“What are hiccups, and how do you get rid of them,?

Answer 1

The part to blame is your diaphragm (say: die-uh-fram). This is a dome-shaped muscle at the bottom of your chest, and all hiccups start here.

The diaphragm almost always works perfectly. When you inhale, it pulls down to help pull air into the lungs. When you exhale, it pushes up to help push air out of the lungs. But sometimes the diaphragm becomes irritated. When this happens, it pulls down in a jerky way, which makes you suck air into your throat suddenly. When the air rushing in hits your voice box, you're left with a hiccup.
Some things that irritate the diaphragm are eating too quickly or too much, an irritation in the stomach or the throat, or feeling nervous or excited.
Holding your breath and counting to 10 is one way some people can get rid of their hiccups. Other people say that drinking from the "wrong" side of a glass of water is the way to become hiccup-free.
Putting sugar under your tongue might work, too. And maybe the most famous treatment - having someone jump out and scare you when you're not expecting it - helps some people.

:-)

Answer 2

Hiccups are sudden, involuntary contractions of the diaphragm muscle. As the muscle contracts repeatedly, the opening between your vocal cords snaps shut to check the inflow of air and makes the hiccup sound. Irritation of the nerves that extend from the neck to the chest can cause hiccups.

How to get rid of them:
Hold your breath.
Drink a glass of water quickly.
Become frightened.
Use smelling salts.
Pull hard on your tongue.
Place one-half teaspoon of dry sugar on the back of your tongue. (You can repeat this process 3 times at 2-minute intervals. Use corn syrup, not sugar, in young children.)

Answer 3

Hiccups are sudden spasms in your diaphragm.

Self-help strategies
Hiccups are harmless and usually resolve by themselves in a few minutes. Some hiccup ‘cures’ include:
Hold your breath
Take deep breaths
Breathe into a paper bag
Eat a bit of fresh ginger
Suck on a lemon
Have a hot water and honey drink
Eat a spoonful of sugar
Drink a glass of water slowly
Eat ice
Gargle
Sit down and lean forward over your knees
Ask someone to give you a fright.

Answer 4

Hiccups are the result of an involuntary, spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm followed by the closing of the throat.Hiccups are one of the most common, but thankfully mildest, disorders to which humans are prey. Virtually everyone experiences them at some point, but they rarely last long or require a doctor's care. Occasionally, a bout of hiccups will last longer than two days, earning it the name "persistent hiccups." Very few people will experience intractable hiccups, in which hiccups last longer than one month.

A hiccup involves the coordinated action of the diaphragm and the muscles that close off the windpipe (trachea). The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle separating the chest and abdomen, normally responsible for expanding the chest cavity for inhalation. Sensation from the diaphragm travels to the spinal cord through the phrenic nerve and the vagus nerve, which pass through the chest cavity and the neck. Within the spinal cord, nerve fibers from the brain monitor sensory information and adjust the outgoing messages that control contraction. These messages travel along the phrenic nerve.

Irritation of any of the nerves involved in this loop can cause the diaphragm to undergo involuntary contraction, or spasm, pulling air into the lungs. When this occurs, it triggers a reflex in the throat muscles. Less than a tenth of a second afterward, the trachea is closed off, making the characteristic "hic" sound.

Hiccups can be caused by central nervous system disorders, injury or irritation to the phrenic and vagus nerves, and toxic or metabolic disorders affecting the central or peripheral nervous systems. They may be of unknown cause or may be a symptom of psychological stress. Hiccups often occur after drinking carbonated beverages or alcohol. They may also follow overeating or rapid temperature changes. Persistent or intractable hiccups may be caused by any condition which irritates or damages the relevant nerves, including:
overstretching of the neck
laryngitis
heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux)
irritation of the eardrum (which is innervated by the vagus nerve)
general anesthesia
surgery
bloating
tumor
infection
diabetes

Hiccups are diagnosed by observation, and by hearing the characteristic sound. Diagnosing the cause of intractable hiccups may require imaging studies, blood tests, pH monitoring in the esophagus, and other tests.

Most cases of hiccups will disappear on their own. Home remedies which interrupt or override the spasmodic nerve circuitry are often effective. Such remedies include:
holding one's breath for as long as possible
breathing into a paper bag
swallowing a spoonful of sugar
bending forward from the waist and drinking water from the wrong side of a glass

Treating any underlying disorder will usually cure the associated hiccups. Chlorpromazine (Thorazine) relieves intractable hiccups in 80% of cases. Metoclopramide (Reglan), carbamazepam, valproic acid (Depakene), and phenobarbital are also used. As a last resort, surgery to block the phrenic nerve may be performed, although it may lead to significant impairment of respiration.

Answer 5

hiccups are when you cant stop an involuntary spasm of gasping for air, they are I think- caused by trapped air somewhere in or under?(if this is possible) your diaphram- this is found when you place your hands just below your ribcage.

I get rid of them by taking a long quick sharp breath to breath in 'till I literally cant breath in anymore, holding my breath for a count of 30-60 seconds (however long I can manage!) then slowly exhaling, then repeat around 10 times- oruntil you have bored the hiccups away.
If I do this 10 times and by then I have usually got rid of them.

-laughing half way through a holding your breath cos your mates think you look hilarious with a red face is cheating and means you gotta start over.


Also keep still or at least stationary while doing this incase you faint, fall over or bump into an elbow. If your fingertips start to tingle or go blue, let go of the breath and stop for a bit.
N.B, Dont try this on the bus as it usually makes you look dodgy.

-also for the same reason dont try this in a cubical of a public toilet. :-)

Answer 6

Hiccups occur when particular stimuli trigger the nerves to send the diaphragm into spasms. It is not known why this occurs.

may sound a little barbaric,but my personal tecnique for stopping the hiccups is: simply take a swallow of water,tilt head back,allow water to "free flow" down throat, this stimulates a
"gag reflex" -ta da- that's it. no more hiccups-has worked for me
for many years- I assume that this interupts the message signal
in the involved nerves.

ps -other methods include:Hold your breath
Take deep breaths
Breathe into a paper bag
Eat a bit of fresh ginger
Suck on a lemon
Have a hot water and honey drink
Eat a spoonful of sugar
Drink a glass of water slowly
Eat ice
Gargle
Sit down and lean forward over your knees
Ask someone to give you a fright.

Answer 7

When you breathe, your diaphragm moves down, making a vaccuum in your chest cavity, which sucks air into your lungs. When you have hiccups, it's because you're breathing out of sync with your diaphragm, so it forces the air in, between breaths, which is the hiccup. The most reliable way of getting rid of them (for me at least) is to get a big glass of cold water, and drink it the wrong way standing up: tip your head upside down (kind of doubled up), put your mouth on the opposite side of the cup, upside down, and drink it down in one sitting (ie not breathing between gulps). This should regulate your breathing, and concentrating on drinking this way ought to shake the hiccups. It doesn't always work so if you have a bad bout, concentrate on breathing down into your stomach. This might get your breathing rhythms back in sync, and relax the diaphragm. Best of luck!

Answer 8

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
“What are hiccups, and how do you get rid of them,?

Answer 9

This always works for me and for others and always has done

1. Hold your nose - nostrils squashed tightly.
2.Press fingers or thumbs to block ears.
3.While both nostrils and both ears are closed you must swallow about an egg cup or more of water. Hiccoughs stops completely before your next breath. You can get someone to put the glass of water to your lips as both your hands will be occupied. If no-one available to help you, then first fill your mouth with water (without swallowing it at this stage) and then arrange your fingers and thumbs to block nose and ears and then swallow the water.
Do try it !! Anne W

Answer 10

i finally found out after years how to get rid of them, it worked for me they were gone in seconds, seriously.

I had them all day at work then i made a coffee, i let it cool off a little but it was still quite warm and then sipped it all slowly and all in one go.

immediately after there were no hiccups.