Ways to get rid of hiccups

Oh, those Hiccups

Hiccups are an unpleasant problem of many people. Sure, if these strike you once or twice a year, it is not a situation for concern. However, if you start experiencing hiccups every time you eat a specific type of food or do some other actions, then these fits of yours might get you in an awkward situation quite often. Namely, many people consider hiccups a sign of public rudeness, just like gas release or belching. If one of these people is your boss, or your work superior, you might be misunderstood because of your pestering spree of hiccups. Thus, something needs to be done. Luckily, there are several methods of stopping hiccups, some of which may work for you, while some may not. Basically, the key is in increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in your blood and there are different methods for achieving this.

How To Stop Hiccups Effectively?

The first method is probably the most popular one. Once hiccups strike you, you need to hold your breath for about ten seconds, while, at the same time, either lying down or bending your upper body.

Strangely enough, pulling your tongue, or massaging the upper roof of your mouth can help you stop hiccups almost instantly. These actions stimulate the vagus nerve, which, in return, soothes the diaphragm which stops getting into violent spasms and, therefore, your hiccups are gone.

An effective alternative is drinking water as quickly as you can. You are advised to pour down a glass of water down your throat, once you start your hiccups. This will increase your carbon dioxide intake, stimulate the above mentioned vagus nerve, and get your mind off the hiccups, all actions which are capable of stopping this annoying fit. If all this happens to be in vain, you may try to gargle ice-cold water for a while.

Another way of dealing with this situation is breathing in a paper bag for a while. Since this looks quite strange, limit it to private practicing. Nevertheless, since it increases your intake of carbon dioxide, you are likely to stop your hiccups this way.

Finally, you may consider eating a spoonful of sugar, or, rather, letting it dissolve on the surface of your tongue. This is one of the best methods for stopping hiccups and many people consider this their favorite way.

Naturally, if your problem prevails for a longer time, where you cannot stop the hiccups for several days, weeks, let alone months, it is time to seek medical assistance. Do not wait and hesitate, since the problem may be something else. Rather, pay your doctor a visit, get examined and adequately treated.