Almost everyone has experienced hiccups at least once in their life. The frequency of hiccups becomes rarer as you get older and men are more prone to hiccups than women. Hiccups have been found to start when you are a baby and occur to allow air trapped in the stomach while suckling to escape and allow more milk to be swallowed.
Some of the common causes of hiccups are eating too fast or in excess; drink too much alcohol; tuxedo; laughter; sudden temperature change in the stomach (drink something hot and then immediately drink something cold). Carbonated drinks, including beer, can also cause hiccups. There are also medical reasons that can cause hiccups: certain medications (opioids and benzodiazepines); have a metabolic disease; diabetes; renal insufficiency; an electrolyte imbalance; or deviated septum.
Hiccups can diagnose a serious illness
The medical term for Hiccups is synchronous diaphragmatic flutter. The muscle located between the chest and the abdomen is essential for breathing. When you hiccup, they will cause this muscle to contract involuntarily. When contracted it will affect your vocal cords and you will hear the sound “hic”. Therefore, the name of Hiccup became the terminology of the layman.
People seem to view hiccups more as a nuisance than a symptom of a more serious condition. There are different and more threatening causes that a doctor must consider. If your hiccup episode lasts longer than 48 hours, it is called persistent hiccups. If they last for at least a month or more, they are called intractable hiccups. These types have more serious diagnosed causes, such as tumors; cancer; stroke, infection or injury and a doctor should be consulted.
If you have damage or irritation to the nerves that travel from your brain to your diaphragm, this can be a possible long-term cause of hiccups. These nerves can be irritated by a hair or other object in the ear touching the eardrum. Damage can occur from a sore throat, laryngitis, acid reflux, or a cyst, goiter, or tumor in the neck.
home remedies for common hiccups
There are many simple home remedies for hiccups.
- Drink a full glass of water; this will calm the nerves that are irritating the muscle. Gargling will also help.
- Hold your breath, pinch your nose and close your mouth. Hold your breath for as long as you can.
- Breathe into a paper bag; this works just as well as holding your breath. Both increase the amount of carbon monoxide in the bloodstream.
- Place a teaspoon of sugar or honey on the back of the tongue; the back of the tongue is where you know “sour.” Putting the sugar in there will give you a sweet overload that will help curb hiccups.
The usual duration of having common hiccups is only a few minutes or a few hours. If they don’t go away in that time, try some of the remedies above. If you’re still hiccuping after 48 hours, it might be a good time to contact your doctor’s office and get their assessment of the situation.