Some people might think a hiccup is a detour on the road, or perhaps, a change in your life’s goals. In humans, it might seem like a burp, but there is much more to it then that.

Hiccups usually come one after another. Each hiccup follows the one before it and continues in a rapid progression. They come on without warning. Sometimes they are really hard to stop! Helpful hints to stop them come later in this article.

Hiccups start much lower in your body. In the diaphragm. The dome-shaped muscle beween your lungs and stomach. Normally, the diaphragm pulls down when you inhale to let air into your lungs, and then relaxes when you exhale so air can flow back out of your lungs to exit your nose and mouth. Most simple cases of hiccups come after eating or drinking too fast or too quickly. The stomach, which is situated right below the diaphragm, becomes distended and irritates it. A hiccup occurs when the brain sends a signal for the diaphragm to shift forcefully downward, suddenly pulling a lot of air into the back of the throat. The sudden change in pressure causes a narrow area in the throat to temporarilly snap shut, causing the “hic” sound of a hiccup. Why the brain send this signal that causes hiccups is a mystery.

Eating too much or too quickly can be a cause. Feeling nervous or excited, drinking carbonated beverages or too much alcohol, stress, a sudden change in temperature. Swallowing air while sucking on candy or chewing gum can be another cause. Sometimes just eating too fast can be a common start to bringing them on.

Hiccups that last a while can also be because of central nervous system disorders like encephalitis or meningitis, or metabolic disorders like diabetes or kidney failure. Drugs like steroids or some tranquilizers can trigger long-term hiccups.

Some techniques to help stop hiccups can be interrupting your normal breathing cycle by holding your breath temporarily, breathing into a paper bag, increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the lungs, relaxing the diaphragm and halting the spasms. There used to be a spearmint flavored water on the market which was the best cure! Sadly it isn’t available any longer. Otherwise drinking small sips of cold water repeatively stops it. Sometimes taking a small section of dark chocolate can help also. Just allow it to melt as it goes down.

If hiccuppping last longer then 2 days, or if they are severe enough to interfere with eating, breathing, sleeping, or are causing you distress you should also seek medical help.

If you have any kind of stomach pain, fever, shortness of breath, vomiting, or cough up blood with your hiccups notify your doctor.