How To Get Rid Of Hiccups Naturally

Are you having trouble getting rid of the hiccups? Well, here are the natural remedies that have helped many people with this issue, you just have to find which one will work for you!

A hiccup is an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm that may repeat several times per minute. In medicine, it is known as synchronous diaphragmatic flutter (SDF), or singultus, Latin for the act of catching one’s breath while sobbing. The hiccup is an involuntary action involving a reflex arc. Once triggered, the reflex causes a strong contraction of the diaphragm followed about 0.25 seconds later by closure of the vocal cords, which results in the classic “hic” sound.

1.  Drink a glass of water through a straw. Fill a straw cup with water, plug your ears with your fingers and gulp down the water. No one really knows why this works, but it’s kind of like you are ‘swallowing down’ your hiccup. This method tends to work best (meaning it only takes a few gulps to work) on young people and children, while adults may have to try it a few times.

2. Eat something sweet. Overloading the nerve endings in the mouth with a sweet sensation may do the trick. Have a teaspoonful of sugar, and if you can, place the sugar on the back of the tongue, where “sour” is tasted. This way, the sugar overload will pack the most punch.

3. Bite into a lemon wedge. Bite into the wedge, sucking in the juice. Sugar may be added to the lemon to ease the taste.

• The taste elicits a similar reaction as to someone scaring you. It’s your body’s way of going, “OH MY GOD,” when it tastes the lemon.
• Place 4 or 5 drops of Angostura Bitters on a lemon wedge, if you want to play bartender. This helps the taste and some people think it works more effectively.

4. Get out the pickle juice or vinegar. Drink about a half a teaspoon of either every 7-10 seconds until your hiccups stop. Don’t like pickle juice or vinegar? Well, hey, that’s even more motivation!

5. Breathe in as much as you can. Without letting any air out, swallow. If you can breathe in a bit more, do so. Keep swallowing and inhaling until you can’t swallow or inhale any longer.

• When you absolutely can’t swallow anymore, exhale all the way in a controlled fashion. Your breath should be reset.

6. Try the open-mouthed swallowing method. Open your mouth and keep it open for a couple of minutes. If you feel the need to swallow, do so, but try to keep your lips apart when you do.

• Keep gulping every few seconds, especially when you feel a hiccup might be coming. A couple of hiccups might escape, but with continuous gulping, hiccups should be gone within 3 minutes.
• Make sure you are not wearing anything tight around your chest. If you are, loosen it.

Emergency action in public places

• Press the palm of your hand with the thumb of your other hand. The harder, the better. Alternatively, you can squeeze the ball of your left thumb between the thumb and forefinger of the right. The discomfort is a distraction that affects your nervous system and may put an end to the hiccups. (And you can do it under the table, without anyone staring at you.)
• Take a deep breath and then hold it for a while. When there’s a buildup of carbon dioxide in your lungs, your diaphragm relaxes.
• If you can retire from public view for a few minutes (“Sorry—have to visit the restroom!”), stick your fingers in your ears for twenty or thirty seconds. Or press the soft areas behind your earlobes, just below the base of the skull. That sends a “relax” signal through the vagus nerve, which connects to the diaphragm area.
• As long as you’re out of sight, stick out your tongue. This rude-looking exercise is done by singers and actors because it stimulates the opening between the vocal cords (the glottis). You breathe more smoothly, quelling the spasms that cause hiccups.
• Cup your hands around your nose and mouth, but continue breathing normally. You’ll get relief from the extra dose of carbon dioxide.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiccup

http://www.wikihow.com/Cure-Hiccups

http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/home-remedies/how-to-cure-hiccups#LJUL6SmrkQMXCwWr.97