What's Up With The Hiccups?
By Michaele Charles

Have you ever had a case of the hiccups that lasted for hours…or even a whole day? Imagine how frustrated you might be if they lasted 68 years! That’s what happened to Charles Osborne, Guinness World Record holder. He started hiccupping in 1922 and didn’t stop until 1990. It is estimated that he hiccupped over 430 million times.

For most of us, the hiccups don’t last anywhere near 68 years. The most common form of hiccups, transient hiccups, last 48 hours or less and usually just a few minutes. Persistent hiccups last longer than 48 hours but less than a month, and intractable hiccups—the kind Charles Osborne had—last more than two months. Luckily, intractable hiccups are quite rare.

The Science Behind That Noise

So, what are the hiccups? The medical term for hiccups is “singultus,” coming from the Latin word “singult,” a word that means sobbing or the convulsive catching of breath. Though that may be what the hiccups sound like, the hiccups are actually a spasm of the diaphragm. The diaphragm is the muscle that helps us breathe. When that contraction happens, you inhale quickly without meaning to and the opening to your vocal chords snaps closed, causing air to get trapped and a funny noise to slip from your mouth—HICCUP!

Doctors don’t always know what causes the hiccups, but often, eating big meals or drinking carbonated beverages can cause them. Sometimes, laughing and talking at the same time, sudden excitement or stress, or even a quick change in your body’s temperature (as in a hot shower that turns cold) may trigger the hiccups, too.

Halt Those Hiccups!

You’ve probably tried holding your breath, drinking water or having a friend scare you to get rid of the hiccups before, but have you ever tried one of these lesser-known cures?

• Swallowing a spoonful of sugar.
• Swallowing some crushed ice.
• Eating bites of dry bread.
• Gently rubbing on your eyeballs.
• Gently pulling on your tongue.
• Biting on a lemon.

All of these things will help stimulate the vagus nerve, which runs from your brain to your stomach. Stimulating this nerve often helps the diaphragm relax, making the hiccups stop. Most of the time, hiccups go away on their own before you even realize it.

So, the next time you’re in a quiet place and a loud HICCUP escapes your mouth, remember that it’s just your diaphragm getting a little irritated. Use the list of handy tips above, and you’ll never run out of ways to help your diaphragm relax and do away with those embarrassing hiccups!