How to Cure Hiccups
Every person, young or old, gets hiccups several times during their lifetime; it’s not exactly unpleasant, but having it for too long can be irritating. Fortunately, there are ways on how to cure hiccups, and although not all of them are effective all the time, they’re surely worth a shot!
Materials:
Sugar
Water
Peanut Butter
Cotton swab
Orange or peach juice
The Sweet Method
This simple method works by overloading the mouth’s nerve endings with a sweet sensation.
Get some sugar, at least a teaspoonful.
Very carefully, put the sugar in your mouth, towards the back of the tongue, where the sour taste buds are.
Hold it for five seconds or more. Don’t hiccup.
Swallow all the sugar at once.
Drink some water to wash down the sweet taste.
You can also substitute peanut butter for this method. Just make sure you don’t chew it, or else this tactic won’t work.
Hear No Evil
The vagus nerve, a main component why hiccups occur, stretches into the auditory system. When you stimulate the nerve endings there, your vagus nerve is put to action, relieving hiccups effectively. Do this by sticking your fingers in your ears. Just don’t stick your fingers too far in, or you might damage parts of your inner ears.
Gulp Some Water
When you swallow water, the hiccuping cycle is interrupted, working to quiet down the nerves. Here are two methods you can try.
Method 1
hiccups
Get a glassful of room temperature water.
Drink the whole glass of water slowly, but continuously, taking very small and quick sips. Don’t remove the glass from your lips, and avoid chugging the water.
Once you’ve drank all the water, take a few slow and long breaths. Relax.
Method 2
Get a plastic glass filled to the brim with water.
Put your ears thumbs to your ears, plugging them. Then, plug your nostrils too, using your index fingers, squeezing them lightly.
Use your remaining fingers to grip the glass and raise it to your mouth.
Drink the water all at once, without releasing your nostrils or ears. Finish the entire glass.
Some say replacing the water with another liquid, such as peach juice or orange juice also works great.
Tickling The Hiccups
Being tickled can take your body’s focus from the hiccups. Have someone tickle you on your ticklish spots. Using a cotton swab to tickle the roof of the mouth’s soft palate also works.
Breathing Technique
Controlling your breath also works great to banish annoying hiccups.
Method 1
Sit on a chair and lean the backrest backwards, until you feel comfortable.
Breath in in a slow and steady pace, until you feel as if you can’t inhale any longer. Try to extend your breath, downwards, towards your abdomen. This helps stretch the diaphragm, which in turn interrupts the hiccups.
Hold your breath for at least 30 seconds.
Exhale in a slow manner, until your lungs are emptied.
Repeat this for four to five times, or until you feel good.
During the fourth or fifth breath, straighten the backrest, bringing the chair forward.
Method 2
Slowly inhale and exhale once. When you exhale, make sure to push as much air outwards as possible.
Inhale deeply again, then stick out your tongue.
For at least 40 seconds, hold your breath and nose, your fingers in your ears.
Slowly exhale.
If it doesn’t work at first, try again, until you succeed.
Burp
Burping helps remove hiccups. Just swallow some air, until you burp. Repeat this until your hiccups go away. The only drawback of doing this is you might get a slight stomachache, if you swallow too much air. It goes away, though, when you burp.
Hiccups go away eventually, but these tactics above make them disappear quicker. Try them, and see which one works best for you.