Hiccups – Mystery Unsolved

0
414

Nobody knows why hiccups exist. The medical term for hiccups is  “Singultus” – a latin word for the act of catching one’s breath while crying. It is a two step process. Step one is a muscle spasm that causes a lot of air to be sucked in. Step two is a nearly immediate closure of the airways that block that air, causing a hiccuping noise. The muscles that spasm are mostly found in the diaphragm. The flap of skin that blocks the airway to the lungs is called a glottis. It closes around 35 milliseconds after the air is sucked in.

Known causes of hiccups:

1. Too much gas in stomach

2. Rapid eating

3. Carbonated beverages

4. Stress

How to cure Hiccups:

1. Rapidly swallowing water or ice chips

2. Holding Breath

3. Rebreathing from a paper bag

Facts about Hiccups:

1. Ultrasounds have shown that even fetuses have hiccups

2. Some think it may be a holdover from our deep evolutionary past

3. Hiccups help babies to self burp

4. Hiccups are actually a way to prepare the fetus for breathing, once it is born, by exercising it’s muscle.

5. Infants hiccup more than humans.