HICCUPS
Hiccups are contractions of the inspiratory breathing muscles that are involuntary, spasmodic and coordinated. These contractions are linked to a delayed and sudden closure of the glottis which results in the characteristic sound. This sequence of events is probably controlled in the central nervous system. They can start for a variety of reasons or no reason at all. Usually they go away spontaneously.
That's probably much more than you wanted to know about hiccups. How to get rid of them is what you want to know. Here are a few things to try:
- Holding your breath (you already knew that one)
- Swallowing a teaspoon of sugar (my personal favorite)
- Touching the back of your mouth (pharynx) with a cotton swab or whatever makes you gag
- Biting on a lemon
- Drinking ice water
- Gargling with something
- Smelling ammonia (or anything else unpleasant)
- Forcible traction on the tongue (use a dry cloth to hold it and pull out)
- Hyperventilation
- Breathing into a paper bag
- Pulling the knees to the chest
If none of these work, and the hiccups persist, more drastic measures can be taken including:
- Medications
- General anesthesia
- Manipulating the phrenic nerve (which controls the diaphragm)
- Hypnosis
- Acupuncture