What Causes Hiccups? Home Remedies, Treatment and Prevention

You experience hiccups when your diaphragm muscle suddenly contract without your control. It happens when the nerves on your neck down to your chest are not in good shape brought about by some irritants.

Why do people get hiccups?

There are many factors that can cause hiccups.

  • Consumption of large meal.
  • Drinking too much alcoholic Beverages.
  • Chewing a gum
  • Stress and anxiety
  • Excitement
  • Smoking
  • Noxious fumes
  • Medications
  • Health conditions such as brain tumors and stroke

In babies:

  • cough
  • crying
  • Gastroesophageal Reflux or GERD

Is hiccup a reason for concern?

what are hiccupsIn most cases, hiccups are considered normal, especially if they only last for a few minutes. However, hiccups become a cause for concern if it gets ceaseless and relentless. If you have been experiencing it, or a loved one has it for over 3 hours, something really has to be done to put it to end. Frequent and persistent hiccups can already affect a person’s sleep. It can cause a bad impact to your eating habits, too. Some of the worse scenarios serious hiccups can bring about are abdominal pain, difficulty in breathing, vomiting, spitting of blood and extreme discomfort on the throat.

When is the right time for you to seek help from your doctor because of hiccups?

Hiccups normally last for a few minutes. If lasts for hours and it’s already interfering with your eating and sleeping, you should head out to your doctor for check-up. Some people endure weeks or even months of hiccups before they seek help from their doctor. Do not wait for such a long time to have your condition addressed by a medical professional. Recurring or incessant hiccups can lead to malnutrition and exhaustion. Keep in mind that lack of nutrients and sleep can result to serious diseases.

What are hiccup remedies you can try at home?

Supposing your hiccups are not chronic or severe, you may want to try home remedies for hiccups. It is best to know if your doctor will approve of these remedies. Make an effort to seek for a professional’s before you try on any of these suggestions.

  • Take some sour edibles like a teaspoonful of vinegar.
  • Eat some nutty spread. This is a heavenly approach to put an end to hiccups. As you grind the spread with your teeth, the pattern of your breathing gets delayed resulting in the relief of hiccups.
  • Level up your intake of dessert. Sweet edibles create a grainy feel on the throat. It irritates the esophagus and resets the phrenic nerves into its original structure.
  • Consume hot sauce in an amount you can take. Its hotness takes your attention away from your hiccups.
  • Enjoy a fair amount of honey on your mouth. A teaspoon of the nectar on warm water can help relieve hiccups. On account of honey’s ability soothe cough, many people believe that it can cause relief to any throat-related discomfort.
  • Get a glass of water and have the top covered with a towel. Drink through the fabric and make sure you pull harder to get as much water as you can. Forcing more energy to gulp water makes the spasmodic movement of your muscles regulated.
  • Get a small, brown paper bag and breathe into it. Such exercise will increase the carbon dioxide in your blood, hence which is a great way to stop hiccups.
  • Gargle using cold water.
  • Put in some delicate weight on your nose while you swallow.
  • Have a glass of warm water but drink it very slowly. Let the water pass through your throat without breathing.

What treatments are given to those suffering from long-term hiccups?

The treatment for prolonged hiccups will begin with general physical examination including assessment on the person’s reflexes, balance, coordination, eyesight, muscle tone and sense of touch. A neurological exam will also be conducted. Laboratory tests will also be required which include blood tests, imaging tests, endoscopic test and electrocardiogram.

Depending on the result of the laboratory tests and physical examination, the patient will be prescribed some medications. Surgery is also another medical treatment used to cure hiccups but this rarely happens.

What should I do to prevent hiccups?

A healthy lifestyle prevents hiccups from occurring. Eat and drink in moderation and try not to be exposed in abrupt temperature changes.