Aishwarya Vaidya
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Written By: Aishwarya Vaidya | Updated : July 27, 2018 11:37 AM IST
Embarrassing hiccups? Try some home remedies ©Shutterstock
Imagine you are attending a party or an important meeting and suddenly you start getting persistent hiccups, Annoying right? But, those are not worrisome. If you experience it for as long as 2-3 days continuously, then it is alarming. Hiccups are involuntary, spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm and intercostals muscles, say researchers.
A sudden, involuntary contraction (spasm) of the diaphragm muscle can be termed as a hiccup. The vocal cords snap shut, producing the hiccup sound when the muscle spasms and they are quite embarrassing. Drinking too much and eating too quickly can result in hiccups.
In a minute, hiccups can occur between four to sixty times, surprising right? The ones which occur without any specific reason and go within a few minutes are known as acute hiccups. You can stop your hiccups by holding your breath.
Loyola Medicine neurologists say, everyone gets hiccups at some or the other point of time. But, some people can get hiccups which last for more than a month. Intractable hiccups can occur often but people don't realize, said Chief neurology resident, Stasia Rouse and Assistant professor Matthew Wodziak.
Both intractable hiccups (which last for more than a month) and persistent hiccups (which last for more than 2 days can be worrisome and are associated with various medical conditions and can hamper your quality of life. It would affect your ability to carry out daily chores. It can also impact your eating and sleeping habits.
Know how you can get rid of hiccups
You should quickly drink a glass of water if you start getting hiccups
You should bite a lemon
You should gargle with water
You should smell salts
A word of caution: If your hiccups are long-lasting, don't ignore them, just visit your doctor as timely intervention can help you to tackle it. Also, follow and maintain good eating habits.
Image Source: Shutterstock
