What are the reasons for hiccups?
A hiccup is a sudden, involuntary contraction (spasm) of the diaphragm muscle. When the muscle spasms , the vocal cords snap shut producing the hiccup sound.
Common causes of hiccups include:
Eating too quickly, eating or drinking too much, diseases that irritate the nerves that control the diaphragm, adnominal surgery, strokes, brain tumors, breathing noxious fumes and certain medications. Most cases of hiccups can be cured or resolve in a short time, and rarely are they a medical emergency. See your doctor if hiccups last more than three hours, or if they disturb your eating or sleeping habits. Home remedies or ways to get rid of hiccups include:
holding your breath, drinking a glass of water quickly, pulling ■■■■■■■ your tongue, biting on a lemon, gargling with water, breathing smelling salts. Rarely a doctor, may prescribe medications such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine), haloperidol (Haldol), and metoclopramide (Reglan) for severe persistent hiccups. Hiccups can be prevented by avoiding overating ,eating too quickly, or drinking too much to help prevent hiccups.
Why do we hiccup?
Hiccups (also spelled hiccough) are sudden, involuntary contractions (spasms) of the diaphragm muscle. When the muscle spasms , the vocal cords snap shut producing the hiccup sound. Hiccups are often rhythmic. They are usually just temporary minor annoyance , but prolonged hiccups may signal a major medical problem. The longest recorded hiccup attack is six decades!. Women and men tend to get hiccups equally as often, but hiccups that last more than 48 hours are more common in men. Hiccups can even occur in a fetus while still in utero. The medical term for hiccups is singultus which comes from the Latin word for “gasp” or “sob”. Some medications may also have hiccups as a side effect, for example:
Medications for acid reflux, most benzodiazepines including diazepam (valium), alprazolam (Xanan), and lorazepam(Atvian),Levodopa, nicotine, ondansetron (Zofran).