30 Home Remedies for the Hiccups

Hiccups are a common problem. While they do not cause any serious problems, they can be annoying. Luckily, since it is a simple problem, it can be fixed simply with a variety of home remedies. More often than not hiccups are provoked by:     

 

• Eating at such a fast pace that air is swallowed with the food intake.         
• The over-consumption of fatty foods and carbohydrate beverages.
• Disorders or diseases such as liver disease, lung disorder, or pneumonia may irritate the nerves that control the diaphragm resulting in hiccup spasms.                                                                                                                         
• Brain tumors and strokes can sometimes also cause hiccups.
• Even rapid changes in temperature lead to hiccups.
• Strong emotions, like fear or over-excitement, may also trigger hiccups.
• Noxious fumes are another cause of hiccups.
• Lastly, abdominal surgery may agitate the set of nerves that control the diaphragm, leading to hiccups.

 

Hiccup Remedies for Babies

When it comes to curing hiccups, there are many myths, but proven home remedies ought to be tried. The below home remedies will work well for babies who are affiliated with a case of the hiccups.

1. Tickling

Tickling the palate at the roof of the mouth with a cotton swab is a technique to try. Finding the ticklish spots in babies and tickling them there might also result in stopping the hiccups. This works a lot like surprising an adult to stop the hiccups.

 

2. Soft Patting

During feeding, babies gulp down too much air that gets trapped in their stomachs and produces hiccups. Hiccups can be controlled by gently patting the babies back in rhythmic movements. This movement helps release any air that has been trapped in the baby’s tummy by forcing the baby to burp. Burping naturally releases any trapped air in the tummy. Obviously, the patting should be gentle as slapping the baby or being rough is never advisable /acceptable.

3. Burping

As initiated through patting, burping stops hiccups. As babies grow up and the instances of hiccups also reduce. If you can get a baby to burp another way while they have the hiccups, then this can also stop their hiccups.

 

4. Sugar-water

Sugar water is a tried and tested home remedy to cure baby hiccups. 125ml of boiled or cooled water is needed to dissolve a quarter teaspoon sugar in. Feeding babies with a couple of teaspoons of the sugar water solution eliminate the hiccups. Older babies can be fed using feeding bottles to relieve hiccup bouts.

 

5. Repositioning

Hiccups are as much of an annoyance to parents as it is to babies. To reduce the discomfort caused by hiccups, it is advisable to change the position of the baby, especially during feeding. This will make the baby burp or relax which may reduce the discomfort and the hiccups.

 

6. Feeding

Attempt to feed babies mostly when they are calm, which is usually prior to them becoming exceptionally hungry. By feeding when the baby is calm, the chances of babies getting hiccups from feeding are reduced. Minimize distractions whilst feeding ensuring the feeding process is serene and leisurely.

 

7. Finger in Ear

Whilst reducing noise during feeding is vital, it has been said that placing fingers in the baby’s ears stops hiccups. The branches of the vagus nerves seep into the auditory system and thus by stimulating the nerves where the vagus nerve is stimulated to go into action. Precautions must be taken so that fingers are not placed too deep in the ear.

 

8. Lemon

To make the frequency and intensity of hiccups less, when a baby is frantically hiccupping is to allow the baby to suck on a slice of lemon. Lemon juice can also be dropped into 125ml of boiled or cooled water. Lemon has properties of easing infant hiccups rather quickly.

 

9. Honey

If lemon is out of the question, opt for dissolving a teaspoon of pure honey in 125ml or less of warm water. The honey solution ought to be fed to babies either with a spoon or through a bottle. This is a safe at home hiccup remedy for toddlers who are older than 24 months. Babies younger than this cannot digest honey well.

10. Shock Technique

Hiccups are believed to be eliminated by shocking the sufferer. The loud sound caused when bursting an inflated paper bag ought to do the trick of shocking the sufferer. As a warning, scaring your baby too much might make them cry.

 

Hiccup Home Remedies for Children, Teens, and Adults

 

11. Bag Blow

Particularly for adults, breathing in a paper bag may cause hiccups to come to a halt. Blowing into a paper bag is akin to the well-reviewed breath-holding technique to stop hiccups. This works in such a way that the amount of carbon dioxide that is taken into the bloodstream is increased. This allows the body to indulge in merely trying to get rid of the carbon dioxide causing the hiccups to be forgotten.

 

12. Spice-Free Diets

Stopping spicy meals is a way to stop hiccups. Since spices affect the lining of the stomach and esophagus, the added acid results in hiccups. A spice-less diet means fewer hiccups.

 

13. Reduce Eating

Filling up the tummy with too much food can also cause hiccups. Experts have mentioned that hiccups are merely a manner to inform one’s body to stop eating so that one’s digestive system can force the food down one’s gullet.

 

14. Slow Eating

Eating too fast means food is not chewed properly and thus hiccups are produced. Just like with babies, air may get trapped with the food when one is eating too fast it causes an irritation of the vagus nerve. Making sure one chew carefully and takes smaller sips of drinks help reduce the chances of suffering from hiccups.

 

15. Peanut Butter

Propping a dollop of butter from your teeth to your tongue causes an interruption in your breathing and swallowing patterns and interrupts the brain causing hiccups to cease.

 

16. Reduce Drinking Levels

Alcoholic beverages can also affect the esophagus and stomach lining. Overindulging in alcohol can eventually destroy the lining of the food pipe. Large sips of alcohol can cause the esophagus to expand quickly which leads to hiccups. Drinking less alcohol can help with a number of other health problems. 

 

17. Carbonated Water

Where it is recommended to drink less alcohol, drinking a carbonated water at a quick pace can cause serious burping. The burping will force the hiccups away.

 

18. Pickle Juice

Sipping on a cup of pickle juice can help to eliminate the hiccups. A few sips of this juice should do the job. If you do not want to directly drink pickle juice, then eating a pickle may also help. However, eating a pickle has more of a choking risk than drinking pickle juice.

19. Gag Reflex

If all else fails, pressing your fingers on the base of your tongue until you begin to gag is also an option. This works as it causes the phrenic nerves which are connected to the diaphragm to suspend the hiccups. However, if you do this for too long, you may vomit.

 

20. Tongue Pull

Sticking out your tongue whilst pulling at it is a further hiccup reducer. Hold your tongue with your fingers until your hiccups are gone.

 

21. The Pinch

Con your way into forgetting your hiccup woes by allowing others to threaten to pinch you every time you hiccup. Generally having people fake threaten you by saying, “Hiccup again, I dare you,” may also stop your hiccups.

 

22 Tickle Tactic

Just as in babies, ticklish people have a greater chance of resetting their breathing by being tickled hence eliminating hiccups in the process. Just like babies, it can result in a surprise effect.

 

23. Earlobe Squeeze

As has been mentioned by several researchers, rubbing the earlobes can cause hiccups to pause. It may sound unlikely, but the vagus nerves are actually connected to the earlobes and by rubbing the lobes, you stimulate the nerves to reduce diaphragm pressure.

 

24. Pressure Points

Hiccup spasms can be stopped by applying slight pressure to one of the six pressure points. One of these points can be found at the hollow lank of your throat in between the collar bones.Below the collarbone, on both extremes of your breastbone is where another pressure point lies. There is one about two inches above and an inch inward from the armpit crease. The little indentation just an inch below the breastbone is another pressure point.The hollow below the earlobe is another pressure point. Lastly, a pressure point can be found on the bottom flank of your rib cage that connects the ninth rib cartilage to your eighth rib.

25. Pulls

Another hiccup stopping alternative is to pull your knees up while simultaneously leaning forward to compress one’s chest. This causes strain on the diaphragm and hence breaks the cycle of muscle contractions.

 

26. Salt Gargle

Try adding some salt to lukewarm water and gargle with it to get some relief. When you are done gargling the salt water, spit it out.

 

27. Licorice Root

Chewing on licorice root can provide relief from hiccups as well. Drinking licorice tea may also be of some assistance.

28. Antacids

If you take antacids that have magnesium content, you can get some relief from hiccups. Use this as recommended on the container.

 

29. Mouth Tickle

To get some relief, use a cotton swab to tickle the roof of your mouth. This should “distract” your hiccups, causing them to stop. You can also gently use a toothpick to get the same effect.

 

30. Iced Water

Guzzling some cold water can bring some relief. For some people, it works best to guzzle the water slowly. For other people, it works better to do it quickly. Experiment to see which way works better for you.

Do you have any other tips for stopping the hiccups? If so, comment below!

 

References

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Baby-Hiccups

http://www.healthline.com/health/childrens-health/newborn-hiccups

http://www.babycenter.com/400_how-do-you-cure-newborn-hiccups_6636459_107.bc

https://babies-baby-care.knoji.com/how-to-stop-hiccups-in-young-infants-and-babies-home-remedies/

http://www.findhomeremedy.com/top-7-home-remedies-for-baby-hiccups/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/185865-how-to-get-rid-of-hiccups-in-a-newborn/

http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/blog/hiccups-in-babies-newborns-cure.html