Hiccups are a rather common occurrence that are very disturbing and is experienced by everyone at some point or the other. It is a result of an irritation of the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a muscle that is responsible for taking air in and out of the lungs during the process of inhaling and exhaling.


Hiccups are characterized by a peculiar “hic” sound and barely last for a couple of minutes but sometimes it maybe experienced by a person for days and weeks altogether. If it lasts for a long period of time, it is generally the result of an underlying medical condition. The exact cause as to why you get hiccups in the first place is not fully known but there are a number of reasons that have been attributed for getting hiccups.


Some of the reasons could be eating a lot, eating in a hurry, getting excited all of a sudden, eating food that is very spicy and hot, problems related to the stomach, an infection in the lungs or a problem with the kidneys. A lot of people say that holding your breath helps you to stop the hiccups but that is a misconception. Instead try drinking small sips of water after frequent intervals. Eating peanut butter is said to be one of the remedies to stop hiccups. You should also try and take a deep breath while you are getting hiccups in order to stop the hiccups.

One of the hiccup remedies also include gargling with warm water as that provides instant relief from the condition. Another great remedy to treat hiccups is to take a spoon of sugar and lick it. Sometimes, trying not to think about the hiccups and diverting your mind to another activity or thought might also help to stop the same. Take a cup of yogurt, add 2 teaspoons of common salt to it and eat it slowly as it aids in stopping the hiccups. It is said that sucking on ice is also a good remedy to treat hiccups. Similarly, you can even suck on ginger to stop this problem. Another home remedy is mixing half a teaspoon of pure ghee to half a teaspoon of mustard seeds and having this mixture as it is a great hiccup remedy and enables to stop them immediately. You can even add half a teaspoon of cardamom powder to two cups of water, boil it and have this water after filtering it in order to stop the hiccups.