What are hiccups caused by?

Question

Last night when I was trying to go to sleep, I got the hiccups out of nowhere. I hadn't eaten in at least 4 hours, and I didn't drink anything either. Just wondering? And what are some of the ways to get rid of them that actually work?

Answer 1

Rapid contractions of Respiratory diaphragm cause hiccups. In your case sudden change in posture caused it.Rapid intake of food can cause it .No special method of prevention or treatment is available

Answer 2

hiccups are spasms of the diaphragm. one way that i know for sure that works to get rid of them is to bend over and the waist and have someone put there fingers in your ears and drink from a glass of water at the same time. It really does work.

Answer 3

i think hiccups are caused by dehydration because i only get them when i don't drink enough water, which is why drinking water will cure them. you say didn't drink water before you went to bed so that could really be it.
just make sure you get 6-8 glasses a day and you might not get them anymore, plus you'll be well hydrated and feel better.

Answer 4

If your cold or something unexpected might cause hiccups. (I don't know in medical field how you get hiccups.)To get rid of it... I usually hold my breath for long as I can or drink really cold glass of water as much as I can.

Answer 5

hiccups are spasms of the diaphragm (muscle that helps you breathe). nothing really "cures" them, only time does.

Answer 6

i know how to get rid of them. heres a little drawing on paint. it really works, or at least its worked every time for me :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/meesan07/hiccups.jpg

basically u drink upside down sort of, look at the pic, its sorta helpful lol

good luck!

Answer 7

hiccups are known to develop often in specific situations, such as eating too quickly, taking a cold drink while eating a hot meal, eating very hot or spicy food, laughing vigorously or coughing, or drinking an excess of an alcoholic beverage. Hiccups may be caused by pressure to the phrenic nerve by other anatomical structures, or rarely by tumors and certain kidney disease.

It is still unclear to scientists exactly why hiccups occur, particularly because it doesn't seem to give us any specific benefit. Some speculation exists that hiccups are a remnant of a bodily function that has been phased out by evolution, such as the move from aquatic gilled creatures to land animals. Ultrasounds have also shown that unborn foetuses experience hiccups. Some suggested hypotheses include hiccups as a possible muscle exercise for the child's respiratory system prior to birth or as a preventive measure to keep amniotic fluid from entering the lungs[1]. More research is required to ascertain their true nature, origins, and purpose, if any. Plus, its out-of-the-ordinary and complex remedies also make it harder for any scientists to find out the cause.

Home remedies
The following are some commonly suggested home remedies. While numerous remedies are offered, they mostly fall into a few broad categories. These categories include purely psychosomatic cures centered around relaxation and distraction, cures involving swallowing and eating (with the rationale generally that this would remove irritants or reset mechanisms in the affected region), and cures involving controlled/altered breathing.

The science behind many of these methods is unfounded, however most people have their own particular remedy that they are convinced is the solution. Such methods are often complex tasks involving drinking in awkward positions, or breathing in certain patterns. The common factor amongst all these methods is that the person attempting such remedies is usually concentrating on their preferred task and not the hiccups. Hence many remedies can actually be considered a psychosomatic distraction technique of one form or another.

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Psychosomatic
Distraction from one's hiccup (e.g. being startled or asked a perplexing question)
Concentration on one's hiccup (e.g. The least embarrassing way to control hiccups is using a psychosomatic method involving 'waiting' for the next hiccup. The key is to attempt to anticipate the hiccup by counting it aloud just prior to it taking place, the aim is to be saying 'one' just as the hiccup occurs. Practice with this method leads to the situation where one can simply decide not to hiccup anymore.)
Another distraction based technique is to count in reverse, eg. from 100 down, which requires concentration.
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Swallowing
Swallowing three times (or more) while holding one's breath
Eating particular foods, such as peanut butter, Fluffernutter sandwich, chocolate, sugar or honey, Lingonberry jam, wasabi, or vinegar
Eating a spoonful of granulated table sugar (slowly letting it dissolve in mouth)
Drinking a glass of water through a napkin placed over the glass
Drinking a glass of water in several small sips
Drinking a glass of water "from the far side of the glass", i.e. bending over a sink so one's head is upside-down when drinking
Drinking a glass of water with another's palms against one's ears
Keep a sip of water in the mouth, one finger in each ear and count to ten, and then swallow.
Drinking a glass of a carbonated beverage (with salt)
Gulping down a glass of water while holding one's breath
Drinking a glass of water while raising the right or left hand
Drinking several glasses of water
Eating an ice cube
Taking frequent, careless sips of beer
Drinking a glass of water with a spoon touching one's temple
Filling a large glass with water and, taking in a mouthful of the water, while holding the water in one's mouth (without swallowing) tipping one's head all the way back, stretching the throat in the process, then opening the mouth as wide as possible and using the throat muscles to swallow the water, repeating until the entire glass of water is drunk using this method. This will not work as effectively if one's stomach is very full.
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Respiratory
Breathing slowly and deeply in while thinking 'breathing out' and breathing slowly and fully out while thinking 'breathing in'.
Breathing slowly and deeply in and out through the mouth.
Holding one's breath while optionally squeezing one's stomach.
Breathing deeply through the nose, then exhaling slowly through the mouth.
Breathing deeply and instead of exhaling completely, leave air in the lungs.
Exhaling all the air from one's lungs and holding one's breath while swallowing water or saliva.
Blowing up a balloon.
Inducing sneezing.
Breathing into a paper bag or other sealed container. Only attempt this in severe cases of hiccups that have persisted despite other attempts at cures. Perform this sitting or laying down, and with someone at your side to ensure safety. Stop as soon as you begin to feel lightheaded.
Belching.
Sneezing
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Other
For babies, hiccups are usually immediately stopped by the suckling reflex, either by breastfeeding or simply by insertion of a finger or bottle teat into the baby's mouth.
For some, vomiting is a direct albeit messy solution.
Burping is also a good method for some, and usually ends the hiccups immediately.
Saying the ABC's and taking a sip of water for every letter in the alphabet.
By simply waiting until the hiccups subside.

Answer 8

spasms of the diaphragm

Answer 9

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/medical/hiccoughs.htm