Hiccups Home Remedies: How to Stop Hiccups

Hic..Hiccups! Help! How do I stop my hiccups? Hic..Hic..Hic..Oh no, it won't stop!

Gosh, and the worse thing is I'm about to go on a date. I can't meet him like this. It's so embarrassing.

What about me? I'm meeting an important client. I need to close this deal. Please make my hiccups stop!

Well, hiccups can be distracting, embarrassing and funny. I've always found it funny. And sometimes it hurts like hell.

What are hiccups anyway? Hiccups are made when your diaphragm muscle makes sudden, involuntary contractions and when there is an abrupt rush of air that goes into your lungs. As the muscle contracts repeatedly, the opening between your 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.

• Massage your earlobes - sounds crazy I know, I know. What does the earlobes got to do with the air in your lungs? I don't know either but many people claim that it works. So why not try it?
• Swallow a spoonful of granulated sugar - are you in the house, coffee shop or restaurant? Ask for sugar and swallow a spoonful of it. Sugar somehow triggers your nerve impulses making it calm down. You know --it-- your diaphragm that is making spasm movements. Others claim that holding the sugar in their mouths until it dissolves helps too. Hmmmm...interesting don't you think so?
• Hold your breath - an age-old trick that I've been taught since a kid was to hold one's breath for as long as you can. Can be pretty tricky esp. when every second or two..the hic..hic..hic mania is on the loose. But here's the thing, after you hold your breath, make sure you swallow when you feel another hiccup coming. Do it several times please. Don't give up on one breath alone.
  

• Swallow crushed ice -- maybe the cold thing will distract your mind from the hiccuping noise. Hahahahaha
• Eat some dry bread -- oh no, the cold didn't work, maybe eating will help. What do you think?
• Drink a glass of water- all these is making you thirsty, why not gobble up a glass of water quickly?
  
• Drink water while bending down - you are not serious are you? I'm supposed to bend over, hold my breath, drink water upside down? Geesh... this is a crazy remedy.  I should be able to remember to try these out.  Acrobatic stunts to help cure my hiccups. 
  

• Yank your tongue - if none of the above remedies work, try yanking your tongue...gently please.  Very gently please. 
  
• Tickle the top of your mouth - use a cotton swab to tickle the roof of your mouth. 
  
• Press your thumb inside your mouth - place your thumb inside your mouth (making sure it presses the area just below your right nostril) and with your index finger outside your lips, pinch inward.
• Gently massage your eyes
• Gargle with mouthwash 
  

You've tried tickling, gargling, eating, tickling, pulling and pinching, drinking water as fast as you can or bending over... gosh one of these should work for goodness sake!

Okay, you can also always try the paper bag remedy if you feel silly doing the above remedies:

• Get a paper bag and breathe into it - make sure the paper bag is gathered tightly to your lips. Just do this for a minute and not any longer than that.

And one last remedy:

• Sit on the floor and pull your knees to your chest. Wrap your arms around your knees and squeeze as hard as you can. This should compress your chest and force the air out of your lungs. Hold it right there and RELAX!

That should get rid of those pesky hiccups. Or you should just patiently wait and it should go away in a minute or two. Hic..Hic..Hic...

©My Digest (Mavis)