Hiccups are common and usually harmless. But they can also be a symptom of this condition.
Very few of us haven't experienced those strange sounds known as hiccups that sometimes escape our mouths without warning. It's an occurrence we frequently find funny when it happens to others, but it is often annoying when it happens to us - even though hiccups happen to just about everyone. "Most people experience hiccups at some point in their life," explains Dr. Christopher Pullins, a family medicine physician with Mayo Clinic. "But the frequency and severity of them vary among individuals."
Here's what hiccups are, what causes them, and a few of the most proven techniques that can be effective when trying to get rid of them.
What are hiccups?
Hiccups are "involuntary spasms of the diaphragm," Pullins explains. The diaphragm is the dome-shaped muscle that's located below the lungs and heart. When these spasms or involuntary contractions occur, they cause the vocal cords to close quickly, which produces that telltale hiccup sound.
While hiccups are usually harmless and don't last long in most people, Dr. Jason Nagata, a pediatrician at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco, explains that some individuals can experience them chronically. Chronic hiccups are known as intractable hiccups or intractable singultus and can last weeks, months, or even years.
He says that some people are also more prone to experience hiccups than others. "The reasons for this are unclear, but it may be due to anatomical differences such as the location of one’s stomach in relation to the diaphragm as that could make stomach irritation more likely to trigger hiccups," he explains.
What causes hiccups?
Many different things can contribute to the involuntary spasm of the diaphragm that cause hiccups. Some such triggers include medications, stress, a recent surgery, nerve damage, and even sudden changes in temperature. "Any trigger that affects the nervous system that controls the diaphragm can invoke hiccups," says Pullins.
Your diet can matter as well. Hot or spicy foods, for instance, can stimulate the nerves that control the diaphragm. Eating or drinking too quickly can irritate the diaphragm - as can drinking carbonated beverages, overeating, or swallowing air when chewing gum, says Nagata.
Hiccups can also be a symptom of a medical condition. Pullins says that neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's disease, for instance, can cause one to experience hiccups. Some other examples include lung diseases such as pneumonia, metabolic disorders such as hypocalcemia, kidney diseases like renal cell carcinoma, and hiccups can also be a symptom of tumors in the brain stem or stomach.
People who experience GERD or acid reflux are also more likely to experience hiccups as those conditions can irritate the diaphragm.
How to get rid of hiccups
So long as your hiccups aren't tied to a serious medical condition, there are many ways of getting rid of them. These include pulling your knees close to your chest as you lean forward, applying gentle pressure on both sides of your nose as you swallow, or gently using your (clean!) hand to pull the tip of your tongue out of your mouth and downward. "There are also prescription medications that are sometimes recommended for more severe cases," says Pullins.
Nagata says you can also try holding your breath for a short period of time "to increase the amount of carbon dioxide in your blood, which may help relax the diaphragm." Similarly, breathing into a paper bag "may also raise carbon dioxide levels in your blood to help calm the diaphragm," he says. Slowly drinking cold water is another option because it is believed to stimulate the vagus nerve, which helps control the diaphragm. While he says such practices often work, "it’s important to note that none of these methods have been scientifically proven."
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What causes hiccups?
