A cause of long-term hiccups is damage to or irritation of the vagus nerves or phrenic nerves, which serve the diaphragm muscle. Factors that may cause damage or irritation to these nerves include: A hair or something else in your ear touching your eardrum.
What is a hiccup and what causes it?
Hiccups are sudden, involuntary contractions of the diaphragm muscle. As the muscle contracts repeatedly, the opening between the vocal cords snaps shut to check the inflow of air and makes the hiccup sound. Irritation of the nerves that extend from the neck to the chest can cause hiccups.
How can I stop, get rid of, or cure hiccups?
Home remedies for hiccups.
There are numerous home cures for hiccups. You can try these methods at home to get rid of hiccups:
Methods that cause the body to retain carbon dioxide, which is thought to relax the diaphragm and stop the spasms which cause the hiccups:
~Hold your breath.
Techniques that stimulate the nasopharynx and the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain to the stomach, and can decrease hiccupping:
~Drink a glass of water quickly,
~Have someone frighten you,
~Pull hard on your tongue,
~Bite on a lemon,
~Gargle with water,
~Drink from the far side of a glass,
~Use smelling salts.
Place one-half teaspoon of dry sugar on the back of your tongue. (This process can be repeated three times at two-minute intervals. Use corn syrup, not sugar, for young children.)
Is there medical treatment for hiccups?
Most hiccups will stop on their own. Home remedies are generally sufficient to resolve hiccupping.
For persistent hiccups (lasting more than three hours) treatment varies, and you may need to contact your doctor.
A "hiccup bout" is an episode of hiccups that lasts up to 48 hours
"Persistent hiccups" continue more than 48 hours, up to one month
"Intractable hiccups" last longer than one month.
A health-care professional may prescribe medications for severe, chronic hiccups. Chlorpromazine (Thorazine) is usually the first-line medication prescribed for hiccups. Other medications used to treat hiccups include haloperidol (Haldol) and metoclopramide (Reglan).
Some muscle relaxants, sedatives, analgesics, and even stimulants have also been reported to help alleviate hiccup symptoms.
Phrenic nerve surgery (the nerve that controls the diaphragm) is a treatment of last resort. This treatment is rarely performed and used only in cases that do not respond to other treatments.
Are there any complications of hiccups?
Because most cases of hiccups resolve themselves either spontaneously or with self-administered treatment, complications are extremely rare.
In severe and persistent cases, where hiccups disturb eating and sleeping patterns, weight loss or sleep disturbances may occur.
Rarely, cardiac arrhythmias and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD and GER) have been noted in severe cases of hiccups.
Can hiccups be prevented?
Hiccups cannot always be prevented. Avoiding overeating, eating too quickly, or drinking too much can help prevent hiccups.
What are the symptoms of hiccups?
Some illnesses for which continuing hiccups may be a symptom include: pleurisy of the diaphragm, pneumonia, uremia, alcoholism, disorders of the stomach or esophagus, and bowel diseases. Hiccups may also be associated with pancreatitis, pregnancy, bladder irritation, liver cancer or hepatitis.
Hiccups Cure: How to Stop Hiccups With 9 Quick Tricks
These spasms of your diaphragm muscle are not harmful, but until you find a hiccups cure, they can drive you nuts. So when you're desperate to know how to stop hiccups, try these 9 tricks.
1. Swallow something sweet
A spoonful of sugar is a popular hiccups cure because its graininess could slightly irritate the esophagus, causing the phrenic nerves to "reset" themselves, although there is no proof of this.
2. ...Or swallow something sour
Take a teaspoonful of vinegar. Its sour taste could stop a hiccup in its tracks.
3. Have some peanut butter
A classic hiccups cure involves eating a big spoonful of peanut butter. In the process of chewing and getting it off your tongue and teeth, your swallowing and breathing patterns are interrupted. And hence, the hiccups will be history.
4. Sip some hot / spicy chilli sauce
This probably works because the heat and burn are distracting enough to turn your body's focus on the burn, instead of the hiccup process.
5. Enjoy a little honey
Put 1 teaspoon of honey, stirred in warm water, on the back of your tongue, and swallow it. Like dill, honey could potentially tickle the vagus nerve to make the hiccups stop. Bonus: Honey is also a known infection fighter and cough soother.
6. Yummy chocolate remedy
Eat some powdered chocolate drink mix (cocoa or Ovaltine) right off the spoon. Swallowing the spoonful isn't easy and should cure the hiccups.
7. Brown bag 'em
Breathe slowly and deeply into a small paper bag. (Stop if you feel light-headed.) This increases the carbon dioxide level in the blood and makes the diaphragm contract more deeply to bring in more oxygen, which may stop the hiccup spasms. Find out here why brown bags can also help relive toothaches.
8. Chew up some dill
Here's a simple, pleasant-tasting trick: Slowly chew a teaspoon of dill seeds. This traditional cure may work because swallowing the seeds stimulates the vagus nerve to make the hiccups stop.
9. Try the paper towel trick
Place a single layer of paper towel over the top of a glass, then drink through the towel. You'll have to "pull" harder with your diaphragm to suck up the water, and concentrated gulping counteracts spasmodic muscle movements of hiccups.
What is a hiccup and what causes it?
Hiccups are sudden, involuntary contractions of the diaphragm muscle. As the muscle contracts repeatedly, the opening between the vocal cords snaps shut to check the inflow of air and makes the hiccup sound. Irritation of the nerves that extend from the neck to the chest can cause hiccups.
How can I stop, get rid of, or cure hiccups?
Home remedies for hiccups.
There are numerous home cures for hiccups. You can try these methods at home to get rid of hiccups:
Methods that cause the body to retain carbon dioxide, which is thought to relax the diaphragm and stop the spasms which cause the hiccups:
~Hold your breath.
Techniques that stimulate the nasopharynx and the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain to the stomach, and can decrease hiccupping:
~Drink a glass of water quickly,
~Have someone frighten you,
~Pull hard on your tongue,
~Bite on a lemon,
~Gargle with water,
~Drink from the far side of a glass,
~Use smelling salts.
Place one-half teaspoon of dry sugar on the back of your tongue. (This process can be repeated three times at two-minute intervals. Use corn syrup, not sugar, for young children.)
Is there medical treatment for hiccups?
Most hiccups will stop on their own. Home remedies are generally sufficient to resolve hiccupping.
For persistent hiccups (lasting more than three hours) treatment varies, and you may need to contact your doctor.
A "hiccup bout" is an episode of hiccups that lasts up to 48 hours
"Persistent hiccups" continue more than 48 hours, up to one month
"Intractable hiccups" last longer than one month.
A health-care professional may prescribe medications for severe, chronic hiccups. Chlorpromazine (Thorazine) is usually the first-line medication prescribed for hiccups. Other medications used to treat hiccups include haloperidol (Haldol) and metoclopramide (Reglan).
Some muscle relaxants, sedatives, analgesics, and even stimulants have also been reported to help alleviate hiccup symptoms.
Phrenic nerve surgery (the nerve that controls the diaphragm) is a treatment of last resort. This treatment is rarely performed and used only in cases that do not respond to other treatments.
Are there any complications of hiccups?
Because most cases of hiccups resolve themselves either spontaneously or with self-administered treatment, complications are extremely rare.
In severe and persistent cases, where hiccups disturb eating and sleeping patterns, weight loss or sleep disturbances may occur.
Rarely, cardiac arrhythmias and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD and GER) have been noted in severe cases of hiccups.
Can hiccups be prevented?
Hiccups cannot always be prevented. Avoiding overeating, eating too quickly, or drinking too much can help prevent hiccups.
What are the symptoms of hiccups?
Some illnesses for which continuing hiccups may be a symptom include: pleurisy of the diaphragm, pneumonia, uremia, alcoholism, disorders of the stomach or esophagus, and bowel diseases. Hiccups may also be associated with pancreatitis, pregnancy, bladder irritation, liver cancer or hepatitis.
Hiccups Cure: How to Stop Hiccups With 9 Quick Tricks
These spasms of your diaphragm muscle are not harmful, but until you find a hiccups cure, they can drive you nuts. So when you're desperate to know how to stop hiccups, try these 9 tricks.
1. Swallow something sweet
A spoonful of sugar is a popular hiccups cure because its graininess could slightly irritate the esophagus, causing the phrenic nerves to "reset" themselves, although there is no proof of this.
2. ...Or swallow something sour
Take a teaspoonful of vinegar. Its sour taste could stop a hiccup in its tracks.
3. Have some peanut butter
A classic hiccups cure involves eating a big spoonful of peanut butter. In the process of chewing and getting it off your tongue and teeth, your swallowing and breathing patterns are interrupted. And hence, the hiccups will be history.
4. Sip some hot / spicy chilli sauce
This probably works because the heat and burn are distracting enough to turn your body's focus on the burn, instead of the hiccup process.
5. Enjoy a little honey
Put 1 teaspoon of honey, stirred in warm water, on the back of your tongue, and swallow it. Like dill, honey could potentially tickle the vagus nerve to make the hiccups stop. Bonus: Honey is also a known infection fighter and cough soother.
6. Yummy chocolate remedy
Eat some powdered chocolate drink mix (cocoa or Ovaltine) right off the spoon. Swallowing the spoonful isn't easy and should cure the hiccups.
7. Brown bag 'em
Breathe slowly and deeply into a small paper bag. (Stop if you feel light-headed.) This increases the carbon dioxide level in the blood and makes the diaphragm contract more deeply to bring in more oxygen, which may stop the hiccup spasms. Find out here why brown bags can also help relive toothaches.
8. Chew up some dill
Here's a simple, pleasant-tasting trick: Slowly chew a teaspoon of dill seeds. This traditional cure may work because swallowing the seeds stimulates the vagus nerve to make the hiccups stop.
9. Try the paper towel trick
Place a single layer of paper towel over the top of a glass, then drink through the towel. You'll have to "pull" harder with your diaphragm to suck up the water, and concentrated gulping counteracts spasmodic muscle movements of hiccups.
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