How to remove hiccups? 10 effective tricks to combat it

Hiccups are caused by involuntary movement of the diaphragm. It occurs when this muscle in the abdomen contracts suddenly during normal breathing. After each contraction the vocal cords also close, hence the characteristic “hip” sound.

How will I get rid of the hiccups is a question that many people ask themselves, and the good thing is that there are effective tricks to avoid it. Avoid eating in abundance and at high speed, in addition to carbonated and alcoholic beverages. But there is much more to know and that is explained in this article.

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How to remove hiccups? 10 effective tricks to combat it

Hiccups may be accompanied by chest or abdominal pain. It is for this reason that it can become truly annoying. Anyway, the important thing is to know how to remove hiccups, and there are effective tricks to combat it.

Breathing normally again is possible if you know how to apply some of the most recommended tips. Thus, it is possible to forget about the discomfort or even the pain that it can cause.

1. Drinking water

Drinking water or juice is one of the best known tricks to remove hiccups. But it is not just about drinking the water as we normally do; try to drink a glass of water or juice as quickly as possible.

For this trick to be efficient you have to drink the water without breathing through your nose and do it quickly. Gargling three or four times before you start drinking the water can also work.

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2. Breathing exercise

With this breathing exercise the hiccups will almost certainly go away. When hiccups start and it's impossible to stop, you wonder how to get rid of the hiccups quickly. This exercise is simple, and is based on holding the breath so that the diaphragm regulates its function.

To do it, you have to stretch your neck back and hold your breath while mentally counting from 1 to 10. At that time you have to exhale and return to normal posture.

3. Eat sugar

Eating sugar can be an effective way to relieve hiccups. It is not very complex, but you have to be careful when doing it. It is effective if done as explained below.

The idea is that you have to swallow a tablespoon of sugar without sucking on it. In other words, the sugar must pass directly through our throat, without sucking or chewing. For this it may be easier if we tilt our head back a little and drop the sugar.

4. Hold your breath

Holding your breath helps the diaphragm restore its function. It is one of the simplest tricks, although for some people holding their breath for a long time becomes somewhat complicated.

To be efficient, you have to stand or sit in a comfortable position. You just have to hold your breath for as long as possible. It may help to have 10 sips of water after this.

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5. Breathing into a paper bag

Another trick to combat hiccups is to breathe into a paper bag. It's another way to control your breathing so that hiccups go away. You will need a small paper bag (or failing that, a cup can also do the trick).

Take deep breaths, covering your mouth and nose with the bag. This will cause the carbon dioxide in the blood to increase and the body will begin to react to get rid of it, forgetting about the hiccups.

6. Cover your ears

Covering your ears works at the first sign of hiccups. When the first contraction of the diaphragm is felt, it can work to immediately cover the ears. About 30 seconds is enough.

You can combine this trick with holding your breath. Thus, at the same time that you cover your ears with your fingers for about half a minute, you have to try to hold your breath for that same time.

7. Suck lemon

Sucking on a lemon works thanks to the acids that this fruit has. You have to cut a lemon slice and suck it to drink only its juice. The acid in the lemon allows this reaction of the diaphragm to disappear.

There are those who recommend eating the whole slice instead of just sucking the juice. It can work, too, but the taste can even be off-putting for those who don't enjoy sour or strong flavors.

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8. Breathe without breathing

The "breathe without breathing" trick helps the hiccups go away in a few minutes. What it consists of is doing a single deep exhalation and then covering your nose and mouth and moving your diaphragm as if you were breathing normally.

This forces the diaphragm to regulate its rhythm, and usually after a few seconds the hiccups disappear. It can be difficult for those who find it difficult to hold their breath, but doing this exercise is not really difficult.

9. A pencil and a glass of water

With a pencil and a glass of water we have an efficient trick to remove hiccups. This way of eliminating hiccups doesn't require much effort, but it can be a bit tricky. You just have to drink a glass of water while holding a pencil in your mouth.

You have to find a comfortable position, bite the pencil horizontally and hold it there to later drink a glass of water while continuing to bite the pencil. You have to try to do it as quickly as possible.

10. Honey and castor bean

An effective trick to remove hiccups is with honey and castor bean. For this trick you have to prepare two teaspoons of honey and combine them with two teaspoons of castor oil. Then you have to mix until they are well combined and then ingest.

The thick texture of the honey and castor bean help a lot. For some reason, when reaching the throat the contractions of the diaphragm soften and finally regulate, which makes the hiccups disappear completely.

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Bibliographic references

• Erlinger, M.C. and Lefèvre, M.R. (2001). Goosebumps, hiccups, belching and farts... The signals of the body. Milan Junior Editions.

• Howes, D. (2012). Hiccups: A new explanation for the mysterious reflex. BioEssays. 34 (6): 451–453.

• Wagner, M.S. and Stapczynski, J.S. (1982). Persistent hiccups. Ann Emerg Med., 11 (1), 24-26.