Is there anything more cringe than getting the hiccups? Well, yeah, it’s everyone around you not only letting you know that they can hear your intermittent “hic” every time it happens but that they are the ones that definitely know the best solution for you.
Now, thanks to a study from the University of Miami, there is potentially a definite answer to stopping hiccups for good, though, we can’t promise that it’s not just a little bit weird.
Then again, who hasn’t been told to drink water while lying upside-down to alleviate this woe?
Wait, why do we hiccup?
Arlette Perry, a professor in kinesiology and sport sciences said, “We believe that bloating of the stomach caused by overeating, eating rapidly, or gulping down drinks—especially carbonated drinks—exacerbates the risk [of getting hiccups]”.
She added that even getting suddenly excited or scared can cause you to have hiccups.
According to the NHS, hiccups should only last a few minutes but if symptoms persist, you should see a doctor to ensure that it’s not a symptom of something more serious.
So how do we get rid of them?!
The NHS recommendations for alleviating hiccups are:
- Breathe into a paper bag (but do not put it over your head)
- Pull your knees up to your chest and lean forward
- Sip ice-cold water
- Swallow some granulated sugar
- Bite on a lemon or taste vinegar
- Hold your breath for a short time
However, Robynne Redmon, associate professor at the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music, believes that the answer to getting rid of this pesky sensation is... singing.
Redmon said, “Honestly if you look at all the remedies to try to stop hiccups, they all have to do with disturbing the breathing pattern,”
“You are drinking water upside down not really because it helps you, but because you are focusing on something else, and you are also bending over. So, this causes a disruption of your breathing pattern.”
She added that this is also true of advice to hold your breath or swallow; these measures help you to focus on different muscle groups and stop spasms.
“Somehow something about the activity of singing where we close our glottis (vocal cords) and compress the breath must help.”
Finally, Redmon said, “I have never heard anyone hiccupping or coughing while they are singing.”
So just belt out your fave pop song and hiccups be-gone apparently!