Cure for the hiccups? - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

southbeachbabe · 05-07-2005, 07:29 AM

This has to be the most annoying thing in the world (apart from missing the last flight home from Malaysia for 7 days, running out of petrol on the highway with no mobile phone battery, spending a night in a foreign jail cell because your friend gave you the translation for "I'll shove that batton up your ass" rather than "Really officer, they're not mine", and Chevvy Chase in any movie he's done of course) but besides those, having the hiccups really is the most annoying thing in the world. Anyone got any cures??

And if another damn person tells me to hold my breath I swear...

**GoKrazy** · 05-07-2005, 07:39 AM

The hiccups are caused by your diaphram. The diaphragm almost always works perfectly. It pulls down when you inhale to help pull air into the lungs, and it pushes up when you exhale to help push air out of the lungs. But sometimes the diaphragm becomes irritated, and when this happens, it pushes up in a jerky way that makes your breath come out differently from how it normally does. When this irregular breath hits your voice box, you're left with a big hiccup.

Some things that irritate the diaphragm are eating too quickly or too much, an irritation in the stomach or the throat, or feeling nervous or excited. Almost all cases of the hiccups last only a few minutes. Some cases of the hiccups can last for days or weeks, but this is very unusual, and it's usually a sign of another medical problem.

You've probably heard lots of suggestions for how to get rid of hiccups - holding your breath and counting to 10, drinking from the "wrong" side of a glass of water, putting sugar under your tongue might work, etc. Either way the only way of getting rid of them is to relax your diaphram - for me drinking some water and lying downs for 10-15min seems to do the trick.

Good luck

**Tadpole** · 05-07-2005, 08:33 AM

I agree with GoKrazywith the water. When ever I have the hiccups then I drink a glass of water and sitdown and they go away.

Then I hold my breathe........muwhahaha

Arthur · 05-07-2005, 11:40 AM

any sort of irration, or pain hurts more if you think about it.
so if you dont think about it, then your diaphram will getbetter. but you cant just not think about it, becuase when you do that your thinking about not thinging about it. if that makes anysence, which is why most remedies invole something that destracts you, such as drinking upside down (thats a hard task, requriers alot of focus) or counting backwards from 100, but the holding your breath thing works because your diaphram does not move or get excited. kinda like leaveing an itch alone(eventualy it will go away)

i dont kown why water works though

**blinkchick2134** · 05-07-2005, 11:45 AM

I discovered that when I'm hiccuping and someone goes "Hiccup for me now" I can't. They magically go away. Maybe its because I'm trying to hiccup or something. Also guessing when I'll hiccuping seems to make them go away quicker...maybe this is just me.

**agriadam** · 05-07-2005, 12:02 PM

the holding my brath thing has never worked for me. I was drunk and had the hiccups a couple weekends agoa and this girl did something to me the got rid of them.... but I can't remember what she did.

**juliagulia** · 05-07-2005, 03:06 PM

usually i can never get rid of them and i just keep hiccupping until it goes away, but once we were at Busch Gardens 9for my Williamsburg/Virginia Beach trip) and my friend goes behind me grabs my sholders and screams in my ears (without telling me before hand of course). i screamed got scared started yelling at him and then noticed that it went away.

so, i dont know if its the getting scared, the screaming, or yelling that got rid of it but one of those did.

but telling someone to scare you probably wouldnt work...

bahrainrocks · 05-07-2005, 11:37 PM

Maybe have a friend cover your mouth and nose, that way they hold your breath for you! LOL.... it would definately get rid of the hiccups for sure, but unfortunately you will be passed out until someone gives your CPR...

**LostFarmboy** · 05-08-2005, 04:42 PM

Quote:

I discovered that when I'm hiccuping and someone goes \"Hiccup for me now\" I can't. They magically go away. Maybe its because I'm trying to hiccup or something. Also guessing when I'll hiccuping seems to make them go away quicker...maybe this is just me.

Yeah!! This is how i get rid of mine too, it works every time. But it doesn't seem to work for everyone.

**ScarlotteDorian** · 05-08-2005, 08:39 PM

lay on your back with your legs against the wall, hold your breathe and hum Skinny Puppy's "Smothered Hope." works everytime...

**simply_angelic** · 05-08-2005, 10:08 PM

i just ignore them & basically forget that theyre there & i never have more than two or three that occur. I think the problem w/ a lot of ppl is that they think about them too much & then it gets them more worked up so their diaphagm cant relax & do its thing

Kaffeine · 05-09-2005, 09:16 AM

I eat a tablespoon of sugar and yes you need to chew it...it works everytime for me...I think the act of munching helps

Holding me breath or drinking water never really worked for me I usually end up hiccuping the water, weird I know

**TimmyJames1976** · 05-09-2005, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ScarlotteDorian@May 8 2005, 08:38 PM
lay on your back with your legs against the wall, hold your breathe and hum Skinny Puppy's "Smothered Hope."* works everytime...

That works for you toooooooo!!!

**LiveFreeorDie** · 05-09-2005, 10:17 AM

This is hard to explain, but easy to do and works nearly everytime, but sometimes needs to be repeated several times. Here is my attempt at explanation (its generally referred to as drinking a glass of water backwards):

Take a glass of water, place your mouth on the rim of the glass farthest from you (normally you would sip from the closest part of the rim). Bend forward at the waist and neck, tip the glass up(the bottom of the glass needs to swing TOWARDS you) and actually drink the water from that far rim. The bottom of the glass should be under your chin, basically. Sounds weird, and sometimes it comes out your nose, but for whatever reason, it goes down a different way and seems to clear up the hiccups. Its close to fool proof when executed properly.

Me2 · 05-09-2005, 10:39 AM

my trick is this... simply hold your breth intell you pass out when you come to... no hiccups...

if any one trys this..... when I just don't know about you.....

the best way is think about something else for a bit, go do soming that make you think hard on it.

**omisan** · 05-09-2005, 10:46 AM

I get hiccups ALL the time. The best cure I've found is holding my breath for a little while, and then doing the tried and true thing of not thinking about them until they go away.

**simply_angelic** · 05-09-2005, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LiveFreeorDie@May 9 2005, 01:16 PM
This is hard to explain, but easy to do and works nearly everytime, but sometimes needs to be repeated several times.* Here is my attempt at explanation (its generally referred to as drinking a glass of water backwards):

Take a glass of water, place your mouth on the rim of the glass farthest from you (normally you would sip from the closest part of the rim).* Bend forward at the waist and neck, tip the glass up(the bottom of the glass needs to swing TOWARDS you) and actually drink the water from that far rim.* The bottom of the glass should be under your chin, basically.* Sounds weird, and sometimes it comes out your nose, but for whatever reason, it goes down a different way and seems to clear up the hiccups.* Its close to fool proof when executed properly.

I've never actuallt seen anyone succeed at this w/o covering themselves in w/e they're drinking first. when we meet in pamplona you gotta do this....hiccups or no hiccups

.........

I hv a feeling im going to laugh my little ass off