Hiccups are reflexively emitted, abrupt sounds, the cause of which is a convulsive jerk-like contraction of the diaphragm and thoraco-abdominal muscles. If hiccups do not last long, then this is not a reason to see a doctor, but everyone wants to overcome it as quickly as possible. How to get rid of hiccups quickly? You must understand that scaring a hiccupping person is not a solution, but if applied to a child, it is also dangerous and will harm the psyche. It will not be possible to cope with it through the effort of our own will, since the diaphragm is not under the control of our consciousness.
Stomach cramps, manifested by hiccups, can be quickly eliminated with simple manipulations.
How to stop hiccups at home?
Effective folk remedies for hiccups that will stop hiccups at home are:
- Drink cold water. The best and simplest method to quickly relieve hiccups in adults and children. Water washes the walls of the esophagus, removing crumbs and food debris that irritate the phrenic nerve. The water must be cold, and you must drink it in slow, small sips. If this does not help remove hiccups, then you can tilt your torso forward. This position relaxes the diaphragm muscles. Some doctors suggest drinking while turning the glass along its axis. If this does not help, and deliverance has not come, you can ask a person nearby to assist. Cross your arms behind your back and lean towards a glass of cold, still water, which your friend should slowly move away, and you should reach for it. If you have no one to ask for help, plug your ears with cotton balls and try drinking a glass of water in deep sips.
- Certain foods can also be considered folk remedies. To stop hiccups quickly, you can simply eat a slice of lemon or drink sour juice. A spoonful of sugar or a piece of refined sugar added to beer is a useful aid in treating this problem. A teaspoon of vinegar diluted with water or an ice cube placed on the tongue can also relieve hiccups.
- Folk remedies for hiccups also include reflexology. Press on the root of the tongue, as if inducing vomiting, or press on closed eyelids. This will eliminate the symptom within 1-2 minutes.
- You can get rid of hiccups at home by using breathing exercises. Take a deep breath, hold your breath and only then exhale. You should do these exercises until you can stop hiccups. To “drive away” it, you can inhale deeply, while connecting your little fingers with your thumbs - you get two rings. The exercise must be done, devoting 5-10 minutes to it. You need to breathe slowly and deeply, preferably into a paper bag. This will quickly increase the level of CO2 in the blood.
- President Kennedy's personal doctor argued that you can urgently stop hiccups by holding the tip of your tongue. This method will help you solve the problem in 5-10 seconds.
- Tickling can help a suffering person overcome the symptom. This extraordinary method will force you to hold your breath and “calm” the muscles of the diaphragm. It is an indispensable and relevant method in the treatment of children.
Causes of hiccups in adults
Hiccups are an involuntary, evenly repeated short and strong breath with a characteristic sound when the glottis is closed or sharply narrowed, which is caused by a sudden convulsive contraction of the diaphragm, spasm.
Episodic hiccups
Short attacks occur periodically in all people, regardless of health status. These attacks seem to occur without obvious external or internal causes, although in fact there are always reasons for episodic hiccups:
- Hypothermia.
- Alcohol intoxication, often combined with coldness.
- Frequent overeating, especially dry food or before bed.
- Irritation of the phrenic nerve due to an unknown cause. In this case, there is a “nervous tic” or “regular uncontrollable spasms.”
Video information
After alcohol
“How to stop hiccups after drinking alcohol?” - a question that interests many, since it is difficult to eliminate the symptom after drinking alcohol. The main reason for its appearance in this case is the accumulation of toxins, and it is impossible to relieve the attack due to the duration of removal of toxic substances from the body. Accordingly, in order to fight against such hiccups, it is necessary to cleanse the body.
There are different ways to detox at home, but the best way is to induce vomiting. In order to enhance the effect, activated carbon is dissolved in water (the number of tablets is calculated by weight - 1 tablet per 10 kg of weight). You need to take the solution in one gulp and press on the root of the tongue. In severe cases, treatment should be carried out by a doctor in specialized clinics.
If a person abuses alcoholic beverages and cannot escape the problem on his own, this indicates a serious liver pathology and requires urgent treatment. With systematic alcohol consumption, the liver increases in size and supports the diaphragm, so hiccups do not go away.
Treatment
If the condition is episodic, then no special methods are required to get rid of hiccups; folk remedies are also suitable. To stimulate the process, you can hold your breath for a few seconds. If the condition recurs regularly, you should immediately contact a medical facility and undergo diagnostics.
Interesting! Can hiccups or belching occur due to nervousness?
Therapeutic measures against hiccups are primarily aimed at eliminating the identified cause of its occurrence. At first, to relieve the patient of discomfort, the doctor may prescribe medications to cope with hiccups, this could be Metoproclamide or Diazepam, anticonvulsants.
Acupressure
Chinese doctors have known how to stop hiccups for many centuries. In this eastern country, a method of getting rid of an obsessive state was born - acupressure. Knowing which points to influence, you can relieve hiccups in a matter of minutes.
The most famous and widely used point is “under the stomach” (3 fingers below the sternum). You need to press lightly, using your middle finger. This is repeated at least 5 times. Then you need to stand up, clasp your hands behind your back and breathe deeply through your nose. Then they exhale through their mouth, raising their arms straight in front of them. This exercise must be done at least 3 times. You can also influence the depression behind the earlobe, between the collarbones, in the area above the sternum.
One of the effective methods for eliminating hiccups is massage in the chest area and soothing.
During the massage you need to breathe deeply and be completely relaxed. It is indicated only for adults, and only a certified massage therapist can banish the disease forever. Self-medication in this way can lead to negative consequences.
Table of medications for oral administration
| Antiemetics | Tranquilizers | Antacids |
| Metoclopromide | Dazepam | Almagel |
| Cerucal | Apaurin | Altacid |
| Perinorm | Relium | Maalox |
| Metamol | Seduxen | Gastracid |
| Oxazepam | Rutacid | |
| Tazepam |
How can adults get rid of hiccups with the help of medications?
Medicine knows of cases where hiccups could not be calmed for days. In such severe cases, there is a need to treat the person with medication, especially when hiccups become painful. This indicates overstrain of the diaphragm. Doctors recommend herbal teas.
- St. John's wort and rosemary leaves (20 grams);
- hop cones;
- lemon balm and mint;
- valerian juice or crushed root (30 grams).
The ingredients are poured with boiling water, mixed thoroughly and covered with a lid. The tea needs to steep for 2 hours. An adult should take tea 3 times a day before meals.
https://youtu.be/d47LH1IxR9s
In addition, homeopathic pharmacies sell yarrow juice (without a prescription). He can get rid of the symptom if he takes the medicine 1 teaspoon 3 times a day.
There are drugs that can correct the situation. "Omez", "Cisapride", "Baclofen". They will help fight severe hiccups, but take such strong medications only when prescribed by a doctor.
Are hiccups dangerous?
Frequently recurring and prolonged hiccups are considered one of the symptoms of various diseases, although this sign is not enough to diagnose specific health problems. However, debilitating and frequent hiccups can be dangerous and serve as a signal to the doctor and an excuse to prescribe various examinations. The mechanisms of the appearance and development of hiccups, as a sign of disease, are somewhat different for different health disorders, but are always associated with pathological impulses in the motor fibers of the nerves of the diaphragm. The following forms are distinguished:
- Central hiccups appear in diseases of the spinal cord or brain, including cancer, trauma and stroke. It includes psychogenic hiccups, which are often accompanied by hysterics.
- Peripheral hiccups are associated with problems of the phrenic nerve and its branches. It occurs when nerve branches are compressed during oncology in the area of the mediastinum and lungs, with pleurisy, irritation of the peritoneum in the diaphragm area, diseases of the stomach, gall bladder and some other diseases.
- Referred hiccups occur with pathology of organs located far from the zone of influence of the phrenic nerve. It accompanies gynecological diseases, giardiasis, helminthiasis.
- Toxic hiccups, which may be central or peripheral. Occurs with uremia, diabetes mellitus, infectious intoxication and general anesthesia.
Persistent pathological hiccups have a debilitating effect on most patients, and can even provoke mental changes in personality. To stop hiccups, additional neurological examinations must be performed.
What if it doesn't last long?
How to stop hiccups if you cannot stop the attacks, and they regularly torment you for several days, weeks, or even years? In such situations, when hiccups are already painful, only a doctor can help. The fight includes a consultation with a gastroenterologist. You need to undergo tests that he will prescribe to find out why hiccups occur and how to treat them correctly.
Very often, the cause of the disease is not hidden in the gastrointestinal tract, it is neurological: nervous shocks, depression, hidden grievances and experiences that the patient is not even aware of. Sometimes hiccups occur due to these reasons.
Here only a psychiatrist and a psychologist can get rid of the disease. You just need to trust them and let them get rid of the hiccups. Sometimes the hiccups stop after a sincere conversation. Others have to take serious drugs, such as antipsychotics, to overcome.
A symptom that lasts for years will not go away on its own. In such a situation, consult a doctor and undergo the necessary course of therapy to return to normal life.
Causes
The following factors can cause hiccups:
- Binge eating. When eating large amounts of food, the stomach stretches excessively. This leads to irritation of the vagus nerve.
- Dry food.
- Taking in air when eating. This happens when people rush through food, talk while eating, or drink carbonated drinks. Excess air distends the stomach, its walls put pressure on the vagus nerve. In response to irritation, hiccups appear.
- Sudden temperature jump. The onset of an attack is noted when one enters a cool room from the heat. Hiccups appear with severe hypothermia. It is accompanied by trembling caused by muscle spasms. In this case, hiccups try to extinguish the spasm of the diaphragm.
- Muscle tension resulting from fear or a stressful situation. At the same time, you can get rid of hiccups by performing breathing exercises and taking a sedative.
- Drinking alcohol. Alcohol intoxication disrupts the functioning of the nervous system. Toxins that enter the brain excite the segment responsible for hiccups. The irritated area gives a reflex response - an attack of hiccups.
- Irritation of nerve fibers occurs if people inhale dusty, smoky, polluted or poisonous air. The response to toxins is expressed by hiccups and coughing.
- Infection with worms can provoke a long-lasting attack. Helminths irritate the intestines and disrupt its functioning. When perforation of the intestinal walls, diaphragmatic muscle tissue and nerve branches are damaged. Such processes cause hiccups.
There are some pretty serious causes of hiccups. It can occur against the background of various pathologies. When the attack is prolonged and does not disappear spontaneously within 1–2 days, it is necessary to undergo a medical examination.
The occurrence of hiccups is provoked by the following factors:
- Diseases of the digestive tract. Inflammatory processes occurring in the gastrointestinal tract, ulcers, pancreatitis irritate the vagus nerve.
- Respiratory diseases. Pneumonia, bronchitis, pleurisy, and diseases of the oropharynx excite the nerve roots located next to the diaphragm.
- Nervous system disorders: inflammation of the meninges, poor circulation in the brain, damage to the myelin sheaths of neurons.
- Heart diseases: heart attack, aneurysm. The reflex appears in patients who have a pacemaker (IVR).
- Intoxication that occurs in cancer patients after chemotherapy or the use of potent drugs.
Most causes cause short-term attacks of hiccups that go away on their own or are easily eliminated by folk methods. If the phenomenon becomes permanent, you should consult a doctor - it may be a symptom of a disease that cannot be eliminated without medical intervention.
