiccups or kids you call it? Okay, In this article, you will learn the best 15 ways to get rid of hiccups fast at home or anywhere you are. The next time you’re struck with a bad case of the hiccups, reach for these old-school remedies.
What are hiccups
Hiccups are involuntary spasms of the diaphragm, usually short-lived and not a sign of something serious. Almost everyone has had hiccups at one time or another. While hiccups usually go away on their own within a few minutes, they can be annoying and interfere with eating and talking.
Have you ever noticed how hiccups always seem to occur at the worst time? You may be at a quiet theater or getting comfortable in the dentist’s chair when all of a sudden, you are overcome with an uncontrollable diaphragm spasm that you are powerless to stop.
People have come up with an endless list of tricks to get rid of them, from breathing into a paper bag to eating a spoonful of sugar. But which remedies actually work? Read 4 Mind Blowing Facts about Hiccups
There aren’t many studies that evaluate the effectiveness of different hiccup remedies. However, many of them are backed by centuries of anecdotal evidence. In addition, some of the most popular remedies actually stimulate your vagus or phrenic nerves, which are connected to your diaphragm.
What causes hiccups?
Causes of hiccups: Hiccups happen when your diaphragm begins to spasm involuntarily. Your diaphragm is a large muscle that helps you breathe in and out. When it spasms, you inhale suddenly and your vocal cords snap shut, which causes a distinctive sound.
In most cases, they come and go quickly. Lifestyle factors that may cause hiccups include.
- Eating too much or too quickly
- Carbonated drinks
- Spicy foods
- Being stressed or emotionally excited
- Drinking alcohol
- Being exposed to quick changes in temperature
See 7 Health Issues that Might Lead to Chronic Hiccups
How to Get Rid of Hiccups
Find out how to get rid of hiccups with these time-tested home remedies. There are 15 potential hiccup cures in total, so if the first one doesn’t work, simply move on to the next!
1. Cover your mouth
Try cupping your hands over your nose and mouth, but continue breathing normally. The extra dose of carbon dioxide should help you get rid of hiccups.
2. Use your hands
Try pressing the palm of your hand with the thumb of your other hand—the harder, the better. Alternatively, you can squeeze the ball of your left thumb between the thumb and forefinger of the right. The discomfort is a distraction that affects your nervous system and may get rid of hiccups.
3. Massage your neck
If targeting those pressure points on your hands doesn’t work, try massaging or rubbing the carotid arteries on the right and left sides of your neck.
4. Hold your breath
The next time you’ve got hiccups, take a deep breath and hold it for 10 seconds. When there’s a build-up of carbon dioxide in your lungs, your diaphragm relaxes.
5. Stick out your tongue
When no one’s watching, stick out your tongue. This exercise is done by singers and actors because it stimulates the opening between the vocal cords (the glottis). You breathe more smoothly, quelling the spasms that cause hiccups. According to Harvard Medical School, this home remedy may be even more effective if you gently pull on your tongue!
6. Plug your ears
The next time you get hiccups, stick your fingers in your ears for 20 to 30 seconds. Alternatively, you can press the soft areas behind your earlobes, just below the base of the skull. This sends a “relax” signal through the vagus nerve, which connects to the diaphragm.
7. Drink some water
Take nine or 10 quick sips in a row from a glass of water. When you’re gulping a drink, rhythmic contractions of the esophagus override spasms of the diaphragm. If this doesn’t work, place a single layer of paper towel over the top of a glass, then drink through the towel. You’ll have to “pull” even harder with your diaphragm to suck up the water. See 7 Best Times to Drink Water & Boost your Overall Health
8. Combine the previous two strategies
If you can block your ears while you drink the water, all the better. Stick your fingers in your ears and sip though a straw. You’re pressing on the vagus nerve while also getting the benefits of steady swallowing. In Canadian Family Physician journal, an emergency room doctor shared anecdotal evidence suggesting that this natural remedy often works.
9. Swallow something sweet
A spoonful of sugar is a popular hiccup cure, and here’s why that might be: It’s believed that the graininess could stimulate the vagus nerve, interfering with the hiccup reflex, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine.
10. Swallow something sour
A 2015 case report on persistent hiccups found that sour compounds, like those found in vinegar, relieve hiccups. A little might go a long way, so try just a drop or teaspoonful of vinegar on your tongue.
11. Take a hit of hot sauce
This probably works because the heat and burn are distracting enough to turn your body’s focus on the burn, instead of the hiccup process. A word of warning, however: In some cases, hot sauce has actually been found to trigger hiccups!
12. Chew up some dill
Drinking dill pickle juice may also do the trick, according to an old case report in the British Medical Journal: A patient who had stubborn hiccups after surgery only responded to one of the doctors remedies: Pickle juice.
13. Breathe into a paper bag
The next time you get hiccups, breathe slowly and deeply into a small paper bag. (Stop if you feel light-headed.) This could increase the carbon dioxide level in the blood and make the diaphragm contract more deeply to bring in more oxygen. Although this remedy is scientifically unproven, it might provide relief, according to Mayo Clinic.
14. Hug your knees
Sit comfortably before bringing your knees to your chest and keep them there for two minutes. Pulling your knees in compresses your chest and could help stop diaphragm spasms, per University of California Berkeley.
15. Suck on a lemon
Biting or sucking on a lemon wedge is another popular hiccup remedy. If you have them handy, soak the lemon wedge in non-alcoholic bitters first. According to a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine, this treatment cured 14 out of 16 people with hiccups, Best Health reports.
How to get rid of hiccups pressure point
Pressure points are areas of your body that are particularly sensitive to pressure. Applying pressure to these points with your hands may help to relax your diaphragm or stimulate your vagus or phrenic nerves.
- Pull on your tongue. Pulling on your tongue stimulates the nerves and muscles in your throat. Grab the tip of your tongue and gently pull it forward once or twice.
- Press on your diaphragm. Your diaphragm separates your abdomen from your lungs. Use your hand to apply pressure to the area just below the end of your sternum.
- Squeeze your nose closed while swallowing water.
- Squeeze your palm. Use your thumb to apply pressure to the palm of your other hand.
- Massage your carotid artery. You have a carotid artery on both sides of your neck. It’s what you feel when you check your pulse by touching your neck. Lie down, turn your head to the left, and massage the artery on the right side in a circular motion for 5 to 10 seconds.
Things to eat or drink
Eating certain things or changing the way you drink may also help to stimulate your vagus or phrenic nerves.
- Drink ice water. Sipping cold water slowly may help stimulate the vagus nerve.
- Drink from the opposite side of the glass. Tip the glass up under your chin to drink from the far side.
- Slowly drink a glass of warm water without stopping to breathe.
- Drink water through a cloth or paper towel. Cover a glass of cold water with a cloth or paper towel and sip through it.
- Suck on an ice cube. Suck on the ice cube for a few minutes, then swallow it once it shrinks to a reasonable size. See 7 Reasons Why Ice Eating Should Be Avoided
- Gargle ice water. Gargle ice water for 30 seconds. Repeat as necessary.
- Eat a spoonful of honey or peanut butter. Allow it to dissolve in your mouth a bit before swallowing.
- Eat some sugar. Put a pinch of granulated sugar on your tongue and let it sit there for 5 to 10 seconds, then swallow.
- Suck on a lemon. Some people add a bit of salt to their lemon slice. Rinse out your mouth with water to protect your teeth from the citric acid. See 7 Benefits of Lemon Water and Side Effects
- Put a drop of vinegar on your tongue. See 7 Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits that will Blow your Mind
Unusual but proven adult methods
How to get rid of hiccups for adults: You might not be familiar with these methods, but both are backed by scientific case studies.
- Have an orgasm. There’s an old case involving a man whose hiccups lasted for four days. They immediately went away after he had an orgasm. See How to Increase Female Sex Drive – 20 Foods & Herbs
- Perform a rectal massage. Another case reports that a man with ongoing hiccups found immediate relief after a rectal massage. Using a rubber glove and plenty of lubricants, insert a finger into the rectum and massage.
Other remedies
Here are a few other enduring remedies you can try.
- Tap or rub the back of your neck. Rubbing the skin at the back of your neck may stimulate your phrenic nerve.
- Poke the back of your throat with a cotton swab. Gently swab the back of your throat with a cotton swab until you gag or cough. Your gag reflex may stimulate the vagal nerve.
- Distract yourself with something engaging. Hiccups often go away on their own when you stop focusing on them. Play a video game, fill in a crossword puzzle, or do some calculations in your head.
When to see a doctor
Most cases of the hiccups go away within a few minutes or hours. If you regularly get hiccups or have hiccups that last for more than two days, talk with your doctor. Your hiccups could be a sign of an underlying condition, such as:
- Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD)
- Stroke
- Multiple sclerosis
In addition, some cases of hiccups are more stubborn than others. When this happens, your doctor might prescribe medication to help them stop. Common medications for chronic hiccups include:
- Baclofen (Gablofen)
- Chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
- Metoclopramide (Reglan)
How to prevent hiccups
Common cases of hiccups that are triggered by lifestyle factors can usually be prevented by making some changes in your habits. If you notice certain behaviors are causing your hiccups, here are some things to try:
- Eat smaller amounts per serving
- Eeat slower.
- Avoid spicy foods
- Drink less alcohol
- Avoid carbonated drinks
- Practice relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or meditation to reduce stress.