What causes hiccups?

This question was asked my my friend, Alvin Lim.

The part of our body that causes hiccups is our diaphragm. This is a dome shaped muscle at the bottom of your chest (just below your lungs) which aids in breathing. The diaphragm also separates your thoracic cavity (lungs) from your abdominal cavity (stomach).




Breathing is an, "involuntary function" meaning that you don't need to think about breathing to breath (much like digesting, reflex action, etc). When the diaphragm muscles contract, our lungs expand therefore we inhale (breath in). When the diaphragm muscles relax, it makes our lungs smaller so that we can exhale (breath out). 


There is a nerve connected to the diaphragm called the phrenic nerve. When it becomes irritated, hiccups are produced. What actually happens is that the diaphragm contracts or "pull down" in a jerky manner (diaphragm spasm). 

The hiccup sound is produced from the epiglottis (elastic cartilage attached at the top of your larynx which is in your neck). You can imagine it as a "flap" that snaps shut when air gushes in thus producing the familiar "Hic!!" sound.


So what irritates the nerve connected to the diaphragm/cause hiccups. Some of the examples are:

• Eating or drinking too quickly (Distends/bloat/widen the stomach)
• Large meal (Distends/bloat/widen the stomach)
• Swallowing air along with food (Distends/bloat/widen the stomach)
• Spicy food
• Hot food (Changing temperature of stomach)
• Cold food (Changing temperature of stomach)
• Alcohol 
• Carbonated beverages
• Sneezing, coughing, laughing 
• Excitement/stress/nervousness
• Smoking
• Liver disease, pneumonia

Here is some tips on curing hiccups:

• Hold your breath to stretch your diaphragm. (Stimulates the nasopharynx and the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain to the stomach and can decrease hiccuping)
• Someone scaring you (Interrupt hiccups so that the diaphragm begins functioning normally again)
• Taking short/fast breath
• Concentrate on something 
• Drink water 
• Sit up-side-down and plug your nose
• Place sugar under tongue 
• Pull hard on your tongue
• Gargle with water

In most cases hiccups only last a few minutes or hours. Some very rare cases are reported to last up to a few days/weeks or even years! This is a condition called (intractable hiccups) and if this is the case, it will probably be associated with a medical problem which you should see your physician about it. Common prescription that your doctor may administer are; muscle relaxants, sedatives or anti-convulsive drugs. They give you this to interrupt hiccups so that the diaphragm begins functioning normally again.


Did you know?

• Some doctors believes that hiccups are to protect us from choking.
• Occasionally, a case of the hiccups can be related to a more serious underlying condition such as diabetes or kidney failure