Hiccups occur at rhythmic intervals of about a few seconds apart and bouts don't usually last for more than an hour.
One of the main reasons for hiccups is when the vague nerve or also known as the pneumogastric nerve or cranial nerve x or any of its branches gets irritated. The vague nerve starts in the brain stem and runs through the throat, esophagus, lungs, heart and diaphragm and into the abdomen. The vague nerve has many important functions and among them are to regulate the heart beat, keep the digestive tract in order and send messages to the brain.
Several triggers can cause the nerve to get irritated. When it does, an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm occurs followed by closure of the vocal chords. This causes the hiccup. The triggers include eating too fast and not chewing food properly which causes air to get entrapped. Overeating, eating spicy foods and drinking too much can also upset your digestive system and lead to hiccups.
Hold Your Breath
First of all, take three deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose from your stomach and release it slowly through your mouth. On the third deep breath, hold it as long as you can before you release. While you are holding your breath, pinch or hold your nose and close your mouth so that the air won't escape. Repeat the exercise several times and you should be able to get rid of the hiccups.
How To Stop Hiccups - Try the Sugar Remedy
Place a teaspoon of sugar at the back of your tongue and swallow it. Quite a number of experts recommend this hiccup remedy. The sugar will overload the nerve endings in the mouth, the nerve impulses receive a new message and the brain will shut off the hiccups.
Drink Water
A popular home remedy for hiccups is to drink water. The act of swallowing the water will interrupt the cycle. What you may also want to try to is to put water inside your mouth, bend sideways or forward and then swallow the water. Gargling ice water may also help in getting rid of hiccups.
How To Stop Hiccups - Breathe into a Paper Bag
One of the ways to stop hiccups is by inhaling and exhaling into a brown paper bag making sure that the bag is held tightly around your mouth so that no air can escape. The logic behind this hiccup remedy is that the hiccups occur because of a decrease in the amount of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream. So when you breathe out into the bag, the carbon dioxide is trapped inside. And when you breathe in, you are breathing the carbon dioxide back into your body and increasing its amount in the bloodstream.
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