Overeating, stress, hypothermia, alcohol abuse - all this can lead to involuntary contractions of the diaphragm. Air is expelled from the lungs with each spasm, exits through the larynx and closes the epiglottis and glottis. All this is accompanied by a characteristic sound. How to get rid of hiccups? The answer to this question is contained in the article.
How to get rid of hiccups with breathing exercises
So what to do? How to get rid of hiccups quickly and easily? First you need to eliminate the cramps that occur in the diaphragm and esophagus. Respiratory exercises, which are performed very simply, will help achieve this.
It is necessary to inhale the air with a full chest, and then hold your breath for two to three seconds. Next, four exhalations should be done. The exercise is repeated until the hiccups stop.
Plain water
What else can a person do to defeat hiccups? How to get rid of it at home? To do this, drink 20 ml of cold and still water. When a person drinks, rhythmic contractions occur in the esophagus that replace the contractions of the diaphragm that cause hiccups. You should take a few quick sips one after another.
How else can hiccups be defeated with ordinary water? An alternative solution is to take one big sip of the liquid and drink it very slowly. This method is also quite effective. Finally, you can drink from the opposite side of the mug while standing on a slope. The cervical vertebrae and diaphragm inevitably tighten, which will help get rid of the problem.
Breathe in a paper bag
How to get rid of hiccups if breathing exercises and water do not produce the desired effect? In this case, you can try to deal with the problem with a paper bag. This makes it possible to increase the amount of carbon dioxide that fights hiccups.
You can breathe in a paper bag in order to distract. It is likely that hiccups will recede if a person stops thinking about her.
Squeeze your chest
What other methods of struggle exist? Gently squeeze the chest, lean forward, putting pressure on the diaphragm. If this pose does not help to cope with the problem, you can try another. It is necessary to lie on your back and pull your knees to your chest. This position is recommended to be maintained for several minutes.
Change of poses not only helps the body to relax, but also has a distracting effect.
Eat something unusual
How to get rid of hiccups with food? Such a method of struggle is also popular among the people. You can put a slice of lemon on the tongue, lick salt or sugar. When a product with a sharp taste suddenly appears in the stomach, this provokes the release of gastric juice, which will help distract the body from hiccups. You can focus on something sweet, bitter, sour, salty.
Close your ears
The effectiveness of this method of dealing with hiccups has been confirmed by numerous studies. It is necessary to prepare a large glass of cold water and a straw. All this can be placed on the table or ask someone to hold.
You need to plug your ears with your fingers so that you don’t hear anything. Next, you must slowly drink all the liquid through a straw. The problem should disappear by the end of this procedure.
Stick out your tongue
How to get rid of hiccups without any effort? For this, a protruding tongue may be enough. This method of struggle has been popular for more than a century, its effectiveness is beyond doubt.
What exactly should be done? It is necessary to stick out the tongue as far as possible and fix it in this position for some time. For fidelity, you can gently pull it out and down with your fingers, this will accelerate the achievement of the desired result.
Vomiting reflex
Not all effective methods of dealing with hiccups can be called pleasant. For example, you can get rid of it by touching the base of the tongue with your fingers. The person should act as if trying to induce vomiting. This will lead to a spasm of the esophagus, which will stop the contraction of the diaphragm.
Massage
How to get rid of hiccups quickly at home? Coping with this problem will help massage.
- You can try to massage the inside of the ear. The finger is placed in the auricle. The massage continues until the hiccups recede.
- Another possible solution to the problem is light massage movements under the chest on both sides.
- Massaging eyeballs through closed eyelids also helps get rid of hiccups. You can also stroke the gums over the front teeth.
- The problem will quickly disappear due to massage circular movements on the inside of the wrist.
Attention switching
What other methods exist to help defeat hiccups quickly? How to get rid of it at home? This can be achieved if the attention of a person switches to something else.
For example, tickling helps in the fight against hiccups. The problem will go away if contractions between the ribs interrupt muscle contractions from laughter. You can also try to scare a person, his attention will switch in this case too.
other methods
What else can be done?
- In the fight against hiccups, sports are showing good results. To get rid of it, you need to perform several exercises.
- Having a hot bath or a hot shower is another possible solution to the problem.
- Cold water will also help get rid of this annoying phenomenon. You can dip your face into it, moisten a rag in it and put it on your forehead.
- You can also close your ears with your thumbs, put your little fingers on your sinuses and squint your eyes. Then you need to take a deep breath and hold your breath as much as possible. The heavy and rapid breathing that follows this exercise will allow the diaphragm to open, causing the hiccup to recede.
- Gargling with water helps get rid of this unpleasant phenomenon. The procedure lasts about one minute. If the hiccups do not go away, you can put more water in your mouth and repeat everything.
- A long kiss is another possible solution to the problem.
Creative way
This method is suitable for those who want to save a friend from hiccups. You need to put a bill on the table and offer the sufferer a kind of deal. You should promise the person that he will get the money if he hiccups again in the next minute. A person will concentrate on reducing the diaphragm, which is likely to cause a hiccup to stop. Of course, it is better not to take risks with large denominations.
Prevention
What to do after hiccups? How to get rid of the threat of its re-occurrence? To do this, you must follow the rules, which are discussed below.

- You need to train yourself to eat slowly. If a person is used to absorbing food in a hurry, he runs the risk of not only hiccups, but also stomach pains, increased gas formation.
- It is also important to abandon stimulating products or at least minimize their use. For example, spicy foods cause an acid surge in the stomach, resulting in hiccups.
- The amount of food is another point to pay attention to. Overeating overloads the digestive system, which leads to stress.
- Irritation of the esophagus is caused by alcoholic beverages. The more a person drinks, the higher the likelihood that he will encounter hiccups.
- Irritating effect on the diaphragm have carbonated drinks. This is especially true if a person drinks quickly, takes big sips. If you can’t completely refuse such drinks, you need to train yourself to drink slowly.
- It is impossible to prevent hypothermia of the body.
Newborns
This problem is faced not only by adults, but also by children. How to get rid of hiccups in a newborn? You can attach a warm heating pad to the baby’s chest, give him a drink of warm water from the bottle.
How to prevent this? The baby must be fed upright. After eating the baby you need to keep the “column” for about half an hour. You should also pay attention to the hole in the nipple on the bottle. Its wrong size can cause hiccups in the newborn. If the diameter is too small and large, the baby can involuntarily swallow air with food.
Children
An older child may also develop hiccups. How to get rid of it at home? There are various solutions to this problem.
- In order to stop the baby from hiccuping, you need to try to switch his attention. If a child is interested, for example, in a new game, the problem may disappear by itself.
- You can offer your child some acidic product. For example, to cope with an unpleasant phenomenon will help a piece of lemon, which should be eaten without seizing it with sugar.
- Water is a tool that helps not only adults, but also children. It is necessary for the child to take several small sips. You can also try washing with cold water.
- Holding your breath is a simple and effective way to deal with an unpleasant phenomenon. The baby must take a deep breath so that his lungs are filled with air. You should hold your breath as much as possible.
- In some cases, a rush to the scalp helps. You need to hang your head from the bed, open your mouth and spend at least a minute in this position. You can also lie on your back and raise your head up.
The cause of hiccups in a child will tell you an effective way to deal with it. For example, this trouble can happen due to the fact that the baby is frozen. In this case, you should offer him warm clothes and drink hot tea.
What else do you need to know
The article talks about how to get rid of hiccups at home. If it does not pass within an hour, you should definitely consult a doctor. This alarming symptom, which may indicate one or another malfunction in the body, cannot be ignored. It is also necessary to undergo an examination if this unpleasant phenomenon occurs regularly, for example, several times a week.