Why do we hiccup and what causes it?
Why do we hiccup? Thanks for asking. Of all the involuntary spasms the human body has, hiccuping is one of the most peculiar. Sure, it's funny at first, and in particular if it's happening to someone else rather than you, but it quickly gets annoying if it doesn't go away. There are two things to note when you have the hiccups.
First, your respiratory muscles, and the diaphragm in particular, contract suddenly and push out air from within the lungs. Secondly, the epiglottis has a role to play. It can be found in the throat. When we hiccup, it contracts, stopping air from entering. That's what causes the vocal cords to vibrate, creating the distinctive hiccuping sound.
It's not entirely clear why we get hiccups, but theories include a low level of carbon dioxide in the body and irritated nerves. There's actually a medical term for hiccuping too, which is syngotus. And humans are far from being the only species to do it. It can happen to many animals with a similar breathing system, and that includes all mammals. What's the best way to avoid getting hiccups?
The most obvious thing you can do is to not eat or drink too quickly. When your stomach is very full, your diaphragm tends to contract, making hiccups more likely. Other known triggers for short-term hiccuping include drinking soda or a lot of alcohol, or eating too much. Consumption habits aside, other causes can be excitement, emotional stress, or a sudden temperature change.
That advice goes for short-term hiccuping, but long-term cases might have an underlying cause which is beyond your control. It usually only lasts a few minutes at most, ending as suddenly as it started for no apparent reason. But in some rare cases, hiccups can last for over 48 hours.
If that happens, you'll definitely want to see a doctor as the cause could be more than a simple nerve irritation. According to Smithsonian Mag, each year 5,000 people are actually hospitalized for hiccuping in the United States. One prominent example happened in Brazil in July 2021. Then President Jair Bolsonaro was hospitalized after hiccuping for 10 days straight.
His hiccups could be clearly heard while giving public addresses, like this example shared on his official Facebook page. But the record for the longest hiccuping episode unquestionably goes to American man Charles Osborne. He started hiccuping in 1922 after a work-related accident. Only in 1990, 68 years later, did Osborne's hiccups subside.
Doctors have speculated that his accident had damaged the part of the brain that inhibits the hiccup reflex or that a damaged diaphragm was responsible. That's true, there are a lot of old wives tales out there, but there's never been any scientific studies to back them up. As I mentioned, hiccups usually just go away on their own, so it pays to be patient.
But if they're really bothering you, you could try one of these techniques, which actually come recommended by the NHS. Breathing into a paper bag, pulling your knees up to your chest and leaning forward, sipping ice-cold water, or swallowing a small amount of granulated sugar. There you have it. Now you know where hiccups come from.
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