The first hiccup is funny; but the fun stops when the hiccups keep coming.
What the best way is to get rid of hiccups involves three-pronged approach. Drink a glass of water, while holding your breath and, simultaneously, relaxing your diaphragm muscles.
So, that was the quick answer! HTH! Read on for more ideas…you know, just in case…and some interesting hiccup trivia.
Children Get Hiccups *a Lot*
This might seem like an odd thing to start with; but chances are that you are a concerned parent who found this article while searching for hiccup solutions for a child who seems to get an awful lot of hiccups.
My kids got so many hiccups, I actually asked their pediatrician about it. He had a great explanation, which I did not see anywhere this week, while researching for this article – Sometimes, your child’s insides grow before his outside, causing a tightness in the diaphragm area, which can make him a good candidate for hiccups. Add this to other childish behaviors, such as eating too fast, stuffing one’s mouth with crackers, bursting out in laughter while swallowing, etc., and it’s not surprising that they kids hiccup a lot!
The other thing about kids is that it can be hard to get them to do some of the ideas below; such as holding your breath and drinking a glass of water, etc.. This mild, herbal “gripe water” (view here) has proven very successful, even in older kids
Be Proactive by Preventing Hiccups
The best way to stop hiccups is to avoid them in the first place. I know, it’s hard to believe you can stop something so seemingly random; but you can!
Drink some water, before taking a bite of anything really dry. The Number One culprit in my hiccups is the pretzel! If I grab a pretzel or two, without a drink, it can start me hiccuping. This can also happen with bread and cracker.
Take small bites. An overly-large bite of food can go down slowly, and trigger hiccups.
Bite, chew, swallow, repeat. Slow down your eating enough that each bite is down your throat, before taking the next one. Maybe add a splash of your drink there, between bites.
Don’t ignore the feeling. There is a distinct feeling, just before hiccups begin. Your diaphragm muscle tightens, and feels like it’s rising slightly. In case you’re not familiar with the diaphragm, it is that spot where it hurts, if you get hit in the stomach. If you feel that movement, drop whatever you’re doing, and take a slow, deep breath. Relax your whole upper body.
Straighten up! Sitting up straight, rather than hunching over your plate, will help your food go right down, instead of stopping along the way to bother you with hiccups.
Never ignore a hiccup. As soon as that first hiccup erupts, get proactive with what you’ve just read – Relax, straighten up, take a slow breath, start drinking water.
Be extra proactive after a case of hiccups. As with any muscle spasm, hiccups are more likely to occur, if you’ve had them recently.
More Ways to Get Rid of Hiccups
This is a list of potential hiccup cures from the Merck manual:
- Drinking water quickly
- Swallowing dry bread, granulated sugar, or crushed ice
- Gently pulling on the tongue
- Stimulating gagging (such as by sticking a finger down the throat)
- Gently rubbing the eyeballs
What if my Hiccups Never Go Away?
I’m only adding this for morbid interest!! Hiccups lasting more than a little while are very, very rare. After all, who do you know, who ever had any serious problems with hiccups? Exactly nobody, right?
Fear not, they have drugs for that (if you can choke them down with exacerbating your hiccups).
They also have a shot for that! If it gets to be a couple of days, and you still hiccuping, your doctor can inject a local anesthetic into the offending muscle.
They even have an operation for that!! If the hiccups return after the shot wears off, a surgeon can perform upon you a phrenicotomy, in which they snip the nerve in question.
Hiccups Trivia: drunks, tumors, and male supremacy
The stereotypical hiccuping drunk actually is a thing.
Hiccups can be caused by brain tumors and other unpleasant conditions.
Men are much more likely to develop long-term hiccups than are women.”
Mayo Clinic
Resources for Further Exploration
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