9 Effective Ways to Stop Hiccups Instantly at Home.

Hiccups are very common. The most widespread type of hiccups in the acute form. Acute hiccups or hiccup bouts often last for minutes. Acute hiccups are usually benign, occur to almost everyone.

When hiccups become persistent for more than 48 hours, you should see your doctor. Chronic or persistent hiccups for more than two days are no longer benign. Instead, persistent hiccups may reflect a disease inside your digestive system, chest, or nervous system.

MORE:

• How Long Do Hiccups Last? 7 Scenarios Explained.
• The 3 Main Reasons Why Your Hiccups Hurt (And the Best Treatments).

Today, You learn the most effective techniques to stop acute hiccups. Chronic hiccups often require an evaluation and prescription medication. Don’t treat chronic hiccups at home without medical evaluation and supervision.

Learn More about the types and causes of hiccups.

1 . Breathing Techniques.

One of the easiest and fastest ways to stop hiccups at home is to hold your breath. It is a safe and instant way to terminate hiccups instantly.

How does it work?

Hiccups are due to contractions of your diaphragm and sudden closure of the respiratory airways. The nerves that control the reflex are the vagus and phrenic nerves.

Holding your breath will raise your body’s carbon dioxide level (Co2). Elevated Co2 will cause your blood to become more acidic (respiratory acidosis). Acidosis will inhibit the contractions of your diaphragm (the main component of hiccups).

1. Breath-Holding.

• Take a deep breath.
• Then hold your breath for 10-15 seconds, or better as long as you can hold it.
• Stop when you feel dizzy or unable to continue holding.
• You can repeat the exercise once or twice more it no results if you don’t get instant results.

B. Supramaximal Respiration.

Supra-maximal inspiration is a particular type of breath-holding which is believed to be more effective (reference).

• Exhale all the air you can push out from your lungs.
• Then, inhale deeply at your maximum capacity.
• Hold air inside your lungs for 10 seconds.

C. Breathing into a bag.

• Bring a plastic or paper bag or small to medium size.
• Put it tightly through your mouth and nose (don’t let air leak out).
• Inhale and exhale into and from the air inside the closed bag, not from the room air.
• Continue for 30 to 60 seconds.

Efficacy breathing techniques.

Unfortunately, there is not enough research on all the anti-hiccup techniques. The deficiency of research is due to the temporary natures of acute hiccups and the rarity of chronic or persistent hiccups.

The evidence about efficacy is from small observational studies and case reports (reference).

No study has accurately assessed the cure rate of breath-holding in acute or chronic hiccups. However, it appears to work for some people. Because of its safety and easiness, you should give it a trial.

2. Valsalva Maneuver.

Technique:

• Pinch your nose close and close your mouth at the same time.
• Forcefully exhale with mouth closed (but don’t let the air come out).
• Bear down (like you have a bowel movement).
• Hold this Exahalation-bearing down for 10 to 15 seconds.

How it works:

Valsalva maneuver raises the pressure inside your chest cavity, which in turn decreases the blood going back to your heart and lungs.

As a result, complex mechanisms arise from pressure receptors inside large blood vessels that stimulate the vagus nerve. Vagus nerve stimulation helps to stop hiccups instantly.

3. Using icy water.

Technique:

• Bring a near-freezing cup of water.
• Slowly sip the water in small amounts until the cup is finished.
• If no response, you can repeat with another cup a few minutes later.
• Alternatively, You can gurgle with the freezing water for 10-15 seconds.
• You can repeat the gurgling with cold water, but you have to replace the water used in the first session (it is no longer cold).
• Also, you can swallow small ice cubes instead of very cold water.

How it works.

Sipping or gurgling freezing water can stop your hiccups instantly at home. The idea behind ice-cold water is that it also stimulates the vagus nerve, which will decrease the diaphragm spasms.

4. Pitting into a lemon.

• Bring a lemon and wash its skin.
• Either cut it into two halves or use it as a whole.
• Bite the lemon with your teeth and try to swallow the bitter fluid.
• Biting lemon will also stimulate the vagus nerve, instantly stopping hiccups.

5. Tongue Pulling.

• Bring a dry, clean, and small-sized towel.
• Open your mouth; hold the tip of your tongue with the towel.
• Pull your tongue out of your mouth forcefully with the towel.
• Keep pulling for at least 10 seconds.
• Pulling of the tongue also stimulates the vagus nerve and stops hiccups.

6. Pressing on eyeballs.

• Close your eyes.
• Make your eyes look downward while it is close.
• Press firmly (but gently) over the upper eyelid with your two index fingers.
• Keep pressing for 10-15 seconds.
• Repeat once or twice if no response.
• Pressing eyeballs is an effective way to stop hiccups in ten seconds as it is a powerful way to stimulate the vagus nerve.

7. Knee Chest Position.

• Sit on a chair or a couch.
• Either pull your Knees up to the chest or Lean forward to compress your chest with your knees.
• Hold this position for at least 30 seconds to one minute.
• If your hiccups don’t stop instantly, you can repeat the process.
• Keep the pressure for 15-30 seconds.
• The pressure will stimulate the vagus nerve and help stop hiccups instantly.

8. Combine more than one method to stop hiccups.

If one method doesn’t work, you can combine two or more techniques from the above.

For example, you can combine:

• Breath-holding and sipping or gurgling ice-cold water.
• Ice-cold water gurgling and lemon pitting.
• Valsalva maneuver and pressing on eyeballs.
• Or any other combination.

This may help to stop hiccups instantly.

9. Others:

Other methods to stop hiccups instantly but challenging to implement or need assistance:

• Scaring yourself or asking someone to scare you!
• Ejaculationono(stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, including the vagus nerve).
• Using a specialized tool called FISST (forced inspiratory suction and swallow tool).
• Swallowing granulated sugar.
• Carotid massage (need a professional health care practitioner).
• Rectalomassage with fingers (stimulates the vagus nerve).

MORE:

• 5 Emotional (Psychological) Causes of Hiccups & How to recognize them.
• Hiccups All Day On and Off: 8 Causes Explained.