Hiccups Made Simple: Causes, Cures, and Prevention for All Ages
Hiccups are a common phenomenon that can affect people of all ages, from infants to seniors. It happens when the muscle under your lungs, called the diaphragm, suddenly moves without you wanting it to. This makes air rush into your throat quickly, and your voice box closes with a little “HIC!” sound and can result in repetitive, sometimes noisy, spasms of the chest and abdomen.
Hiccups can feel funny, but they aren’t usually something to worry about. While usually harmless, hiccups can be annoying and occasionally persistent.
Hiccups in babies and children:
Hiccups are normal in babies, especially when they have just had a drink. It doesn't seem to bother them. You will notice that the hiccups will stop on their own after a few minutes.
To help burp the baby, place him in a sitting position and gently pat him on the back.
Kids often get hiccups after eating too fast, laughing a lot, or drinking fizzy drinks. Usually, hiccups go away on their own after a few minutes
Treatment of hiccups (From the best treatment to the worst)
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Swallow a teaspoon of white sugar
Swallowing a spoonful of sugar can help stop hiccups because the grainy texture of the sugar slightly irritates the throat and stimulates the nerves there, especially the vagus nerve, which plays a role in controlling the diaphragm. This stimulation can interrupt the hiccup reflex and reset the nerve signals, causing the hiccups to stop.
In simple terms, when you swallow sugar, it sends a new message to your body that can help your breathing muscles calm down and make the hiccups go away.
- Drink water quickly. Drinking water helps reset your breathing and swallowing patterns, which can interrupt the hiccup reflex and help your diaphragm return to normal.
- Swallow a teaspoon of dry bread or crushed ice (same effect as sugar).
- Gently pull on the tongue. Gently pulling on the tongue stimulates nerves in your throat and mouth, which can disrupt the hiccup reflex and help stop the spasms.
- Causing gagging (for example, by sticking a finger down your throat) stimulates the vagus nerve in your throat, which can interrupt the nerve signals responsible for hiccups and help stop the reflex spasms.
- Gently rub your eyes. Gently rubbing your closed eyes stimulates the vagus nerve, which can help interrupt the hiccup reflex and signal your body to stop the spasms.