Like most people, I occasionally get the hiccups. But more than simply being annoying, hiccups bring me great pain. It doesn’t take long at all before I feel each hiccup draw stomach acid up into my esophagus, resulting in terribly painful heartburn. Furthermore, when I do get hiccups they will last all day long for a day or two. That makes for some seriously painful, long-lasting heartburn. The blasted bouts will keep me from sleeping and ultimately make me alarmingly irate over the whole ordeal. So I set out on a quest to find the end all cure all that will stop hiccups every time. And I am proud to say that after trying countless techniques that all did nothing for me, I finally found a solution I believe works every time. Before we get into the solution, it would be helpful to briefly understand why hiccups occur…
Why Hiccups Occur
Hiccups largely remain a medical mystery. They can happen for several reasons, but the most common and medically accepted reason is from simply swallowing too much air. This can happen while eating or drinking too fast. Having this excess air in the stomach can disrupt your body’s breathing rhythm as it tries to escape. Thus, to cure hiccups you need to try to both empty some air from the stomach and reset your body’s breathing cycle to a coordinated rhythm again.
The Stop Hiccups Solution
- Step 1 – Inhale through your mouth until your lungs are COMPLETELY full and you are unable to take any more in.
- Step 2 – Without releasing any air, swallow.
- Step 3 – Still without releasing any air, continue to inhale through your mouth again as much as possible (it won’t be much this time).
- Step 4 – Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you are unable to take any more air in.
- Step 5 – Gently exhale.
If done correctly, this process should reset your breathing rhythm and make those nasty hiccups disappear. This method has never failed to cure me on the very first try. So please share in the comments if this solution also works for you!