Everything you need to know about hiccups (and the definitive method of ending it)

It is very annoying, it appears at any time and, sometimes, we are unable to stop it. This is all you need to know to end the hiccups effectively and quickly.

It has all happened to all of us. We are calmly taking some reeds with friends and, suddenly, without warning, the hiccup appears. Sometimes, it disappears as it has come, but in others we are unable to get rid of it and it ends up being very annoying.

Hiccup, by definition, is a spasmodic, involuntary and repetitive contraction of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles that causes a sudden breath of air. This causes a narrowing of the opening between the vocal cords, which close suddenly, causing its characteristic sound. It is a reflex act but, unlike a sneeze or cough reflex, the hiccup does not fulfill any known protective function.

It is not necessary to be a light to know when the hiccups appear, since it always manifests itself in the same circumstances: when we eat or drink too fast, we consume carbonated soft drinks, drink alcohol, suffer gas or have anxiety. Not surprisingly, popular culture has always characterized drunks with hiccups, although it doesn't have to be to suffer it.

Normally hiccups are not dangerous. Its average duration is two minutes and, although it is normal for its presence to lengthen for much longer being truly annoying, it is still harmless.


It has all happened to all of us. We are calmly taking some reeds with friends and, suddenly, without warning, the hiccup appears. Sometimes, it disappears as it has come, but in others we are unable to get rid of it and it ends up being very annoying.

Hiccup, by definition, is a spasmodic, involuntary and repetitive contraction of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles that causes a sudden breath of air. This causes a narrowing of the opening between the vocal cords, which close suddenly, causing its characteristic sound. It is a reflex act but, unlike a sneeze or cough reflex, the hiccup does not fulfill any known protective function.

It is not necessary to be a light to know when the hiccups appear, since it always manifests itself in the same circumstances: when we eat or drink too fast, we consume carbonated soft drinks, drink alcohol, suffer gas or have anxiety. Not surprisingly, popular culture has always characterized drunks with hiccups, although it doesn't have to be to suffer it.

Normally hiccups are not dangerous. Its average duration is two minutes and, although it is normal for its presence to lengthen for much longer being truly annoying, it is still harmless.


The record of the greatest hiccups attack in history is held by Charles Osborne, an American who had hiccups for 68 years, from 1922 to 1990

A different thing is what is known as persistent hiccups, those that last longer than 48 hours, and refractory hiccups, which lasts more than a month and, in some extreme cases, several years. This hiccup is very disabling, as it hinders activities such as eating, drinking or sleeping, and is usually a symptom of diseases that cause irritation of the phrenic nerve or the vagus nerve.

The record of the greatest hiccups attack in history is held by Charles Osborne , an American who had hiccups for 68 years, from 1922 to 1990. Luckily it is a very isolated case: persistent or refractory hiccups only affects a person of every 100,000

How to treat hiccups
The truth is that, although there are hundreds of studies in this regard - and Hippocrates and Galen paid attention to the matter -, scientists have not reached a conclusion on what is the best way to end the hiccups. In part, because not all methods work the same in all people, partly because, no matter how bad the thing is, it is very strange that hiccups are a truly important problem and it is better to use money to investigate something else.

Given this scientific vacuum , the treatment of hiccups is a territory paid for extreme handicraft . It is enough for someone to listen to 'hip' so that a discussion about the best ways to end the hiccups explodes: drink upside down (how the hell is this done?), Hold your breath, get a scare, make the bridge pine ...

No way. Given the characteristics of the hiccup, it can be finished by three main exercises (and, sometimes, we will have to alternate them all)

1. Breathing exercises

Although we know what causes hiccups (the contraction of the diaphragm), the underlying cause is not so clear. According to some scientists, this reflex act is due to a decrease in carbon dioxide in the blood, something that can be solved with various breathing exercises.

Sometimes, you can eliminate the hiccups by holding your breath for a while, at other times you just have to try to lower the rhythm of it: for this you can help yourself with a paper bag (but don't choke).

2. Diaphragm exercises

Since it is this muscle that unleashes the hiccups, it is logical that we can intervene on it so that it leaves us alone. There are several exercises to calm the diaphragm. You can lie on the floor and bring your knees to your chest, keeping you in this position for a couple of minutes. You can also bend forward and try to touch your feet with your hands, which will cause your chest to compress, hopefully relieving spasm. There is also a breathing exercise that serves to press the diaphagma: take a deep breath to reach the space under your ribs and squeeze the muscle until it calms down.

Another method, much more radical, is to receive a strong blow to the diaphragm itself. This will cut your breath for a while, but the hiccups will disappear for sure. Now, the remedy may be worse than the disease: if the one who hits you does not hit, or passes, it can break a rib. So better try something else.

3. Distraction exercises

Sometimes, the only thing we get trying hundreds of methods to end it is to worsen the situation because, as we explained before, anxiety is one of its main triggers. If you forget the hiccups, it probably disappears alone. The famous method of scare to end the hiccups is based on this premise: if there is something that catches your attention, your body goes on alert and the diaphragm relaxes.

There are several alternative methods to fright, such as eating a slice of lemon or taking a spoonful of sugar and keeping it in your mouth until it falls apart. The important thing is that you stop thinking about hiccups.