Purge the Hiccups From Your Daily Life

There are plenty of seemingly innocuous health problems which can be annoying and ruin a person’s day. The hiccups are one of these conditions. People with hiccups have them caused by involuntary contractions. Specifically, it is an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm.

Most people don’t suffer hiccups for long. It simply lasts for a few minutes and then goes away either on its own, or through some simple tricks that many people have done and pass down. However, there are also serious cases. Cases in which hiccups can last for 48 hours or even longer! In these cases, hiccups can actually be caused by some very serious issues.

Causes of Hiccups

When it comes to basic hiccups, there are several things which can cause them to occur. Some of these causes include:

  • Eating too much or far too quickly
  • Drinking carbonated beverages or especially drinking too many
  • Drinking alcohol to excess
  • Emotionally stressful moments
  • Unexpected Excitement
  • Swings in environmental temperature
  • Swallowing some air while sucking on hard candy or chewing bubble gum.

The basic causes won’t cause long term damage. However, there are serious causes of 48+ hour hiccups. Issues within the body will constantly irritate the diaphragm to the point where it won’t stop. These are related to nerve problems. The kind of issues can include tumors or cysts in a person’s neck. People with Laryngitis and sore throat may find the issue occurring as well.

There are also issues within the central nervous system that can cause hiccups. Issues like strokes, meningitis and multiple sclerosis can all trigger long issues with hiccups.

Finally, there are many drugs and metabolic disorders which can cause bouts of 48 hour hiccups. People with diabetes, kidney disease or electrolyte imbalances can suffer from them. People under anesthesia, alcoholics and users of steroids and tranquilizer drugs can also suffer from immense hiccuping bouts.

Treating Hiccups

Treatment for hiccups comes from home remedies. It’s not hard to People want to get rid of them and honestly, different things work for different people. There’s simple tricks that work for many people. Some of these include:

  • Holding Your Breath - This is one of the most common methods people attempt. They try to hold their breath through a hiccup barrage, which can usually stop it in its tracks.
  • Breathing Into a Bag -People will often breathe into a paper bag try to stop hiccups. Many people also do it when they are feeling high levels of anxiety.
  • Gargling - THis is normally done with ice water as opposed to any other substance.
  • Water - There’s two variations on this. Some people continuously sip at it. Other people choose to guzzle the cold water to try and stop the hiccups from continuing.

For more serious situations, things will be handled differently. First, you’ll want to see a doctor. The doctor is going to need to determine several things. In order to assist a doctor in determining exacting what is causing the issues, keep track of symptoms and other medical problems. Also, track every hiccuping episode. This should include when they start, as well as when they finish and the severity of the hiccups. In addition to this, a full medical breakdown of other conditions or issues that you have will allow the doctor to be immediately ready to determine what is going on and what is wrong.


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