One hiccup, Two hiccup, Three hiccup..."Please No More"

Hiccups are involuntary contractions of the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a muscle used to help with breathing. This muscle separates your chest from your stomach.

The actual hiccup sensation is felt when the body is trying to get food or gas out of the stomach but air can't get through though, resulting in the diaphragm becoming irritated or more specifically: the Phrenic nerve becomes irritated (the nerve that runs through the diaphram).

Some reasons hiccups commonly occur:
   - Minor stomach upsets
   - GERD / Acid Reflux (what is GERD? what is Acid Reflux?)
   - Stress
   - Drinking or eating too much or too quickly
   - Drinking or eating substances with lots of air
   - Eating spicy food
   - Occasionally psychogenic causes

If you would like a more in-depth explanation then you may find this article offers a slightly better explanation: what are hiccups? why do we get hiccups? how to stop hiccups?

Over the years people have told me about all sorts of techniques to help cure hiccups but as yet I haven't found one that has been able to cure mine.

Cures I have tried:

   - Holding breath
   - Breathing out, then holding breath
   - Hold breath and swallow (swallow water or just pretend)
   - Drinking lots of water quickly
   - Swallowing quickly
   - Gargling water
   - Drinking upside down :)
   - Drinking out of a glass back-to-front
   - Standing upside down and holding your breath
   - Breathing into a brown paper bag
   - Someone making you jump
   - Pulling your knees up to your chest
   - Pulling your tongue
   - Put sugar behind your tongue
   - Place a metal knife or fork in a glass of cold water and drink water.
   - Get someone to tickle you (it makes you laugh and hiccup a lot but no cure :(

Maybe some of the above techniques might work for you.

The only times I have found they have gone away so far is when...
- Swimming under water (highly not recommended - only worked for me once, the second time really didn't go so well :)
- Sometimes if you are intensely concentrating on something for a lengthy period.
- From what I remember, if you experience an adrenaline rush, this usually stops them. I used to compete in competitive swimming and other sports; when it was time to step up to the mark they were always gone (from what I remember). Maybe that is where the 'curing hiccups by making a person jump' comes from.

* See readers comments at the bottom of this page for other ideas.

The things over the years that have most often triggered my hiccups are...

   1. bread (this is the cause most years) - from what I recall it is usually a crusty loaf
   2. cold sausage (this was quite often a cause - stopped eating them now)
   3. cold chicken/turkey sandwich
   4. fizzy drink
   5. coughing (around the time i have the hiccup episodes; everytime I try to cough a hiccup comes out instead)
   6. spicy curry.

The hiccups causes given by the experts include...

   - Eating too quickly
   - Eating too much
   - Eating spicy food
   - Drinking too much
   - Drinking carbonated/fizzy/alcoholic drinks
   - Swallowing food / drink quickly along with too much air
   - Irritation in the stomach
   - Irritation in the throat
   - GERD / Acid Reflux (what is GERD?)
   - Sudden temperature changes
   - Tobacco use
   - Stress

There are also over 100 types of medical conditions that can result in chronic hiccup episodes, these types of condition include...

   - Nerve damage or irritation
   - Metabolic disorders
   - Mental or emotional triggers
   - Surgery
   - Central nervous system disorders.

In an effort to find out more about where and why me and my brother have suffered with extreme hiccups all these years, I decided it was time to interrogate my family...

After quizzing my family I was a little surprised to find out that they did/do not suffer from bouts of hiccups at all, and that they knew of no other family member that suffered from lengthy bouts of hiccups (I have seven aunts, one uncle, an army of cousins, and enough cousins kids to make a small country).
I found myself asking 'was I actually the glint in the milkman's eye' all them years ago.

My Little Girl
I have recently had a baby girl, she is currently experiencing many cute little hiccup episodes, about 2-4 times per day usually lasting about 1-15 minutes.
I am told by the midwife and other parents that this is perfectly normal for young babies and that they will gradually get less and less.

I find myself watching her hiccups very closely, wondering if she is going to follow in dad's footsteps or mum's, very much hoping that it will be mum's.

Update:
My little girl is now 9 months old, her hiccups have greatly reduced in numbers and frequency, she gets on average a few hiccups that last no longer than 5 minutes, a couple of times per month.

Update:
My little girl is now 16 months old, her hiccups started today from eating bread, this being one of the triggers that sometimes starts my hiccups. I am wondering if this is a common thing that triggers hiccups? or is she following in my footsteps?

5th April 08

The Trigger: a cold chicken and pickle sandwich
Length of Time: 6.30pm - to some time in the early hours of the morning.

- Whilst eating a cold chicken and pickle sandwich, the first loud hiccup emerged, me and my partner looked at each other and in unison groaned 'oh no'.
- My hiccups persisted all evening. The hiccups were pretty bad on this occasion, being very loud and at some points being painful.
- I was up to 3am before deciding to try to get some sleep.
- My partner informed me that I was actually hiccuping while asleep, and very loudly. I didn't even realize this was possible. This was the first time this had happened that I was aware of.
- She tried waking me up to see if it would stop, it didn't.
- She got so annoyed that she went and slept on the couch. I told her that if it happened again, to wake me up and that I would sleep on the sofa.

-----

11th October 08

The Trigger: a spicy curry, followed an hour later by a beer
Length of Time: 7.30pm - 4.00am

- I started my Saturday evening with a fairly spicy chicken dansak curry and a JD and coke. I have recently acquired a taste for spicier curries.
- An hour after my curry I started drinking a beer, this triggered my hiccups.
- My hiccups were severe and persisted all evening into the early hours of the morning.
- It was my turn to spend the night on the sofa :)
- Whilst trying to get some sleep, I experienced what I understand to be acid reflux (a horrible sicky taste working itself from inside you up into your mouth), i have experienced this before but this time this really burned. I have experienced this sensation before since I was quite young but had never realised this was something called 'acid reflux'. Maybe this has been the cause of my hiccups all of these years!
- I finally got to sleep at approx. 4.00am, I have no idea if I continued hiccuping in my sleep.

-----

12th October 08

The Trigger: a spicy curry, and beer from the night before
Length of Time: 9.00am - (on and off all day)

- The next morning not long after I woke, I sneezed and the sneeze triggered my hiccups.
- I then had hiccups on and off for the rest of the day.
- I decided to buy and try some anti-acid medicine.
- This had no immediate effect, I had hiccups whilst trying the medicine and they persisted for about an hour or two after taking the medicine.
- The hiccups stopped all together that night.

-----

7th May 09

The Trigger: no reason - I coughed
Length of Time: 10.45am - 3.00pm

I coughed then my hiccups began. I tried everything I could to stop them but could not. I even a tried a new technique I heard about where you drink a glass of water with a metal knife or fork placed in the glass.
I have had no breakfast or drink today so it can't be related to my diet, I have had no symptoms of heartburn or acid reflux.

- I am going to seek medical opinion...

- Next time I get hiccups, I am going to try some of the acid reflux / GERD treatments both (natural and medicinal remedies)...

(I will update this lens with any findings)

Please always consult with a medical professional regarding any medical information and advice. The information and links here may not be accurate or current and in no way should be used as medical opinion or advice.