Hiccups are one of the most common phenomena in daily life, and they occur at unexpected times and places, causing great discomfort. Hiccups, which occur regardless of one’s will, are caused by the repeated contraction of the muscles between the diaphragm and the ribs on the border between the chest and stomach, causing the vocal cords to close when trying to breathe.
In most cases, hiccups get better after some time. However, if the symptoms continue for a long time or if the pattern of getting better and then getting worse continues, it causes great discomfort in daily life such as eating and sleeping, as well as in everyday conversation, and at the same time causes a significant decline in the quality of life. will cause
In addition, if these unexpected hiccups continue to occur, not only will you experience weight loss, but it will also cause fatigue, depression, dehydration, and heart irregularities. So today, let’s take a look at some of the main causes of hiccups and the different methods that can help you stop them.
Causes of Hiccups
The main cause of hiccups is when the stomach swells a lot by eating quickly, eating a lot at once, or drinking a lot of soda. It is also known to occur due to ingestion of spicy food, very cold or hot food, gastroscopy, etc., and psychological causes such as fear, excitement, or shock.
Hiccups like this usually come in an acute form and get better after a while. However, it is easy to recur, and the persistently appearing intractable diarrhoea is affected by hysterical neurosis or personality disorder. It can also be caused by neurological abnormalities such as tumors between the lungs, head trauma, multiple sclerosis, and meningitis, and can also be caused by various diseases such as esophagitis, gastritis, pancreatitis, and gastric cancer.
how to stop hiccups
1. hold your breath
One effective way to stop hiccups is to hold your breath after covering your nose and mouth. After inhaling as deeply as possible, holding the breath as much as possible and then exhaling slowly, repeatedly, it induces relaxation of the diaphragm, which is the cause of hiccups, which helps a lot in stopping hiccups. In particular, it is said that this breathing method is more effective in relieving symptoms when the body is bent in a L-shape.
2. Drinking cold water
The second way to stop hiccups is to drink cold water quickly. Drinking cold water stimulates the esophagus, which is in charge of the vagus nerve, which is effective in stopping hiccups. In particular, it is said that drinking a glass of water slowly with your body bent in a L-shape, which was mentioned earlier in the method of holding your breath, can also help.
3. Sugar intake
Consuming sweet foods such as sugar or honey also has the effect of stimulating the vagus nerve, which is connected to the brain and stomach, so it can help stop hiccups. Put a teaspoon of sugar on your tongue and eat it slowly for 2-3 minutes, or dissolve a tablespoon of sugar in warm water to stimulate the nerves and help stop hiccups.
4. Cover your ears
Blocking your ears for 20 to 25 seconds can also help to stop hiccups as it has a vagus nerve stimulation. And, as well as plugging your ears, sticking out your tongue is also helpful. Sticking out the tongue opens the vocal cords and allows for a relatively gentle flow of air, which helps prevent hiccup-causing cramps.
Stimulating the inside of the tongue with an object such as a spoon may also help. Stimulation on the inside of the tongue has the effect of dispersing nerve impulses, so it is said to stop hiccups.
5. Hospital treatment
Although it is known that most hiccups, which occur in a temporary form, can be stopped by the various methods described above, if hiccups continue for more than a day, it is important to seek medical treatment because it can be intractable hiccups caused by various diseases. Accurately examine the suspected cause, and at the same time perform treatments such as massage of the carotid artery and stimulation of the vagus nerve and diaphragm. In addition, a nasogastric tube is inserted to reduce gastric distension, and drug treatment such as clopromazine, phenytoin, and carbamazepine are also among the various methods for treating intractable hiccups.
