Most times, you are faced with the challenges of an involuntary/reflex action on your throat or vocal cord that makes it look like you are forcefully sucking air down your throat.
These sudden contractions can be embarrassing when they linger for a long time, and they might not naturally go away until you understand and master the process of how to get rid of hiccups.
Hiccups are caused as a result of a slight seizure or the narrowing down of your diaphragm which forces a jerky draw-in of air from your mouth.
There is no specific time frame for how long Hiccups should last. Some cases of Hiccups can be mild or chronic. Chronic Hiccups could last up to two days, giving prompts to immediate medical attention. Some Hiccups can be relieved for as quick as two hours but it also depends on the level of attention channeled to the contraction and spasm.
Hiccups are entirely harmless but chronic Hiccups can be symptoms of underlying sicknesses that require urgent attention.
The best way to prevent Hiccups is to understand what triggers them, underlying causes, how to avoid them, and how to get rid of them.
What are hiccups signs of?
Hiccups are naturally caused when there is a spasm of the diaphragm which distorts our breath patterns forcing the vocal cords to slim down. During this slight closure, your lungs are forced to make a ‘hic’ sound in the bid to suck in air through the mouth.
Hiccups can be caused by a wide range of factors in adults. Some of which include:
• Rushed Meals
• Consuming many fatty and spicy foods
• Irritation on the Diaphragm from carbonated drinks, beer, or champagne
Drunks are usually associated with hiccups as the alcoholic content and carbonated elements of those drinks could trigger hiccups by irritating the diaphragm by increasing the level of acid production in your body (acid reflux).
People randomly believe that hiccups could be a sign of growth in kids or a symptom that the body lacks water. Although these claims are not medically justified, we believe that hiccups are just a contraction of the muscles between your lungs and stomach.
Sometimes, Hiccups can be a sign indicating adverse reactions to a drug. Certain drugs like anesthesia, methyldopa, benzodiazepines amongst others, have been reported to cause Hiccups.
Understanding your body system is a great way to avoid some of these things. An individual might have hiccups after sipping a bottle of soda, this doesn’t mean that soda drinks are bad, but the carbonated content in them triggered the hiccups.
Hiccups might arise after swallowing large junks of food without the use of water to ease digestion. It can also arise if you take in so much air in your mouth while you eat or chew.
Although Hiccups are caused by irregular contraction of the diaphragm, we cannot conclude that Hiccups could be an indication that your body lacks oxygen.
Nevertheless, in as much as we know that Hiccups are harmless, you must tackle them whenever they arise.
Why won’t my hiccups go away?
A normal Hiccups condition should go away in few minutes or at most hours. Having recurring hiccups that last for a day or even two days should be treated with caution and immediate attention.
Chronic and persistent hiccups can be a symptom of a disease so you must meet a doctor.
Studies show that an average of four percent of Cancer patients is diagnosed with chronic hiccups. This shouldn’t mount many fears in you, your case might be mild and not specifically cancer.
Gastroesophageal reflux might be another reason why the Hiccups persist.
The best thing to do when your Hiccups are not going away is to visit a doctor.
How do you stop hiccups naturally?
There are biological methods that can help you naturally stop hiccups.
These methods might not have a medical backup but they have proven effective over the years.
• Drink and gargle enough water
• Pull your tongue
• Breathe!
• Have a taste of lemon
Drink Enough Water
Drinking a cup or two cups of water is the best way of stopping hiccups. Drinking cold water or ice helps to clear your diaphragm and stop the hiccups.
You can step up your water strategy a little by gargling enough water. There is no fixed amount of water that works the magic in stopping hiccups.
You can try out with two cups of cold water, or as much as twenty sips. You can twist your water drinking strategy by drinking it with a bent neck, from the side of your mouth, or upside. Whichever strategy you use, opening your diaphragm remains the sole purpose.
Pull your tongue.
Pulling your tongue doesn’t necessarily mean that you should drag your tongue out with so much force. You only need to gently hold your tongue and twist it gently.
The gentle tug and pull impacts the vagus nerve and relaxes the contraction of your diaphragm which can stop hiccups.
Breathe
Hiccups are usually caused by a disorder in the contraction of your diaphragm, to get this right; you should take rhythmic breath patterns.
To stop your hiccups, practice controlled breathing. This involves taking in a deep breath, hold the breath for as long as you can before exhaling. The preferable time for holding your breath can fall between the ranges of ten to twenty seconds. While exhaling, you must ensure that you slowly breathe out all the air you might have taken in.
Repeat this process as often as you can.
Have a taste of lemon
Acid reflux can be a major cause of hiccups and to stabilize the situation, you might need to take some amount of natural lemon juice to reset the contractions in your diaphragm.
The acidic content in the lemon will help reset the disordered contraction of your diaphragm. Take a lemon fruit and suck on it for few seconds.
One fruit is okay, you don’t need to pump your body with too much acidity which can result in tooth decay, enamel erosion, heartburn or worsen gastroesophageal reflux issues.
Hiccups are also common amongst kids, but that is not a major reason to worry. Hiccups in kids will go away naturally, but if it lingers, you can proceed to give the kid some glasses of water to clear the pathways.
Have you experienced Hiccups before?
How were you able to solve the situation?
