14 Fastest Ways to Get Rid of Hiccups that Actually Work

One or two hiccups after the big dinner breaks the ice during your family gathering. But when it does not stop, that’s when you get annoyed. Ever wonder who is the culprit for your, sometimes tiring, hiccup? It is diaphragm. a muscle below lungs that regulates the breathing mechanism.

In normal condition, diaphragm pulls down when you breathe in, providing more space for lungs to be filled with air. And when you exhale, diaphragm relaxes as the air flowing out of your body. All the mechanism works smoothly in general. However, when the diaphragm gets irritated, it pulls down in a jerky way, causing you to suck air into your throat suddenly. This is basically what happens when you hiccup. Hiccup is followed by a fast and complete closure of the vocal cords, which causes your voice to make a “hic” sound.

Most of the times hiccups are caused by eating or drinking too quickly, but there are also various other reasons that provoke hiccups.

Hiccups Causes

• Sudden change of temperature inside stomach
• Eating too much spicy food
• Drinking alcohol
• Swallowing air while chewing gum
• Extreme emotion

Hiccups will stop eventually without any medical intervention. But sometimes, it lasts longer that you want to find a method to put an end to it. Everyone near you prompts many ways that work for them.

While you are confused which one to use, remember that there are two basic mechanisms to stop hiccup.

1. First, you can do it by rising the levels of carbon dioxide in your blood.
2. And second, you can create nerves distraction that divert your brain into focusing on other things.
3. Let you breathe

Meanwhile, check out more ways to stop hiccups fast below!

Principle 1 — Rising the Levels of Carbon Dioxide

Here are the first ways to get rid of hiccups that actually work:

1. Hold Your Breath

Holding your breath is one of the simplest way to stop your hiccups. Follow these steps:

• Take a deep breath with your nose, fill your lungs with air
• Hold for about 10 seconds or longer but not so long that it makes you uncomfortable
• Breathe all the air out through your mouth
• Breathe normally and see if the hiccups are gone

2. Cover your mouth

Covering your mouth is an alternative if you find it hard to hold your breath. This will also increase the levels of carbon dioxide in your body. Follow these steps:

• Cup your hands over your mouth and nose
• Breathe normally
• The point of this method is to inhale carbon dioxide from the air you breathe out
• Wait for about 30 seconds to see if the hiccups are gone 
  
  

3. Breathe into paper bag

This is another alternative that you can try to rise the levels of carbon dioxide, especially when you cannot hold your breath for too long. Follow these steps to get rid of your hiccup:

• Find small or medium sized paper bag
• Make sure it is clean as you will breath in and out in it
• Take a deep breath with your nose
• Place your mouth inside the paper bag
• Breath out all the air into the paper bag
• Breath in the again from the paper bag with your nose
• And breath out
• Wait 30 seconds to check if your hiccups are gone

Indeed, there are some natural remedy for several health treatments such as Natural Ways to Heal Dry Cracked Feet with Home Remedies and Ways to Get Rid of Bad Breath with Home Remedies

Principle 2 — Diversion

Next ways to get rid of hiccups that actually work

4. Sugar

The basic principle underlying this method is to distract vagus nerve, the nerve that goes from stomach to brain, into telling the brain that something ‘more important’ needs reaction. What you want by doing this method is for the body to forget about the hiccups so you distract it by doing another thing.

Follow this simple steps:

• Take a spoonful of sugar
• You can also substitute it with brown sugar or honey
• Hold the spoon in our mouth for 5 seconds
• Swallow and take a sip of water

5. Peanut butter

Peanut butter is another option to divert the attention of your brain from hiccups. Peanut butter is selected because of its sticky texture that can distract your breathing away from hiccups.

Follow these steps:

• Take a spoonful of peanut butter
• Chew the sticky peanut butter—prolong this step for as long as you can because chewing the sticky stuff is the distraction
• Take a sip of water

You may also read more ways on How to Treat Cancer with Turmeric #Proven Home Remedy

6. Gulp down water

If you are not a fan of sweet, you can simply drink water for a non severe hiccup case. This works with the same principle as the previous method. You are advised to use cold water as it helps to stop the irritation in the diaphragm and eventually helps regulating the movement back to normal. Follow this steps

• Fill a glass with cold water
• Hold your breath by pinching the sides of your nose with your fingers
• Drink the water as much as you can
• You might feel your ears pop slightly
• Repeat if necessary

7. Pinky finger

If all the above methods still does not work for you, or you cannot get yourself to get a spoonful or such food, then you can try simple method. Still with the same basic principle of diversion, now you need no properties but your own pinky finger.

Follow these steps:

• Take the fingernail of the person having hiccups
• Squeeze hard on the surface of the fingernail
• Hold for ten seconds or more until hiccups stop

Another Ways to Stop Hiccups Fast

Here are the ways to get rid of hiccups that actually work:

1. Take a deep breath on the plastic bag
2. Sleep on the stomach position
3. You can stop hiccups fast by drinking warm water
4. Exhale and inhale
5. You can stop hiccups fast by eating sugar,
6. Or, peanut jam, then chew it
7. Lastly, one best ways to get rid of hiccups that actually work is by eating lemon slice. 
   
   

How to Prevent Hiccups

Having hiccups is indeed not a serious health problem. However, in certain occasion like meeting, hiccup can be a little distraction. Below we provide several preventative tips to keep you from hiccup.

You need to avoid:

1. Eating or drinking too rapidly—people who eat rapidly tend to swallow excessive amounts of air
2. Eating spicy food— this will cause the burning sensation in the mouth and food pipe enters the lungs and disrupts the normal rhythm of the diaphragm.
3. Drinking alcohol— alcohol gets into your brain and trigger the vagus nerve, irritating it.
4. Sudden change of temperature in stomach
5. Swallowing air while chewing gum

In general, hiccup only lasts for few minutes and will fade away by itself. But in some cases, it could last longer and lead to nausea and vomiting. While all the above are simple and easy ways for curing non severe hiccups in general, you are advised to see a doctor if you experience hiccup that lasts longer than usual.

Indeed, that’s all the fastest ways to stop hiccups with natural remedy such as eating sugar or peanut butter to stop hiccups within minutes. Try it and get yourself relaxed! Stay healthy, people!

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