Hiccoughs or hiccups can be a source of merriment, embarrassment and intense of merriment, embarrassment and intense irritation and they can if they last for too long become exhausting and painful. They are caused by a nervous spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm which causes the victim to inhale suddenly and the vocal cords to close quickly, thus creating the 'hie' which is followed by the relaxation of the muscles and the 'cough'. Most attacks of hiccoughs are only of short duration although in some cases have been known to become almost permanent.
The cures for hiccoughs are legion and many of them almost come into the category of party games. I know of only two that work very well, one of which has a perfect physical explanation while the other I believe is psychological.
When an attack of hiccoughs starts take a paper bag and breathe into it 20 times, the effect being that you take back into your lungs the carbon dioxide that you have exhaled. When you breathe in stale or bad air the brain, the automatic centre of control for breathing, calls for deeper breaths, regulating the control of the diaphragm and thus enabling it to break the spasm.
The second practice is even more fun and works particularly well with susceptible children and adults. Make the victim stand with their arms stretched high above their head whilst you give them sips of water. The exquisite tension created by the certain knowledge target for ticking fingers combined with the effort of trying to breathe calmly and drink at the same time is all too much for any hiccough to survive.
Other Cures to Try
All of these remedies to some extent or another seek to regulate the breathing but some also work on the digestive system. Do be careful how you implement those relying on fright or your victim may end up suffering more than you intended!
* Cold water or an ice cube hold your breath (or hold your nose) whilst drinking a glass of cold water or hold an ice cube in your mouth.
* Oranges Eat an orange or drink 2 tablespoons of pure orange juice.
* Gripe water or dill seeds Take a good swig of gripe water or chew a few dill seeds.
* Cinnamon or cloves Put 3 drops of the oil of either herb on a sugar lump. Hold it in your mouth until it dissolves then slowly swallow.
* Shock A cold key, the large type rather than Yale, should be slipped down the back of the neck or an unexpected thump administered between the shoulder blades! Indeed any kind of shock or fright should do the trick.
* Holding your breath Hold for a count of 20.
* Sneezing Induce an attack of sneezing. Some sources recommend a feather under the nose, others suggest snuff.
* Charcoal At one time it was suggested that charcoal straight from the bonfire was the answer but a charcoal tablet taken with cold water is the modern solution.
Hiccups are one of life's mysteries. Some people get them all the time and other hardly ever do. They don't serve any purpose. And they usually come out of nowhere. One minute you're carrying on a normal conversation, and the next you're sounding as though you've swallowed a guppy.
Hiccups are an annoying little spasm in the diaphragm, the thin, dome-like muscle that helps you breathe. Doctors suspect that hiccups are caused by a momentary irritation of the nerves that help control the diaphragm. Hiccups can occur at any time. But they're most common when your stomach is full or you've been drinking alcohol.
To stop the 'hics,' here are some tips you may want to try.
Rub your palate. To stop hiccups, some doctors recommend gently massaging the palate (the roof of your mouth) with a cotton swab for a couple of minutes. This may help calm the nervous reflexes that are causing the spasms.
Plug your ears. Some experts have found that plugging your ears with your fingers can help stop hiccups. This appears to stimulate the vagus nerve, which may play a role in causing the spasms.
Drink some water. No, you don't have to stand on your head at the same time. The act of swallowing helps interrupt the hiccup cycle, which sometimes stops it cold. Some people have found, in fact, that drinking from the side of the glass farthest away from you (the opposite side) is especially helpful.
Hold your breath. Taking a deep breath and holding it temporarily changes your body's balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide, which will sometimes stop the hiccups. Breathing into a paper bag for a minute may have the same effect.
Breathe deeply. Doing deep breathing exercises, in which you slowly draw a lot of air into your lungs and just as slowly let it out, can help calm your whole body, including the excitable diaphragm muscle that's causing the hiccups.
Massage your sides. According to acupressurists, there are two points just below your ribs straight down from the nipples that "control" abdominal activity. Pressing on these points for several minutes may interrupt the reflexes causing the hiccups.