10 best ways to get rid of the hiccups

These remedies can help you kiss hiccups goodbye – but one may be a shock to the system (don’t say we didn’t warn you …).

The recent launch of a specially made straw designed to relieve the hiccups got us thinking about this annoying and very common condition.

Guaranteed to hit just as you arrive on a first date or to salary negotiations with your boss, there are a multitude of home remedies on offer to banish hiccups.

But first, let’s address the cause of them.

What causes hiccups?

“The root cause of hiccups? We have no idea,” University of Newcastle School of Medicine and Public Health lecturer Emma Beckett says.

“Because hiccups are spontaneous, they’re really hard to study.

“But essentially, they’re simply involuntary spasms of the diaphragm muscle.

“When the muscle spasms, the vocal cords snap shut, producing the ‘hiccup’ sound.”

Are there common hiccup triggers?

The experts say yes there are, although no one really knows what makes you hiccup.

“For some people, chest infections and bronchitis, acid reflux, excitement and even stress can bring on the hiccups,” Dr Joe Kosterich says.

Emma says triggers can also include eating or drinking too fast, particularly fizzy drinks, or sudden changes in temperature.

“They’re normally over quickly but some nervous system or brain disorders can trigger long-term hiccups. The record is over 60 years,” she says.

We. Can’t. Deal.

How to flick the hiccups

Because hiccups are spontaneous, it’s hard to tell if a remedy actually works or is just a distraction until they go away on their own, Emma says.

“I’ve heard eating peanut butter, drinking pickle juice, ice packs on the abdomen, and once my partner had hectic hiccups and a taxi driver gave them an antacid and they stopped immediately,” she laughs.

“No actual evidence any of these work though.”

But here are 10 hiccup remedies worth trying:

1. Pull on your tongue

Some people swear by this, as it is supposed to stimulate the nerves and muscles in your throat.

2. Eat some sugar

Let a pinch of granulated sugar sit on your tongue for five to 10 seconds, then swallow.

“Like pulling on your tongue, probably a distraction,” Emma says. “But worth a try.”

3. Breathe into a paper bag

Pop a paper lunch bag over your mouth and nose and slowly breathe in and out, deflating and inflating the bag.

“If someone is stressed, breathing too fast and has the hiccups, this may help,” Dr Joe says.

4. Drink from the opposite side of the glass

Fill a glass with water and then tip the glass up under your chin to drink from the far side. Has always worked for this writer.

5. Rectal massage

Don’t say we didn’t warn you. A study out of Israel found a man with ongoing hiccups found immediate relief after a rectal massage.

6. Have an orgasm

Another study found that a man with the hiccups lasting four days lost them immediately after having an orgasm. Food for thought.

7. Bite on a lemon

Yes, you can slice it, and some people add salt. No, not tequila.

Don’t forget to rinse out your mouth with water to protect your teeth from the citric acid.

8. Squeeze your nose while swallowing water

One you can do all on your own. Preferably all on your own.

9. Suck on an ice cube

If you don’t have an ice cube handy, slowly sip iced water. Repeat, not tequila.

10. Have someone frighten you

We know, tricky, because in lining someone up to do this, you’re expecting the fright.

“If you do have a scare you take in a big breath and this may reset the diaphragm,” Dr Joe says.

“Even if it doesn’t work, it’ll certainly take your mind off things.”

And that, peeps, might be just the ticket.

Written by Liz McGrath.

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