You're probably been struck by hiccups at one point or another — perhaps you were drinking a soda too fast? So what causes this strange body function anyway?
There is a large muscle under your lungs called the diaphragm; it is what helps yours lungs expand and contract, which in turn is what makes you breathe. But sometimes your diaphragm can become irritated, maybe drinking or eating too quickly, or even just swallowing too much air! When this happens, your diaphragm contracts too quickly for your lungs to keep up and air rushes into your lungs at a much quicker pace than usual. This rush of air then hits your voice box, which is what causes the familiar "hic!" sound!
From a physical standpoint, hiccups are caused by uncontrolled spasms of the diaphragm. Each spasm causes quick intake of breath, which makes a hiccup. The phrenic nerve, which controls the diaphragm, is directly responsible for these spasms. From a physiological standpoint, the medical community has not reached a consensus on why hiccups occur.
There are many factors that can cause a person to have the hiccups. Eating or drinking too quickly gives some people hiccups. Sometimes spicy food, very hot food, or very cold food causes hiccups.
Drinking alcohol can sometimes cause hiccups. Any quick intake of breath -- sneezing, laughing, or coughing -- can lead to hiccups. Sometimes, there isn't any easily identifiable reason.
Just as people tend to have different ideas about what causes hiccups, they also disagree on ways to stop them. Almost everyone knows at least one way to treat hiccups. Common cures for the hiccups include drinking a glass of water in some way. Some insist on small sips, and others require that you tilt your head upside down and drink from the opposite side of the glass to make the hiccups go away.
Stretching the diaphragm by holding ones breath and raising the arms is another popular method for curing hiccups. Counting or saying the alphabet in reverse, trying to concentrate on something complicated, or just trying to ignore the hiccups until they go away are other distraction based cures. Eating something, often something hard to swallow, is another possible hiccup cure. Some people mention chewing on a mouthful of sugar. Peanut butter, jam, wasabi and hot sauce are all contenders as well.
In extreme cases of hiccups, medical attention may be required. If a patient has hiccups that are severe, or will not stop by normal means, doctors can administer muscle relaxants, sedatives, or anti-convulsive drugs. The goal is to interrupt the hiccups so that the diaphragm begins functioning normally again. If there's one thing that everyone can agree on, it is that hiccups are annoying, and once you've got them, you can't wait until they go away.
Most cases of hiccups go away on their own, without medical treatment. If an underlying medical condition is causing your hiccups, treatment of that illness may eliminate the hiccups. The following treatments may be considered for hiccups that have lasted longer than two days.
Drugs commonly used to treat long-term hiccups include:
Chlorpromazine, classified as an antipsychotic
Metoclopramide (Reglan), an anti-nausea drug
Baclofen (Lioresal), a muscle relaxant
If less invasive treatments aren't effective, your doctor may recommend an injection of an anesthetic to block your phrenic nerve to stop hiccups. Another option is to surgically implant a battery-operated device to deliver mild electrical stimulation to your vagus nerve. This procedure is most commonly used to treat epilepsy, but it has also helped control persistent hiccups.