Start Worrying! Home Remedies For Hiccups

Intractable hiccups can take place due to underlying health conditions

Highlights

• Acute hiccups start for no reason and go away after some time
• Persistent hiccups last for more than 2 days
• Eat a spoonful of peanut butter to treat hiccups

Grandma used to say that hiccups mean that someone is thinking about you and it is normal. Hiccups surely are normal. However, if that continues for a period of more than two days, it could be something you need to worry about. A person usually experiences hiccups 4 to 6 times in a minute. Acute hiccups start for no reason and go away after some time and yet leave you wondering how to get rid of hiccups. However, if that does not happen and hiccups continue for over 2 days, it could be a reason to worry about.

As per Loyola neurologists, some people experience intractable hiccups which last for over a month. Experts say that persistent hiccups (those which last for over 2 days) and intractable hiccups (those which occur for over a month) could actually be a symptom of an underlying health condition. While regular hiccups do not affect a person, persistent hiccups can affect the quality of life of a person. They can be triggered by anxiety, stress, consumption of alcohol, smoking, spicy food or a heavy meal. They can also be triggered due to the consumption of certain drugs.

Intractable hiccups can take place due to underlying health conditions such as blood clots in the lungs or arthritis in the joint connecting collarbone to breast bone. Physicians recommend medicines like baclofen, gabapentin, metoclopramide, chlorpromazine and haloperidol for treating hiccups along with the root cause. Experts also say that there is no formal treatment for intractable hiccups. However, doctors might recommend treatment on the basis of anecdotal evidence and their experience. The findings of this were published in Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports journal.

If you have been wondering how to stop continuous hiccups, some simple home remedies can be tried for quick relief.

1. Drink a glass of cold water with some honey in one quick sip.

Home remedies for hiccups: Drink cold water for relief
Photo Credit: iStock

2. Take a deep breath and hold it for as long as you can and exhale slowly when you can’t hold in anymore. Repeat it until the hiccups stop.

3. Keep a teaspoon of sugar in your mouth and hold it there for at least 5 to 10 seconds. Allow the sugar to dissolve instead of chewing it. Drink a sip of water over this.

Home remedies for hiccups: Sugar can be helpful for hiccups
Photo Credit: iStock

4. Eat a spoonful of peanut butter.

5. Drink half a teaspoon of undiluted lemon juice and swallow it immediately. This will help bring hiccups under control.

6. Take a paper bag and place it tightly on your mouth. Breath slowly in and out of the bag, stop if you feel lightheaded. This will bring your breathing patterns to normal and hiccups will stop. This should not be tried by heart patients.

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7. Drink a teaspoon of vinegar and a glass of water over it. The sour taste will take your mind off the hiccups and they will stop.

With inputs from ANI

Hiccups Information | Mount Sinai

Singultus

A hiccup is an unintentional movement (spasm) of the diaphragm, the muscle at the base of the lungs. The spasm is followed by quick closing of the vocal cords. This closing of vocal cords produces a distinctive sound.

Considerations

Hiccups often start for no apparent reason. They most often disappear after a few minutes. In rare cases, hiccups can last for days, weeks, or months. Hiccups are common and normal in newborns and infants.

Causes

Causes may include:

• Abdominal surgery
• Disease or disorder that irritates the nerves that control the diaphragm (including pleurisy, pneumonia, or upper abdominal diseases)
• Hot and spicy foods or liquids
• Harmful fumes
• Stroke or tumor affecting the brain

There is usually no specific cause for hiccups.

Home Care

There is no sure way to stop hiccups, but there are a number of common suggestions that can be tried:

• Breathe repeatedly into a paper bag.
• Drink a glass of cold water.
• Eat a teaspoon (4 grams) of sugar.
• Hold your breath.

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Contact your health care provider if hiccups go on for more than a few days.

What to Expect at Your Office Visit

If you need to see your provider for hiccups, you will have a physical exam and be asked questions about the problem.

Questions may include:

• Do you get hiccups easily?
• How long has this episode of hiccups lasted?
• Did you recently eat something hot or spicy?
• Did you recently drink carbonated beverages?
• Have you been exposed to any fumes?
• What have you tried to relieve the hiccups?
• What has been effective for you in the past?
• How effective was the attempt?
• Did the hiccups stop for a while and then restart?
• Do you have other symptoms?

Additional tests are only done when a disease or disorder is suspected as the cause.

To treat hiccups that do not go away, the provider may perform gastric lavage or massage of the carotid sinus in the neck. DO NOT try carotid massage by yourself. This must be done by a provider.

If hiccups continue, medicines may help. Tube insertion into the stomach (nasogastric intubation) may also help.

In very rare cases, if medicines or other methods do not work, treatment such as phrenic nerve block may be tried. The phrenic nerve controls the diaphragm.

American Cancer Society website. Hiccups. www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/physical-side-effects/eating-problems/hiccups-and-heartburn.html. Updated February 1, 2020. Accessed February 6, 2023.

DeVault KR. Symptoms of esophageal disease. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger & Fordtran’s Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 13.

National Institutes of Health, Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center website. rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/6657/chronic-hiccups. Updated February, 2023 Accessed February 6, 2023.

Last reviewed on: 2/2/2023

Reviewed by: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

how to stop hiccuping, causes and ways why a person hiccups

Hiccups cause problems due to the fact that it is difficult to control. This can cause severe discomfort, especially if it occurs at work or school. From the outside, it may seem funny, but its causes sometimes indicate malfunctions in the body.

Contents

1. Varieties of hiccups
2. Why does a person hiccup?
3. Is hiccups dangerous?
4. How is the diagnosis and examination carried out?
5. How to stop hiccuping?
6. Recommended medicines

Varieties of hiccups

There are the following kinds of hiccups:

• short-term – it lasts up to 10-15 minutes;
• persistent – may last about two days;
• intractable – lasts for two months or longer.

In the first case, the doctor’s help is not required, because the hiccups go away by themselves. In other situations, when hiccups torment you for a long time, you should seek medical help.

Why does a person hiccup?

Hiccups are due to the fact that the diaphragm and intercostal muscles contract spasmodically, resulting in a short breath. At this time, the airways close abruptly, which provokes a characteristic sound.

Overeating or fast food intake

These situations may irritate the diaphragm and cause hiccups. When you eat in a hurry, you swallow large pieces of food, along with food you swallow a lot of air. This can cause the stomach to stretch, putting pressure on the diaphragm. If you have eaten a hearty meal, it is better not to go to bed, but to take a walk in the fresh air. Because if you lie on your right side during sleep, this will lead to a displacement of the diaphragm, worsening the functioning of the respiratory tract.

Excessive consumption of alcohol or carbonated drinks

When you drink carbonated drinks in large quantities, carbon dioxide begins to accumulate in the stomach. Also, alcoholic beverages provoke hiccups, because the nerve endings of the diaphragm are irritated. The muscles of the throat and stomach relax at this moment. This effect is also characteristic after carbonated drinks, especially if you drink them quickly and in large quantities.

Strong emotions such as fear, excitement or joy

When you experience strong emotions, it causes your heart to beat faster. During times of stress, you may notice irregular breathing, which can lead to hiccups. In this case, it is better to make an infusion of herbs with a sedative effect. It can be lemon balm, chamomile, St. John’s wort, valerian. In some cases, sedative pills may be needed.

Hiccups often go away on their own after a few minutes, but if they persist for more than 48 hours, you should see a doctor to identify the cause and start treatment.

Is hiccups dangerous?

Hiccups are not dangerous in and of themselves, but in some cases they can signal serious malfunctions in the body. This may be due to alcohol poisoning, liver disease, pneumonia. If, in addition to hiccups, you are worried about heartburn, discomfort in the chest and when swallowing. Also if hiccups occur several times a day or within a week.

How is the diagnosis and examination carried out?

If you see a doctor, he will refer you to a neurologist and a cardiologist. This is necessary in order to exclude myocardial infarction and cerebral stroke. You will undergo an MRI, an electrocardiogram, and blood tests. With prolonged hiccups, a complete examination is necessary to identify the cause of this ailment. Your doctor needs to know what medications you are taking.

How to stop hiccuping?

Hiccups usually go away on their own if caused by diaphragmatic contraction. To do this, you need to wait 10-20 minutes. There are some ways to stop hiccuping that are familiar to almost everyone. It can be fright, slow drinking of water, holding your breath. If these methods do not help, you can resort to the advice of doctors:

• Stretch. If you have been in an uncomfortable position for a long time, clasp your hands behind your back into a lock, and then make an effort to break it. Also at this moment, you can ask someone to give you water so that in this position you take a sip;
• Sneeze. This technique was used by Hippocrates, and pepper helped him to sneeze. In the process of sneezing, you can remove excess air from the body and knock down hiccups;
• Swallow something pungent. It can be a sour lemon, something spicy or sweet, after which gastric juice will stand out and you will be distracted from hiccups;
• Exhale into a paper bag. To do this, take a few breaths, then hold your breath and exhale into a paper bag. Then inhale from this bag. This method will help increase the level of carbon dioxide, which helps to stop hiccups;
• Do a little exercise. It is necessary to plug the ears with the thumbs, close the sinuses with the little fingers, close the eyes tightly and additionally cover them with other fingers. Then you need to take a deep breath, and then hold your breath for a while. This exercise provokes rapid and heavy breathing, which will help open the diaphragm.
• Bet. This fun way is recommended by some doctors. You need to bet for money with a hiccup, offering any bill. The argument is that if a person hiccups again, he will be able to take the money. The hiccups in this case may stop due to the fact that he focuses on the contraction of the diaphragm, which will help get rid of the hiccups.

Hiccups, which can have a variety of causes, may go away on their own if they are of short duration. In this case, you do not need to seek the help of a doctor. But if you have been suffering from hiccups for several days, the causes of hiccups can be serious.

Recommended medicines

Most hiccup medicines are available by prescription, but you can find the following over-the-counter medicines in pharmacies that can help get rid of hiccups:

• Chamomile flowers filter bags;
• Collection soothing Fitosedan No. 3 filter bags;
• Green SIDE Valerian motherwort and lemon balm.

There are contraindications. Specialist consultation is required.

These drugs can be ordered for home delivery or can be picked up at a pharmacy.

Conclusion

Hiccups are normal if they last no more than two days. From time to time, it occurs in everyone, and the reason for this can be overeating, eating in a hurry, drinking alcohol and carbonated drinks, uncomfortable posture, stressful situations. It mostly goes away on its own and doesn’t require a visit to the doctor. But in some cases, it signals serious disorders in the human body if it lasts more than two days or for several months. To identify the cause of such prolonged hiccups, it is necessary to undergo an examination.

There are different ways to get rid of hiccups from drinking water to betting. Some of them can help, but sometimes you may need to take medications or soothing herbal infusions. They can be freely bought in the nearest pharmacies.

To prevent hiccups, you need to chew your food thoroughly and take it at a calm pace. Do not rush and swallow large pieces of food. Do not abuse alcohol and carbonated drinks, do not drink them in a hurry. Do not sleep on your right side after a heavy meal. It can sometimes be difficult to prevent if it is caused by strong emotions, such as stress at work or school. If you’re feeling stressed out on the eve of an important day, such as an exam, job interview, it’s best to take calming pills, water, or minty or sour-flavored lozenges with you.

In general, a healthy lifestyle is recommended to prevent hiccups and the serious illnesses they can cause. It is worth exercising regularly, eating healthy food and eating healthy foods. It is important to give yourself rest and not overwork, which will help to avoid stress and severe fatigue. It must be remembered that if hiccups occur regularly or are accompanied by other symptoms, you should consult a doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

The information is presented for informational purposes only and is not medical advice or a guide to treatment by uteka.ru.

Gastroenterologist Zotova told how to get rid of hiccups — 8 working methods

• Health

“Hiccups, hiccups, switch to Fedot,” we said in childhood if we started hiccuping. Mom said – drink water, grandmother advised to take a deep breath. But are there other, effective methods of getting rid of it?

December 23, 2022

Source:

iStockphoto

Babies are the most likely to hiccup, they may first begin to hiccup in the womb. Scientists suspect that in this way they train to take their first breath in the future, their nervous system matures and the regulation of the respiratory centers is adjusted. Adults hiccup less often, although cases have been described when people hiccupped for several weeks in a row almost without interruption.

How dangerous is hiccups and what can be done about it? When you need to go to the doctor, what diseases can this reflex speak of? Yulia Zotova, a gastroenterologist and consultant in laboratory medicine at the CMD Center for Molecular Diagnostics of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor, answered these questions for Doctor Peter.

What is hiccups and when is it dangerous?

If we know how we breathe, it becomes clear where hiccups come from. The diaphragm is a dense tissue with muscle fibers and connective tissue directly involved in the respiratory act. It separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. When you inhale, the diaphragm goes down and stretches, air is drawn into the chest, filling the lungs. On exhalation, it rises, contracts, helping to force air out of the lungs.

The work of the diaphragm is coordinated by the brain, receiving signals from the nerves. If a hiccup occurs, the diaphragm involuntarily contracts out of the rhythm of breathing, which causes a sharp breath. At the same time, the vocal cords close, which is why we hear a specific sound.

See also

Why does this happen?

Most hiccup attacks are not dangerous, their causes are quite harmless. But scientists from Harvard determined that approximately 90,125 hiccups in 9% of people are one of the symptoms of pathologies, including quite serious ones, such as tumors, diabetes, or liver problems.

By duration it happens:

• short-term hiccups – it lasts 10-15 minutes;

• persistent – up to 2 days;

• intractable or intractable – persistent hiccups for two months or more.

The causes of hiccups can be different, the most common of them are:

1. overeating, 02 diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, ulcer, cholecystitis).

With myocardial infarction, stroke, tumor formation in the brain, one of the symptoms may be persistent hiccups. Various intoxications (alcohol, drugs, drugs) in the body can also cause hiccups. Hiccups can appear after hypothermia, during fright, severe stress.

Ways to get rid of hiccups

Usually getting rid of hiccups is quite simple, you just need to apply one of the methods. However, if the hiccups are pronounced, last a long time, negatively affect a person’s sleep and nutrition, then you should consult a doctor.

Non-pharmacological treatments for hiccups:

• Change in diet – reduce the amount of food per meal;

• drinking fresh mint tea – it has a sedative effect that will help reduce hiccups.

See also

Nasopharyngeal stimulation techniques

• Drink two glasses of water quickly. When swallowing water, the muscles of the esophagus contract, this will help eliminate spasm of the diaphragm.

• Suck on lemon pieces.

• Lean forward and bring your knees to your chest. This exercise helps to relax the muscles.

• One of the most effective ways is to plug your ears while drinking water through a straw. Swallowing movements will relax the diaphragm, hiccups will gradually stop.

Various breathing techniques are often used to relieve hiccups.

• Breathe into a paper bag. Take a small paper bag and breathe slowly into it for 30-60 seconds.

• Inhale and hold your breath as far as possible. If this does not work once, then you can repeat it several times.

With these exercises, the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood increases, the respiratory center in the brain is irritated and the activity of the diaphragm decreases, hiccups stop.

Medicines can help

There are also medical treatments for hiccups that are used as prescribed by a doctor. Medications are recommended depending on the cause of the hiccups. If the cause is associated with a disease of the digestive system, then the gastroenterologist will prescribe drugs that reduce the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, and prokinetics – stimulants of gastrointestinal motility.