Synonym
Singultus
Tips/help with hiccups
Hiccups, or as it is called in medical terms: Singultus occurs when there is an irritation of the nervus phrenicus, which supplies the diaphragm sensitively and is attached to the left and right of the diaphragm. (see: Causes of hiccups) This irritation is usually caused when there is too much air in the stomach, the stomach then expands and exerts pressure on one or both nerves. Otherwise, the nerves have the task of causing the diaphragm to contract and slacken during breathing.
If the nerves are irritated, a jerky contraction occurs that lasts for a few milliseconds. The affected person notices this through the classic hiccup. In most cases, the hiccups disappear as quickly as they came.
However, there are also disturbing, agonizing processes that can last for hours or even days. There are some tricks how to first try to get rid of the hiccups:
- First you should try to hold your breath for about 30 seconds. In many cases, the hiccups will disappear after that.
- If this is not successful, you can try to drink a glass of ice water.
Both measures are intended to relieve the irritation of the phrenic nerve and thus ensure that the nerve resumes normal activity.
If this does not succeed with the measures either, you can also try to exhale briefly and in short bursts. This maneuver should be performed for a few minutes. If the hiccups do not disappear, you can still try to make them disappear by increasing the pressure in the body.
This can be attempted by holding the nose and then pushing the air inside the body outwards. By exhaling against the resistance, the hiccups usually disappear. If the hiccups do not disappear, a doctor should be consulted, because there could also be serious causes that cause hiccups and do not make them disappear. There are some very difficult cases where a nerve has to be surgically destroyed to resolve the permanent hiccups.
