Hiccups are common and usually go away on their own within a few minutes, but sometimes they can be uncomfortable and interfere with eating and communication. Refer to the most popular and effective how to get rid of hiccups through the following article.
1. Causes of hiccups
Here are many causes of hiccups
- Stomach is stretched: After eating, drinking carbonated water causes the stomach to expand quickly, creating short hiccups, lasting no more than 48 hours.
- Changes in temperature: Sudden changes in temperature produce hiccups. The mechanism that causes heat-induced hiccups is still unclear.
- Stress: As with temperature changes, a link between stress and hiccups has not been found.
- Surgery: After surgery on the chest and abdomen. The vagus nerve and the phrenic nerve are stimulated, causing hiccups.
2. How to get rid of hiccups quickly
There are many effective ways to get rid of hiccups quickly that you can apply when this condition occurs.
Cover your ears to cure hiccups
This is one of the simplest ways to get rid of hiccups, when covering the ears with two index fingers with moderate force. After about 3 minutes, the hiccups will disappear, you can combine drinking a few sips of cold water to increase the effect.
The mechanism of this way to get rid of hiccups is to stimulate the vagus nerve, thereby stopping the hiccups.
Take a deep breath
If hiccups occur while you’re at an important event or out on the street, stay calm and take a few deep breaths. With that, push your focus to a certain thought, continue to take a breath, inhale deeply and hold the air in your lungs for 10-15 seconds. Then exhale forcefully, repeat this movement a few times.
This will work to stretch the diaphragm, prevent the sudden contraction of this muscle and from there the hiccups will also disappear.
Drink water to cure hiccups
Surely a lot of people have known this ways to get rid of hiccups, you drink a lot but swallow small sips continuously. In this way, drinking water creates a regular rhythm of esophageal contractions, compressing and preventing sudden contractions of the diaphragm. However, this method may not work right away and you have to try many times to get rid of hiccups completely.
Along with drinking water, you use two fingers to apply pressure to the posterior cervical artery with increasing intensity. When you feel an immediate relief of pressure, lean forward and drink water. This will help compress the recurrent nerve, thereby reducing diaphragmatic spasms.
Use ice to cure hiccups
Holding an ice cube is an effective ways to get rid of hiccups that many people apply. The cold temperature of that water when you swallow it will calm the irritated nerves, thereby reducing the sudden spasm of the diaphragm.
You can ask someone else to rub ice on your face suddenly to get you to stop hiccups more quickly. If the ice cube is too cold, wrap it in a thin cloth before applying it to the face.
Cure hiccups with sugar
This folk remedy for hiccups with sugar is applied by many mothers to young children because of the pleasant sweetness that children love, reducing focus on hiccups. Besides, the sweetness of sugar will stimulate the lining of the pharynx, thereby interrupting nerve impulses to eliminate hiccups.
If you don’t have sugar, you can substitute with a tablespoon of vinegar, honey or chew dry bread for the same effect.
Sudden fear reaction makes hiccups go away
Although it’s hard to believe, reacting to fear is a quick-acting ways to get rid of hiccups. You just need a horror movie, fast action or an unexpected situation to distract you, the hiccups will also disappear without a trace.
You can ask people around you to tell a story or direct your attention to another event, the hiccups will also go away quickly. This method is applied by many people and gives good results, even in cases of prolonged hiccups and failures with other methods.
3. Beware of prolonged hiccups
Physiological hiccups will be easily overcome with the above simple measures, but if you have applied all but the hiccups continue to occur, it should be noted. In some cases, the cause of prolonged hiccups is damage to the nerve connecting the diaphragm due to: trauma, sore throat, goiter, cyst in the neck, …
Sometimes prolonged hiccups are caused by diseases such as encephalitis, meningitis, diabetes, kidney failure or taking sedatives, etc. In case of prolonged and irreversible hiccups with the above measures, see a doctor soon to find out the cause. Especially when hiccups are accompanied by unusual symptoms such as vomiting, difficulty breathing, fever, stomach pain, etc.
Hope the above information helps you know how to get rid of hiccups when experiencing this physiological phenomenon. Share this useful knowledge with your friends and everyone around!
