9 Astonishing Facts About Hiccups That Will Surprise And Inform You
A hiccup is an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm followed by the closure of the vocal cords. This motion produces the 'hic' sound hiccups make. There are many triggers that are thought to be the cause of hiccups, including coughing; eating rapidly; pairing carbonated beverages with spicy foods; laughing; and even having serious medical conditions, such as a stroke or kidney failure. Although hiccups are common, they remain a mystery to many people. Here are nine surprising facts about the hiccups.
What To Do If Hiccups Last More Than 48 Hours
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There may be a cause for concern if hiccups last longer than two days. In these cases, medications or other underlying medical issues may be the cause of the hiccups. This condition is known as persistent or protracted hiccups; hiccups that last for more than a month, in comparison, are known as intractable hiccups. The National Health Service of the United Kingdom recommends seeing a doctor or health professional if hiccups last for more than forty-eight hours. This is important for determining if medical treatment is required. Approximately eighty percent of those who experience hiccups for longer than forty-eight hours have an underlying medical cause. The other twenty percent may have psychological issues, such as anxiety.
The Many Causes Of Hiccups
Science ABC
Hiccups can be caused by many different factors, some of which are avoidable. Some hiccups are the result of lifestyle choices or seemingly normal activities. For example, eating rapidly and overeating have long been associated with short cases of the hiccups. The same is true of shock, stress, excitement, excessive alcohol consumption, and smoking. Longer-term causes of hiccups include diabetes, gastrointestinal disease, and respiratory distress. Even within the same individual, distinct cases of the hiccups may be caused by different underlying factors.
The Effectiveness Of Home Remedies
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Although many people swear by them, home remedies for hiccups generally do not work. These home remedies include holding the breath, being startled by someone, breathing into a paper bag, drinking hot or cold water, and performing breathing exercises. Mental distraction has also been used as a way to trick the body into stopping the hiccups, and some people turn to hypnosis or acupuncture for relief. These methods mayhelp some, but with no scientific proof to back them up, it is hard to predict the success any given sufferer will have with them. That said, scientists have not yet discovered a definitive cure for hiccups, and many doctors recommend trying some of these home remedies before prescribing muscle relaxants or narcotics.
Old Wives' Tales
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An old wives' tale claims that people get hiccups when another person (who is not present) is speaking about them. According to this tale, hiccups can be cured by identifying the perpetrator and saying his or her name out loud. Of course, if this tale were true, many high-profile politicians, athletes, and public figures would constantly have the hiccups. Nevertheless, this is not the only old wives' tale about the hiccups to survive to this day. An old Russian legend claims that people can start hiccuping if someone else is even just thinking about them. Another asserts that those with hiccups are cursed by bad luck and have a demon living inside of them.
The Noise Hiccups Make
All Healthy News
No medical training is needed to identify a case of hiccups because one of the most obvious signs of this condition is the noise it makes. The 'hic' noise is an involuntary sound produced by a reflex that is triggered when the throat closes in response to excess air in the body's breathing passage. This process takes approximately 0.25 to 0.35 seconds and begins when the diaphragm contracts and the vocal cords reflexively close. The sound varies in volume and frequency across people. The word 'hiccup' is an example of onomatopoeia, a property of words that imitate sounds, used in comics, cartoons, and pop art.
Everyone Can Get Them
It is sometimes believed that people who belong to certain demographic, racial, or geographic populations do not suffer from hiccups. However, this belief is false. Anyone can get hiccups regardless of race, gender, or age. Even fetuses can develop symptoms of hiccups while in the womb. This happens primarily during the third trimester when the baby is growing and developing rapidly before its big arrival. Hiccups can also affect household pets, such as cats or dogs, with some folks believing they can signify an impending growth spurt in these animals. In sum, any animal with an evolved breathing system can get hiccups. Hiccups do not discriminate.
Average Hiccup Frequency
Hiccup frequency is measured in the units hiccups per minute. According to the United States National Library of Medicine, a normal hiccup frequency can be anywhere from four to sixty hiccups per minute. This means some people hiccup once every single second when they have an episode. Experts claim that each person has a different hiccup pattern, which remains constant over time. For example, if a person hiccups for twenty minutes at a rate of ten hiccups per minute, he or she will display this pattern during every case of the hiccups. In general, adult women have higher hiccup frequencies than adult men do, and hiccup frequency tends to decline with age. Even though it may seem this way, hiccup frequency is not random.
Different Names For Hiccups
Hiccups are also known as diaphragmatic spasms and singultus. A diaphragmatic spasm is the medical term for hiccups and accurately describes what happens in the body during an episode. 'Singultus' is a Latin term that loosely translates into 'the act of catching one’s breath while sobbing.' This term can be linked to the sound made by hiccups, which is how they got their name in the first place. Throughout history, hiccups have been called a variety of other names, including 'hickot,' 'hiccough,' and yox.'
The Hiccup World Record
