We all remember those embarrassing moments caused by getting hiccups in a public place. While hiccups are nothing more than just another biological phenomenon that occurs, we often become irritated and frustrated because of them. Here, we will help you learn more about hiccups and then talk about some easy home remedies you can use to quickly get rid of them and be on your way.
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What causes hiccups?
First of all, you need to be familiar with what exactly hiccups are and what causes them.
The involuntary spasms created in the respiratory organs and diaphragm cause hiccups. A sudden gulping sound, the hiccup, occurs when the glottis closes. It is a common occurrence and does not pose any threat to one’s health.
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Hiccups can also result from other conditions such as swallowing air too quickly, excessive eating and drinking, chewing gum, strokes, brain tumors, medications, anxiety, stress, and damage to the phrenic nerve. In babies, they are associated with coughing, crying, and gastroesophageal reflux.
Although hiccups last for a short period of time, they can still be very irritating. However, when they continue for more than three hours, are chronic and frequent, affecting your sleeping pattern, cause reflux, vomiting, and occur with abdominal pain and fever, it is advised that you consult a doctor as soon as possible. Furthermore, there are a few home remedies that you can try to get your hiccups under control quickly. These include holding your breath, drinking water slowly, having someone surprise you, smelling salts, and others. For most people, hiccups stop after some time with no side effects.
Symptoms of hiccups
Hiccups are brief spasms created in the diaphragm that occurs in second or minute-long intervals. In a few individuals, they last longer with reduced frequency and have no underlying medical problems.
Which doctor treats hiccups?
As hiccups are rarely an emergency, you are likely to see your family physican or pediatrician. You are likely to see a doctor from the emergency department in a hospital when you face an emergency. Other specialists who are eligible to treat hiccups are an otolaryngologist, a gastroenterologist, a neurologist, or a pulmonologist.
When should you seek medical care?
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Usually, hiccups last for a few minutes and then settle down naturally. If they become chronic and persistent, you should talk to a doctor to find the reason behind the continuous hiccups. You should also see the expert when you have a change in your sleeping pattern, interference with eating, and when you have to vomit.
What is the cause of hiccups?
Diagnosis of hiccups is only necessary when the symptom is the result of or associated with a particular medical condition. The test to determine the reason depends on the individual and the related medical condition.
How to get rid of hiccups
There is a collection of home remedies and other solutions to get rid of hiccups. They include holding your breath and drinking a glass of water, and exhaling and inhaling air very slowly. The common remedy by performing these actions is that carbon dioxide builds up in the blood, which stimulates the vagus nerve. The stimulation stops the hiccups instantly. In any case, you do not have to approach a doctor for assistance. You will have to seek medical care only when hiccups continue to persist for longer than two days.
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What home remedies get rid of hiccups?
Several home remedies can stops hiccups. The best and easiest remedy is to simply hold your breath. The nerve travels from the brain to the stomach, and stimulating it relieves hiccups. The other possible effective home remedies for hiccups include:
- Holding your breath
- Drinking water quickly
- Allowing someone to surprise you
- Smelling salts
- Asking someone to pull your on your tongue
- Placing one teaspoon of sugar at the back of your tongue
Apart from these quick home remedies for hiccups, you can also use some common kitchen ingredients to help cure them quickly and with no side effects.
1. Spicy sauce
Gulping down a teaspoon of spicy sauce provides immediate relief from hiccups. The spice content in the sauce creates an irritation to the taste buds, thus diverting the brain’s concentration to your hot tongue rather than the spasms produced in your diaphragm.
2. Teaspoon of honey
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Honey provides a soothing effect for your throat. For effective results, prepare a solution of honey and water. Prepare the solution by combining one teaspoon of honey in a glass of water. Honey is a powerful ingredient with properties that act against the spasms created in the abdominal area. The qualities present in the honey tickle the vagus nerve that puts the hiccups to an end.
3. Cocoa powder
Cocoa powder is often used in baking. Apart from this, it is also helpful in curing hiccups immediately. The properties of the powder are able to alleviate the vagus nerve, which in turn calms the spasms created in the diaphragm.
4. Pulling the tongue out
Pulling out your tongue will stimulate the vagus nerve, which starts from the brain and ends in the stomach, putting an end to your hiccups immediately. You have to pull your tongue out with good force so that the action eases the spasms and helps in settling down the hiccups.
5. Sweets
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Sugar, which is a readily available ingredient in the kitchen, is capable of halting hiccups instantly. The reason behind this is the grainy structure of the sugar, which helps in creating an irritation in the esophagus. Gulping down one teaspoon of sugar works instantly, and is the most efficient and safest home remedy.
6. Tangy foods
Tangy foods also provide an instant cure to hiccups. You can suck on a piece of lemon or consume a teaspoon of vinegar to stop those hiccups instantly. The reason behind this remedy is due to the sour nature of these ingredients, which is capable of stimulating the vagus nerve.
7. Peanut butter
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You can either consume peanut butter or chew peanuts to stop the hiccups. Chewing peanuts helps interrupt the breathing pattern. Due to this, the brain focuses more on controlling your breathing rather than the spasms created in the diaphragm.
8. Pungent smells
It can be nasty, but works effectively in stopping those hiccups instantly. Sniffing any ingredient with pungent smell will help stop your hiccups. Both black and white vinegar are effective options to help you get rid of hiccups in no time.
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9. Tongue trick
This tongue trick works effectively against hiccups. You have to begin the process by massaging the roof of the mouth with the tip of your tongue. With this activity, you are actually stimulating the vagus nerve and putting an end to the hiccups. You can experiment with this trick when you have sudden hiccups.
10. Coughing
Coughing is also a great remedy to stop your hiccups. It is also the smartest way. Coughing causes contractions in the diaphragm, which in turn interrupts the spasms in the abdominal region. Due to this, your hiccups will be halted.
There you have it. All the effective home remedies for hiccups. So the next time you have a sudden case of hiccups, try one of these remedies and see how effective they are!
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