Hiccups are short involuntary contractions of the diaphragm.
As the muscle contracts, the opening between the vocal cords closes to stop the flow of air, which produces a characteristic sound.
Hiccups are not dangerous and most often short-lived (10-15 minutes), but annoying in some ways, so there are many ways to deal with it.
Some are scientifically understandable, others are very strange.
Hiccup - where is she from?
Hiccups cause irritation of the nerves that extend from the neck to the chest. Hiccups are thought to be a reflex for protection against suffocation.
Her reasons:
1. Hasty food. A person can swallow air with food, which causes hiccups.
2. Smoking or chewing gum. It can also cause a person to swallow air.
3. Too much food (especially fatty) or liquid (soda, alcohol, mineral water with gas). The stomach is stretched and irritates the diaphragm.
4. Stroke or brain tumor, some chronic somatic diseases (for example, renal failure); head injuries, meningitis, encephalitis.
5. Violation of the vagus or phrenic nerve.
6. Liver problems, including swelling, infections, or lesions, can cause diaphragm irritation.
7. Some medications can cause acid to escape from the stomach, leading to hiccups. Most benzodiazepines, including diazepam, alprazolam and lorazepam, as well as barbiturates, opioid analgesics, corticosteroids, anesthesia or chemotherapy drugs can cause it.
8. A child under one year old can hiccup due to crying or coughing. Sometimes children with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may be prone to hiccups.
9. Anxiety and stress.
Hiccup is rarely a cause for concern, but if it becomes frequent and persistent (lasting more than 3 hours), if it interferes with sleep, nutrition, causes belching or vomiting, is accompanied by abdominal pain, shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, you need to seek medical help.
How to get rid of hiccups quickly: traditional methods
There are many ways most people know how to quickly get rid of hiccups, but they are mainly based on personal experience. Their effectiveness is not confirmed by any scientific research.
1. Methods based on breath control:
- hold your breath, breathe very quickly, deeply or breathe in a paper bag;
- raise your hands up and breathe deeply;
- cause sneezing (for example, smelling pepper);
- use a special technique - Valsalva's technique: take a deep breath, and then, holding the air inside, tighten the muscles for 10-15 seconds;
- pull the knees to the chest, lean forward and push the chest.
2. Drinking as a method of stopping hiccups:
- you need to pinch your nose and plug your ears, and then drink a few sips of water. Naturally, to do this alone is problematic;
- Tilt your head back, inhale and count to ten, then exhale sharply and drink water;
- drink ice water or gnaw ice.
3. To stop hiccuping, some are advised to eat something, for example:
- eat a spoonful of sugar;
- bite a lemon or something no less sour;
- try mustard, pepper or something hot;
- slowly eat a piece of stale bread.
All of these methods are ultimately based on a change in breathing. This is necessary in order to make the brain forget about the irritation of the nerve endings of the diaphragm.
4. Another group of methods is a diverse stimulation of the tongue and nasopharynx:
- massage the sky with your thumb;
- grab your fingers with your tongue and gently pull it;
- touch the root of the tongue (carefully, this can cause a gag reflex);
- quickly and loudly say a tongue twister several times: "Hiccups, hiccups, go to Fedot, from Fedot to Jacob, from Jacob to everyone!"
5. Distractions based on mild pain:
- tingling or popping on the skin;
- massage your fingers and wrists, lying on your back with your hands up;
- attach the thumb pad to the little finger.
Some may benefit from sedatives: valocordin, corvalol, or regular chamomile tea.
How to get rid of hiccups quickly: original ways
Many people have their own recipes for this scourge. For example, ordinary tickling, fright, or even mustard on the neck. They, too, can be ranked as methods based on a change in breathing or on distraction; there is nothing strange in the fact that they work. Some recipes are really peculiar and puzzling.
1. Point the knife to the nose. It is necessary that a person looks at him without blinking for a few seconds.
2. Tie a red thread on the forehead. This strange method was used in medieval Spain.
3. The Shnobel Prize for 2006 went to a group of American and Israeli researchers who figured out how to quickly get rid of hiccups. The secret is simple - rectal massage. According to the assurances of the stars from medicine, it is enough to do this for 30 seconds and the hiccups will pass.
If you can’t get rid of hiccups quickly, what should I do?
If the hiccups do not go away within 3 hours, short bouts of hiccups are often repeated within a few days, you should consult a doctor. If the cause is a disease, advice on how to quickly get rid of hiccups will not work until you cure it.
To help with obsessive hiccups, on the recommendation of a doctor, various medicines can be used:
1. Antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anticonvulsants can weaken the diaphragm muscles and stop hiccups.
2. Drugs that help with stomach problems. With GERD, these are antacids, with a full stomach, drugs that stimulate it (for example, metoclopramide).
3. Ketamine (an intravenous anesthetic) is sometimes effective if other treatments have not been successful.
Drug treatment is used only as a last resort and occasionally, until the cause of the hiccups is eliminated.
Sometimes alternative methods are used to help with hiccups - acupuncture or hypnotherapy.
