Hiccup Causes and Treatments

Is there anything more annoying than getting the hiccups? You have no control of them. Once they start; they do not want to stop. They are embarrassing. And as stated before, plain annoying. But what really causes one to get the hiccups and how can they be treated?

Normally, our diaphragm muscle (the small muscle that separates our stomach from our chest) will move up and down as we breathe. When we have a hiccup the diaphragm begins to contract. This action is like a muscle spasm. As the muscle contracts, the opening between our vocal cords closes. This causes air to become trap between the openings, which makes the sound we know as a hiccup.

What can cause hiccups?

Eating to fast
Eating spicy foods
Eating or drinking a very hot or cold food or beverage
Heartburn
Smoking
Stretching one's neck to much
Irritation within the eardrum
Bloating
Drinking too much alcohol
Laryngitis
Taking a cold shower
Entering a very cold or warm room
Excitement
Stress

The good news is that hiccups are generally short lived and are a minor annoyance. Yet, when they do develop we do wish to get rid of them as quickly as we can. These methods may work:

Holding one's nose while drinking some water
Breathing into a paper bag
Taking a spoonful of sugar
Making yourself sneeze
Having someone startle (frighten) you
Holding your breath for the count of 10
Gargling
Drinking a glass of pineapple juice
Drinking a cold glass of ice water

The best-known treatment for a common hiccup with no underlying cause is to just gently pull on your tongue.

If a bout of hiccups lasts hours for several seek medical advice because it could be an indicator of an underlying problem. If you seek medical advice, you may be prescribed one of the following medications: cholorpromazine (Thorazine), baclofen (Lioresal), haloperidol (Haldol) or nifediphine (Procardia). These medications are known to help calm the nerves in the diaphragm that causes the spasms.

You should also immediately seek medical help if you have chest pain or abdominal pain in between episodes of hiccups. By immediately, this means you should dial your local 9-1-1 or call your doctor's office.