I don’t know if it’s sympathy pains or psychosomatic, but between writing that headline and forming this sentence, this author has developed a mild dose of the hiccups. Either way, my current predicament is going to prove a perfect case study for the content of this article; how to cure the hiccups.
I’m not alone in my journalistic quest, as ‘how to get rid of hiccups’ was the third most Googled health topic of 2020 (discounting Corona-related searches obvs).
In the interest of promoting prevention over cause when it comes to all ailments, large and small, first let’s look at the triggers for hiccups in the hope that you can avoid these out in the big, bad world.
The Causes
· Drinking soft drink/fizzy drinks/carbonated beverages
· Drinking too quickly
· Eating too quickly
· Eating too much
· Excitement or emotional stress
· Sudden temperature changes
· Chewing gum
· Sucking on hard lollies
Now when it comes to curing hiccups, there are apparently hundreds of remedies, however below are some of our favourites – selected by preference and pure intrigue. It should be noted, if symptoms of hiccups extend beyond 48 hours, this may be an indication of something more serious. More serious than chewing gum.
The Cures
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Gargling iced water (without ice)
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Hold your breath and swallow 3 times (tricky)
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Swallowing a teaspoon of sugar
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Drinking from the far side of the glass (ie. Bending over to drink a water in an inverted ‘u’ shape… please do this and send the video)
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Get scared (requires help!)
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Pull on your tongue
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Rubbing the back of your neck
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Suck on lemon
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Breathing into a paper bag or airplane sick bag
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Repeating “I [Insert Full Name] do not have the hiccups” 3 times without break. This sounds like the most ludicrous (besides the upside-down drink thing), but the extended exhale could give this method the validation it so sorely needs
Update: I’m cured. As to which method I chose, it was one of the more practical solutions.