They are annoying, appear unannounced with no explanation or warning, and usually leave only after a great deal of effort. No, I am not talking about in-laws! I am actually talking about hiccups.
I was at the grocery store the other day when I felt a sudden need to have water, as my throat was parched. So, I took out my water bottle from my handbag and ended up drinking too much water too soon. And then it started- a sudden hiccup that startled me with its arrival- …hick… the weird sound came out in a short, loud burst. I looked around. Luckily, there was no one in my aisle! Now I had to plan my next move, as I was unsure when my second hiccup… hick… oops! Much as I tried to control them, the hiccups played hooky on me.
Then a lady who saw me hiccup, suddenly smiled knowingly, probably looking at my startled expression. I walked the aisles shopping between hicks that were unrhythmic. This was indeed embarrassing. Later, when I got home, I decided to google as to why do we get these hiccups and how does one stop them.
It was interesting to learn that doctors call hiccups ‘ singultus’ or synchronous diaphragmatic flutter. According to University Health News Daily (2017), “A hiccup is an involuntary reflex that occurs when the diaphragm gets irritated. This forces you to suddenly swallow air that hits your vocal cords. The space in the throat near the vocal cords known as the epiglottis snaps shut as a result”.
Irritation of the diaphragm could be caused by:
• Carbonated beverages
• Too much alcohol
• Too much spicy food
• Stress
• Sudden excitement
• Sudden changes in temperature
• Swallowing air while chewing gum
• Gastritis
• Laryngitis
People with persistent hiccups that last longer than two days need to seek medical attention. This can be a sign of a serious health condition such as nerve damage, central nervous system disorder, kidney failure, diabetes, or a reaction caused by various drugs. It is said that also undergoing general anesthesia during surgery is known to cause hiccups.
According to Guinness Book of World Records, a U.S. farmer from Iowa by the name of Charles Osborne, had hiccups for 68 straight years. It is said that he was weighing a hog for butchering when it fell on him, which ended up busting a blood vessel in his brain. Although he was able to have a healthy life, some people with intractable hiccups tend to experience insomnia, drastic weight loss, and exhaustion.
GETTING RID OF HICCUPS
Hiccups usually go away on their own within a few minutes. However, if they don’t, doctors may recommend:
• Holding your breath.
• Breathing into a paper bag.
• Gargling with iced water.
• Bringing your knees to your chest and hugging them for 2 minutes.
• Holding the end of your tongue with your fingers and tugging.
• Gently pressing each side of your nose while swallowing.
However, there is no guarantee that all of them will work on everyone. Then there are also some folklore remedies that you may want to try. But again, these are not medically proven.
These are:
• Counting backward from 100
• Sticking your fingers in your ears
• Drinking milk and eating some peanut butter
• Biting on a lemon
• Eating a spoonful of mustard
• Dissolving a spoonful of sugar under your tongue
• Doing anything that will make you sneeze, such as pulling out a nose hair.
Despite all these possibilities on how to cure these hiccups, the medical literature usually stops with just a case study of one or two patients, which doesn’t say much. To know if something actually works, doctors need to perform a controlled medical trial. However, hiccups just haven’t been a hot area for such experiments, which can also be relatively expensive to do.
Regardless, my conclusion is that the distraction of focusing one’s mind on something other than having the hiccups is what finally gets rid of them. Any thoughts?
Citations
Greene-Johnson, C. (2017). Hiccups what causes them and How to Get Rid of Them. UHN Daily. Retrieved fromhttps://universityhealthnews.com/daily/digestive-health/hiccups-causes-get-rid/
Hunter, AI. (2016). Charlie Osborne and Hiccups. The Weekly View. Retrieved from http://weeklyview.net/2016/02/11/charlie-osborne-and-the-hiccup/
Life Is Like That! 