How To Cure the Hiccups
- July 7, 2008
- 21,923 Views
Writer
Rosemarie_Lennon
Voice Over Artist
Peter Coleman
Music (tracks 1, 2, 4)
Todd Mazierski
Music (track 3)
Alex Maciel
When you have the hiccups, everyone has a remedy. The truth is, there are no scientifically proven cures that do the trick every time. But here are the most common ones that work for most people, most of the time.
You Will Need
- A paper bag
- Ice water
- Dry bread
- Someone to scare you
Step 1: Hold your breath
Hold your breath. Hiccups are caused by spasms of the diaphragm; stop breathing, and the spasms stop. Doing something that prohibits you from breathing—like drinking a full glass of water—can help.
Be sure to exhale before you hold your breath, or this won’t work.
Step 2: Breathe into a paper bag
No luck holding your breath? Try breathing into a paper bag. This traps the carbon dioxide you exhale, allowing you to inhale it in more concentrated levels. This, in turn, increases the level of carbon dioxide in your blood, which can cut off hiccups.
Step 3: Relax the vagus nerve
Still hiccupping? Pull your tongue, sip ice water, or swallow dry bread. All three can relax the vagus nerve, which can cause hiccups when it’s been irritated by things like swallowed air.
Step 4: Have someone frighten you
Time to resort to the old “have someone scare you” trick. But the person better make it good. This only works if the hiccuper is so startled that he gasps, thereby resetting his breathing pattern.
Step 5: Don’t overindulge
In the future, try to stop hiccups before they start. Common causes include drinking too much alcohol, stuffing yourself silly with food, and swallowing foods before they have a chance to cool or defrost.
Charles Osborne from Anthon, Iowa, had the hiccups continuously for 68 years, starting in 1922. He died one year after they finally stopped.
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Comments (12)
This tip always helps me to ";cure"; my hiccups, chew a pinch of sugar.
over 3 years ago by Angelsfan89
Another good tip is to drink water from the opposite side of the glass from which you normally would.
over 3 years ago by sanjay
Cool video! I always close my eyes drink 2 glasses of water and after breath slowly and swallow. Always works! Thanks for the video
over 2 years ago by N_Lexie_101
i heard that kissing can also help to cure hiccups ,is that true?
over 3 years ago by cyq88
i wish i watched this video yesterday
over 2 years ago by saraangel1
yeah, actually kissing does help cure hiccups! just looked it up on google
over 2 years ago by kitkat429924
This is kinda like Angelsfan89's tip. But what always works for me is before drinking the full glass of water stick out your tongue and put a dash of salt on the tip of your tounge and DONT SWALLOW YET! then drink the water and while drinking the water you swallow. Always works for me! :)
over 3 years ago by Youtube1
Awesome video! I'm new, so I say ";Awesome!"; to almost every video.
over 2 years ago by Howcast072
Awesome video! I'm new, so I say ";Awesome!"; to almost every video.
over 2 years ago by Howcast072
Sorry, I pressed Post 2 times.
over 2 years ago by Howcast072
cold water and drink it slowly it may help u to stop hiccups :) nice video
about 1 year ago by Dwelme
eating dry bread always gives me the hiccups. so does laughing hard
4 months ago by tyfars
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