Is there anything more annoying than hiccups? The irritating “hic hic” always appears at the most inappropriate times and takes the greatest effort to pass!
But, after all, why do we hiccup? The fact is that hiccups often appear benignly, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. But, its causes can also hide health problems!
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Let's find out a little more!
What causes hiccups?
It all starts with the diaphragm, that muscle related to breathing that separates the chest and abdomen. Normal exhalation of air happens when this muscle relaxes, while inspiration comes when it contracts. In this process, the air passes through the glottis, remember? It closes for food to pass through and opens for air to pass through.
The diaphragm is located just above the stomach, as is a nerve called the phrenic. All are closely related to the cause of hiccups. When we eat a lot or drink hot or cold drinks, and even when we drink excessive amounts of alcohol, we cause swelling in the stomach.
With that, the organ irritates the phrenic nerve which, in turn, makes the diaphragm contract, as a chain effect. From then on, the inspiration of air tries to come normally, but at the same time, the glottis closes. That is, a spasm of the diaphragm occurs, resulting in a “breakdown” in the balance between its functioning and that of the glottis.
And why does that little noise so characteristic of the hiccup come? It comes from the vocal cords that move with the passage of air. This, in turn, is impaired by the abrupt closing of the glottis. Fortunately, as irritating as it may be, hiccups work more like an alarm and don't do any harm to your health.
Why do temperature changes trigger hiccups?
Have you noticed that when it is very cold we sometimes hiccup? Or even when we go from a very hot environment to a colder one. Why does it happen? The cause is the same as when we drink drinks of different temperatures. This difference causes the diaphragm to spasm, causing hiccups to appear.
How to stop hiccups?
As well as the frequency of hiccups, there are many “sympathies” to make it disappear. Drinking water bending forward or moving your arms upwards, sucking a slice of lemon, raising your knees to your chest, and so on. Some even have foundation and work, but others, you can put it aside. Let's see why.
The only way to get the hiccups to go away is to relax your diaphragm and relieve the pressure on your stomach. Thus, the entire system will function normally again, avoiding involuntary contractions. Therefore, some homemade measures are quite efficient and also simpler, such as:
- hold your breath for a few seconds
- breathe inside a paper bag
- drink a glass of water or juice at once
- massage the diaphragm region for a while
You know those legends, like being scared, being upside down or feeling ticklish? So nothing proven as to its effectiveness, so none of those attempts, ok?
Is there a way to avoid hiccups?
He has! Some tips are great to avoid this annoying and embarrassing situation. Avoid eating in excess and too quickly, give preference to easily digestible foods, try not to go through situations of intense stress or places of sudden changes in temperature and, also, try not to ingest alcoholic beverages in excess.
Babies are quite prone to hiccups because their nervous system is still immature to adapt to the functioning of the diaphragm. There are some anti-hiccup bottles, which can help. If the child is already hiccuping, it is interesting to massage his diaphragm or back.
More serious causes of hiccups
A priori, hiccups are not harmful to health, but it may indicate a more serious problem, especially if it is very persistent. Sometimes they indicate a disorder in the nervous system, esophagus, stomach, gallbladder or even pneumonia that started at the base of the lungs. Emotional factors such as stress can cause persistent hiccups.
Crises lasting more than 48 hours are called persistent hiccups. If they last longer than a month, they pass on to intractable hiccups. In these cases, when you feel that the hiccup lasts longer than normal, the ideal is to seek medical advice. Any sign that the body sends indicates that something there is not working very well!