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Here’s How to Get Rid of Hiccups ASAP Because They Couldn’t Be More Annoying 

Seriously, why do they even exist?
Woman covering her mouth with her coat
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If you’ve ever Googled “how to get rid of hiccups” in a bout of frustration, we can’t really blame you. The human body is endlessly awe-inspiring but, as anyone who’s experienced hiccups in the middle of a job interview, date, or pretty much any time in life knows, it can be incredibly annoying as well. With that in mind, is there anything you can do to get rid of hiccups on your own? Asking for a friend here, of course. The answer: Maybe.

What Are Hiccups?

Hiccups are involuntary contractions of your diaphragm, which is the muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen, the Mayo Clinic says. After each of those contractions, your vocal cords suddenly close—and that creates that classic “hic” sound.

Your diaphragm serves an important purpose: It’s the main muscle you use to breathe, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Whenever you breathe in, your diaphragm tightens and moves downward. When you breathe out, it relaxes and rises into your chest cavity.

When something irritates your diaphragm, it can spasm and make you suck air into your throat. Aaand now you’ve got the hiccups. Hiccups typically fade within a few days, the Cleveland Clinic says. If they stick around longer than that, you’re dealing with persistent hiccups. If they last a few months or longer, which is really rare but still technically possible, they’re known as intractable hiccups.

Why Do Hiccups Happen?

It can feel like hiccups come out of nowhere, but as we mentioned, they usually start when something irritates your diaphragm, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Those irritants can include:

  1. Eating too quickly
  2. Eating too much
  3. Eating hot or spicy foods
  4. Drinking alcohol
  5. Drinking carbonated drinks
  6. Diseases that irritate the nerves that control the diaphragm
  7. Feeling nervous or excited
  8. Certain medicines
  9. Abdominal surgery
  10. Metabolic disorders
  11. Central nervous system disorders

The actual mechanisms behind why these factors can cause hiccups are a little less clear. With that said, it’s thought to involve a reflex between the phrenic and vagus nerves that run from the neck into the diaphragm via the chest, Celine Thum, M.D., who has treated people in the emergency room for significant pain and difficulty eating and communicating caused by prolonged hiccups, tells SELF.

“There is a hiccup reflex arc that relies on multiple neural pathways, which is thought to include ‘input’ from nerves like the phrenic and vagus nerve; a central nervous system mediator, which may be either in the brain or spinal cord; and ‘output’ to nerves that are responsible for the sudden contraction of the diaphragm and closure of the [vocal cords],” Cedars-Sinai internal medicine specialist Nicole Van Groningen, M.D., tells SELF.

Hiccups that last longer than 48 hours tend to have underlying factors, like nerve damage or irritation from gastroesophageal reflux, which happens when stomach acid backs up into your esophagus, causing heartburn. Metabolic conditions can also screw with your hiccup reflex. For example, people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes might experience damage to their vagus nerves, which can influence how well their bodies regulate hiccups.

It’s a similar story with health conditions like multiple sclerosis that might impair your central nervous system, thereby affecting your body’s ability to control your hiccups normally. Some of those include meningitis and a traumatic brain injury, the Mayo Clinic says. Various drugs, including tranquilizers and steroids, can also contribute to hiccups.

How to Get Rid of Hiccups

Here’s the deal: There aren’t many scientifically sound ways to get rid of hiccups. In fact, there’s no real medical consensus on how exactly to handle hiccups. That said, many doctors swear by these methods for how to get rid of hiccups, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the Cleveland Clinic, and various pieces of research studying how to get rid of hiccups:

  1. Sip water. “My go-to home remedy is taking 20 tiny sips of water in a row, as quickly as possible,” says Dr. Thum, adding that this works with her patients the majority of the time. “By swallowing water repeatedly, you can’t breathe in so quickly, forcing your body to calm down. [This] slows down its nerve impulses to the diaphragm,” she says.
  2. Or drink water quickly. If sipping doesn’t work, speeding up how quickly you swallow the water may be effective.
  3. Hold your breath. Holding your breath may work in the same way as sipping water, by pacing your nerve impulses to your diaphragm and hopefully stopping your hiccup reflex as a result.
  4. Have someone surprise you. This can force you to take a deep breath, potentially interrupting the reflex arc and stopping your hiccups, Dr. Thum explains. Unfortunately, you can’t quite do this one on yourself—and probably shouldn’t try this on people you know who absolutely hate being surprised.
  5. Gargle with something like ice water. Gargling is another maneuver that can help stimulate the vagus nerve, according to research. (Cold drinks may also help with this.)
  6. Swallow something like crushed ice or granulated sugar (make sure anything you’re swallowing is small enough that you can’t choke on it). Similarly to the methods above, this can affect your vagus nerve reflex in a way that might put an end to your hiccups.
  7. Lean over and drink water from the far side of the glass—so try swallowing in a different way, basically!
  8. Pull on your tongue. Yup, sounds weird, but it’s a known way to stimulate the vagus nerve, according to research.
  9. Press on your carotid arteries. You have a carotid artery on each side of your neck, the Mayo Clinic says, and some research shows that pressing on them may affect your vagus nerve in a way that gets rid of your hiccups.
  10. Or try pressing (gently) on your eyeballs through closed eyelids. This is another way to stimulate your vagus nerve, according to research.
  11. If that doesn’t work, give pressing on your ear openings a try. Ditto as to the reasoning here—you can try getting your vagus nerve to act right by pressing on your external ear canals. Just don’t push too far into your ears! That can result in injury (like scratching your ears) or jamming earwax farther into your ear canals.

You can also try lifestyle changes to ease chronic hiccups, such as:

  1. Avoiding carbonated drinks and foods that make you gassy
  2. Eating smaller meals
  3. Eating more slowly
  4. Taking a break from eating things like spicy or super-hot foods
  5. Experimenting with stress management techniques

When to see a doctor

If you struggle with chronic hiccups and nothing is giving you relief, the Mayo Clinic recommends talking to your doctor about potentially taking the following hiccup-reducing medications:

  • Baclofen
  • Chlorpromazine
  • Metoclopramide

Additionally, depending on how persistent your hiccups are, your doctor may recommend that you get an injection of an anesthetic to block your phrenic nerve to stop hiccups. And if that doesn’t work, the Mayo Clinic says your doctor can even surgically implant a battery-operated device to deliver mild electrical stimulation to your vagus nerve. For most people, though, a simple at-home remedy will do the trick.

Your hiccups might suck in the moment, but on the bright side, there are answers when it comes to how to get rid of hiccups—you just might have to experiment before landing on the right one for you.

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