People's Go-To Trick For Getting Rid Of Hiccups- Exclusive Survey
Prompted by abrupt temperature changes, eating too quickly, drinking a bubbly soft drink, or inhaling excess air while chewing on a piece of gum, hiccups can strike anywhere anytime, yet are usually short-lived, explains the Mayo Clinic. In rarer cases, a bout of hiccups may be triggered in relation to head trauma, tumors, infection, or certain conditions such as multiple sclerosis, reports an article published in BMJ Journals, Gut.
Yet the signature "hic" sound that accompanies the hiccups is produced due to a sudden, involuntary contraction of the diaphragm — the muscle situated between our lungs and stomach that aids in our ability to breathe by moving up and down as we inhale and exhale (via Scientific American). However, when our neurons send messages to the diaphragm to drop down more sharply than normal, the air gets abruptly pulled into the back of the throat, causing our vocal cords to shut tightly, and eliciting the sound of a hiccup.
While some may find the sound of hiccups to be cute, others find them to be rather pesky. Therefore, we asked 610 readers of Health Digest to share their go-to method for getting rid of the hiccups quickly and effectively.
Try this breath-holding technique
Out of six choices, the answer option with the least amount of votes was hugging one's knees with 35 votes. According to Medical News Today, adjusting your posture by tucking your knees and holding them tightly against your chest may help relieve hiccups. With just four more votes was drinking pickle juice. MeMD reports that this method works by activating one's gag reflex to help get rid of hiccups. With 42 votes was breathing into a paper bag. This technique suggests that changing one's rhythm of breathing may help stop a bout of hiccups (per Medical News Today).
Amongst the top three answers was pinching your nose while drinking water with 56 votes, making up just over 9% of answers. This method is based on the idea that gently holding one's nose closed while swallowing stimulates certain pressure points on the body that may provide hiccup relief. Competing for the top answer amongst respondents was drinking ice water and holding one's breath. With 115 votes, drinking cold water came in second place compared to 323 votes for holding one's breath. Accounting for 52.95% of total answers, Medical News Today offers a specific breath-holding technique, which involves inhaling and then holding the breath for ten seconds. Don't exhale just yet, though. Inhale twice more before finally releasing the breath. Although there is no one-size-fits-all trick for stopping an unwelcome bout of hiccups, some may find that certain techniques work better for them than others.