London - There are probably more old wives’ tales and zany folklore remedies for hiccups than for any other common ailment.
The most popular trick to get rid of them is to hold your breath until they stop, but some people say the cure is a glass of cold water, a spoonful of sugar or a pull on the tongue. Others swear by a dollop of peanut butter or a mouthful of dill seeds.
Hiccups are extraordinary things. They are common among babies in the womb - their spasms can be seen clearly on scans, and felt by the expectant mother - and most of us continue to hiccup occasionally throughout our lives. Yet scientists can’t explain what purpose they serve, nor confirm which “cures” actually work.
Although most bouts of hiccups last only minutes, they can last far longer. Lisa Graves, a 27-year-old beautician from Lincoln, has been hiccuping non-stop for eight years. Often she hiccups once an hour, but she can also do 100 hiccups a day.
Hiccups occur when the diaphragm - the muscle that lies between the stomach and the lungs - contracts, leading to a sharp intake of breath which is suddenly stopped by our vocal cords clamping shut.
Dr Anton Emmanuel of the British Society of Gastroenterology, explains: “Hiccups are caused by irritation of the diaphragm. That can be prompted by something in the chest or stomach, or indirectly triggered by one’s nerves.”
Food and drink, especially rich, fatty food, curries, fizzy drinks and alcohol, are among the common irritants that send the diaphragm into spasm. A sudden change in room temperature, downing a cold drink after hot food, and smoking can also trigger a bout. Some people tend to hiccup when stressed or overexcited.
In extreme cases, episodes can carry on for days, usually because of an underlying condition such as acid reflux, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease or stroke.
Unborn babies hiccup in the womb two months after conception. One theory is that this prepares the baby’s muscles for breathing, another that it prevents amniotic fluid getting into the lungs.
A more outlandish theory is that hiccups are an evolutionary throwback to when our primeval ancestors lived in water. Tadpoles still hiccup to breathe, and it’s possible that our early fish-like ancestors did something similar.
More likely, however, is that hiccups are a harmless product of animal evolution stemming from irritated diaphragms.
Some remedies seek to relax the diaphragm, others to distract the brain or overwhelm the nerves responsible for hiccuping.
But, say Dr Emmanuel: “The effect of the hiccup is so large, all these things will probably make little difference. Hiccups usually stop anyway.”
Here are some of the folk remedies you can try, though...
PULL HARD ON YOUR TONGUE
This stimulates the vagus nerve, so named because it “wanders” like a vagabond through the body, taking signals from the brain to the stomach. Among other things, it tells the stomach when to empty itself.
Stimulating the nerve encourages your body to digest food more quickly, easing pressure on the stomach and diaphragm and so taking away the cause of hiccups.
DRINK A GLASS OF COLD WATER
The best-known cure. Some people claim you should pinch your nostrils shut while drinking, others that you should bend over and drink from the opposite side of the glass.
“It’s partly a distraction,” says Dr Emmanuel. “In theory, cold water also makes the stomach contract a bit, which could push out the excess air, but the effect will be small.”
ICE BAGS AGAINST YOUR THROAT
By the time you’ve found enough frozen peas or ice cubes, your hiccups will probably have gone. Another cure that supposedly works on the vagus nerve.
HOLD YOUR BREATH
One of the oldest known cures, it even appears in Plato’s Symposium, a 4th-century BC philosophical text.
“Holding in a breath forces the diaphragm to flatten and lengthen,’ says Dr Emmanuel. Stretching the diaphragm can help it to relax and stop going into spasm.
Some people swear by taking either three or five deep breaths, others by taking five or six seconds to exhale.
GET SOMEONE TO SHOCK YOU
Popping a balloon or shouting “Boo!” in someone’s ear often does the trick in cartoons but rarely in real life. The cure is supposed to force the brain into a “startle reflex” - an adrenalin-pumping response that, in theory, overrides the hiccups reflex. But there’s little evidence that it works.
GIVE YOUR EAR LOBES A SQUEEZE
It sounds unlikely but this might actually work, according to Dr Emmanuel.
The vagus nerve is connected to your ear lobes. If you rub the lobes you can stimulate the nerve and relieve pressure on the diaphragm.
“If there’s one thing I try, it’s this,” says Dr Emmanuel.
BREATHE INTO A PAPER BAG
Blowing in and out of a paper bag ten times or so raises the carbon dioxide level in the blood. This supposedly calms the nerves and helps the diaphragm relax.
PUT HONEY UNDER YOUR TONGUE
The theory is that the sudden rush of sweetness stimulates the vagus nerve and tricks your brain into emptying your stomach, taking pressure off the diaphragm.
CHEW A WEDGE OF LEMON
American bar staff recommend chewing on a piece of lemon soaked in Angostura bitters to beat alcohol-induced hiccups, though no one is sure how - or if - it really works. Perhaps the bitterness stimulates the vagus nerve or the lining of the gullet, relaxing the diaphragm. Some claim sucking on a lemon or drinking vinegar works just as well.
SWALLOW SOME TABASCO SAUCE
Although spicy food is a major cause of hiccups for some, hot sauces are hailed as a cure by others. That burning sensation in your throat and mouth? It’s supposed to distract your brain from hiccuping.
PULL YOUR KNEES UP TO YOUR CHEST
Sit down, pull your knees up and lean forward to compress your chest. That puts pressure on the diaphragm and may help break the cycle of muscle contractions.
PUT YOUR FINGERS IN YOUR MOUTH
Carefully press down on the base of your tongue with your finger until you gag slightly. This may work by causing the phrenic nerves, which link to the diaphragm, to end the hiccup spasms.
A SPOONFUL OF PEANUT BUTTER
Eating the butter and prising it from your teeth and tongue interrupts your swallowing and breathing patterns, and distracts the brain from hiccuping. Apparently.
MUNCH ON DILL
Chewing a teaspoon of dill seeds is a traditional cure that may stimulate the vagus nerve. There’s not much evidence that it works.
Daily Mail