I think it's been years since I've had more than two hiccups before I made them stop.
A couple nights ago![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
cathijosephine had some of the nastiest, most miserable hiccups I've ever heard. She ended up getting out of bed and going downstairs so I could sleep.
I thought about how I made them stop for the first time (I'd been avoiding it for fear of losing the ability). I listened to her some more. She was breathing shallowly. Then I suggested a simple breathing exercise:
Take a deep breath, as slowly as you can. Exhale just as slowly. Repeat. She had some difficulty with the slowness part, so I suggested trying to make each inhale and exhale last at least five seconds.
The hiccups went away immediately and did not return.
My guess is that hiccups are an attempt by your body to yank in more oxygen because you're not breathing enough, except for some reason it doesn't work. So just breathe, deep and slow.
A couple nights ago
cathijosephine had some of the nastiest, most miserable hiccups I've ever heard. She ended up getting out of bed and going downstairs so I could sleep.I thought about how I made them stop for the first time (I'd been avoiding it for fear of losing the ability). I listened to her some more. She was breathing shallowly. Then I suggested a simple breathing exercise:
Take a deep breath, as slowly as you can. Exhale just as slowly. Repeat. She had some difficulty with the slowness part, so I suggested trying to make each inhale and exhale last at least five seconds.
The hiccups went away immediately and did not return.
My guess is that hiccups are an attempt by your body to yank in more oxygen because you're not breathing enough, except for some reason it doesn't work. So just breathe, deep and slow.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiccup
Other hiccups are very easy for me to stop with a little concentration.
I bet inhaling for 5sec comes pretty close to doing that.
My three favorite cures are:
1. Drinking a glass of sugar water, which has to be made my measuring exactly 6 ounces of warm water into a glass, measuring exactly 2 teaspoons of sugar into the glass, then stirring the mixture for *exactly* one minute, the drinking the mixture all in one big gulp.
2. Drinking a glass of water while holding a pencil in my mouth, horizontally, sort of...like a gag as opposed to having the end in my mouth.
3. Drinking a glass of water while hanging upside down, by laying on a chair or couch and putting my legs up on the back of the chair and having my head hanging down where my feet usually are.
All of these work, I believe, because of the concentration of doing something a little odd rather than any actual physical reason.
some medications can be the cause of those spasms. just a thought.
Though, I notice if I swallow too much food at once (especially if I'm hurrying through eating) that tends to trigger them.