Hiccup is an involuntary and sudden contraction of the muscles of the diaphragm. Normally, this action is repeated many times. A weird sound (hic) is produced. The sound is because of the epiglottis which closes when air suddenly tries to rush in. Hiccups are not as painful usually, though they can be very irritating at times. When they continue for a long period, they are very irritating. Normally, when I get them, I just drink two glasses of water and I am done! But in little serious cases, this remedy is not enough

Your windpipe that carries air to your lungs is located just in front of your esophagus, which carries food to your stomach. You certainly don’t want food to pass down your windpipe, so it is covered with a trap door called the glottis. The glottis closes when you swallow and prevents food and drink from going into your lungs. The diaphragm is the huge muscle that is situated underneath your lungs. It moves down to pull the lungs down to fill your lungs with air.

Hiccups are one of the most annoying involuntary reflex actions. Any sort of irritation caused in the diaphragm muscles results in erratic breathing producing sound. Other possible causes for hiccups could be hot spicy food, lung infection, stomach problem, kidney disorder, sudden excitement, overeating and eating too fast.

The exact cause of hiccoughs is not known to medical science. But Ayurveda holds the gastrointestinal tract responsible for them. They can be caused due to minor problems such as flatulence and constipation. In such cases, hiccoughs are not serious and they can be taken care of easily. But hiccoughs that are caused due to chronic conditions must be considered with great care.

Repeated swallowing works for mild cases. Do this by holding your breath and repeatedly swallowing as fast as you can, or by slowly drinking down a beverage with as many swallows as is possible. It’s important that you hold your breath for as many gulps as you can. Placing a napkin over a glass of water can help moderate your speed.

Everyone has a favorite hiccup remedy: touching a spoon against the uvula repeatedly while you try to breathe in, breathing into a bag, drinking water from the back side of a glass, massaging your neck, pulling on your tongue, sudden fright, pressing on your eyeball, or holding your breath. If none of those work and hiccups persist, doctors may prescribe various drugs to reduce nerve messages, make your stomach contract or tranquilize nerves.

Drink only in moderation. Like spices, alcoholic beverages can cause a simultaneous irritation of the esophagus and the stomach. And over time, excessive drinking can damage the lining of the food pipe. Parties, like the kind some college students attend, where people are sometimes dared to consume a lot of alcohol as quickly as possible, can lead to acute ingestion. The digestive system not only becomes irritated by the alcohol, but big gulps of it cause the esophagus to expand rapidly, resulting in hiccups.

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