Finding yourself in a hiccup situation where you feel limited to talk, laugh, eat, and breathe calmly is always unpleasant and related to anxiety. Also, some people find it funny when other individuals have hiccups, so that makes the situation even more uncomfortable.
But how to get rid of hiccups quickly and discretely? We will share with you 4 tested methods, which will help you to recover from this condition right away!
The key to stopping hiccups is to stretch the diaphragm muscle to seize its contractions. How to do that?
Hold your breath
Inhale up to the point when you can’t take more air: first in the belly and then in the lungs. Keep the breath for about 10 seconds and then exhale slowly and fully. Repeat the process if you need to. [1]
This method has two simultaneous effects: First, it stretches the diaphragm well enough with the full breath, and second, lets CO2 blood level to increase. This could automatically limit the diaphragm spasms and help you to get rid of hiccups.
Learn how “breathing correctly” can make you lose weight.
Sip ice-cold water
Drink a glass or two of water in small sips, until the hiccups are totally gone. [2]
When you sip a beverage, you can interrupt your respiratory cycle and automatically close the trachea. In that case, when the diaphragm contracts, the trachea would be already closed because of the drinking process. And you cannot hiccup!
Besides, drinking ice cold water could stop the muscle irritation happening in the diaphragm. Thus, you can stop the spasms from the bottom!
Rubbing the back of the neck
At the back of your neck, you can find one key artery: The Carotid Artery. And this blood vessel is connected to the nerves of the diaphragm.
When you massage your neck (at the back and on the sides), or apply pressure in that area, you can indirectly stimulate the diaphragm nerves and help the organ to stop its involuntary contractions. [3] As a result, you may get rid of hiccups quickly and easily!
This method is very suitable when you are in a social setting or in a formal environment, where you have to deal with the hiccups as discretely as possible.
Eat a lemon
A research from 2015 showed that eating or drinking something sour (like lemon, vinegar, or something else” could have a positive effect on getting rid of hiccups immediately. The research does not prove why exactly sour foods have such effects, but the results are speaking for themselves: 19 out of 20 people experienced an improvement in persistent hiccups. [4]
And regarding self-limiting hiccups, the quick effect is positive every time.
Why do we hiccup?
According to the Department of Anesthesiology in the Lahey Clinic, Boston, there are two types of hiccups: “self-limited” and “persistent.” In this article, we tackle the self-limited condition, as the persistent one (more than 48 hours) is related to more severe symptoms and health problems, such as vomiting, fluid imbalance, insomnia, and malnourishment (and require medical attention.)
The self-limited hiccups are short involuntary contractions of the diaphragm, which cause the trachea close and make us lose breath for a second. They usually last only for a couple of minutes but can appear in an uncomfortable time or situation, where they need to be stopped immediately.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, there are several factors, which may trigger such diaphragm spasms:
- Stomach full of too much food, alcohol, or air
- Sudden changes in temperature
- Smoking (cigarettes, shisha, joint)
- Excitement, stress, or other heightened emotion