Top 10 Best Cures for Hiccups

Hiccups suck.  We've all had them - irritating and wild diaphragm spasms that disappear within a few minutes... or several minutes. Discovery Health tells us the common reasons why they happen:

• Swallowing too much food
• Swallowing too much air
• Excess smoking
• Drinking too much alcohol (this is the reason I usually get them)
• Rapid temperature changes in your stomach 
• Emotional triggers: shock/excitement/stress

But who cares, really - if you have them, then all you care about is how to get rid of them.
Now, my husband and I have had them a lot - as have all of our friends - because even though we are in our late 20s and early 30s, we still party heavily on the weekends! I'm lying, we're really shadows of what we used be... But really, we have gotten many-a-case of hiccups which have easily been cured by the BEST way to get rid of hiccups (which I won't reveal until the end of this rant).

Without further adieu: Here are the all-time 10 best ways to get rid of hiccups from all of our years of experience:

#10: Drinking Water Through a Straw
This hasn't been very effective in all of our years - but when you get desperate after 1 - 9 fail, then this is a good try.  Take a huge glass of water, a straw, and drink as much as you can until you cannot suck any longer.

#9: Drinking Water Upside Down
This has worked maybe 25% of the time for us.  Again, we usually only try it when the first few fail.  Take a large glass of water, bend over so you're looking at your knees, hold the glass upright to your lips, and try to drink without spilling water up (down?) your nose.

#8: A Good Scare
My husband does this to me when I start hiccuping and it drives me crazy - he literally grabs me by both of my arms and yells "ARRRG!" in my face - that's not scary, it's just annoying.  And when you're irritated already by a bad case of hiccups, it doesn't help.  BUT, I have had this work when I was legitimately scared about something - like getting pulled over (not a drinking & hiccuping occasion - just to reassure), or getting chased with a spider.

#7: Holding Your Breath
An old classic - hold your breath as long as you can and your hiccups may be cured.  You can't half-ass it though - you literally have to suck as much air in your lungs as possible and then hold.  This works a good 50% of the time for us if we're doing it correctly.

#6: Yawning
Have you ever made yourself yawn?  You have to hold your jaw open, flex your tongue,  open your throat, and hold.  Almost like you're trying to make your ears pop, but get frozen in time.  If you can master the yawn, you'll have a good trick for curing hiccups.  It works, it really does - the tricky part is concentrating on it while hiccuping.

#5: Spoonful of Sugar
This has been known to work a time or two.  Take a simple teaspoon of sugar down and you will be in good shape.  Scientifically, a spoonful of sugar could be enough to stimulate the vagus nerve and make your body 'forget' about the hiccups.  It definitely has worked for us - but you have to take down the sugar DRY.

#4: Breathing Into Paper Bag
We've seen this work, but the hard part is - how often do you have a paper bag laying around?  Especially when you're at the bar, paper bags are few and far between.  However, if you're at a friends house, and they have kids - they'll likely pack lunches and have a paper bag handy.  Take the bag, breath in and out of it slowly.  

#3: 30-Second Hiccup Cure (Hold your breath and swallow)
I thought this was absolutely bogus, but I just tried it, and it really does work!  It's not easy, though.  Some call this the 'Hold your breath and swallow,' but this blog gives you really good instructions on how to do it exactly so that it really does work. 

#2: Throwing Up (whoops!)
It sounds horrible, but we really have seen this work.  The only reason I'm putting it in here is because I have seen it work 100% of the time.  This DOES NOT mean that I condone making one's self throw up- but facts are facts, and you cannot argue with that.  Our one friend gets hiccups every time he drinks, because he cannot handle his liquor.  He also has a weak stomach.  It's like clockwork - hiccups, throw-up, no more hiccups.

#1: Biting a Lemon Wedge
This is my absolute favorite #1 trick in the book for getting rid of hiccups.  IT HAS WORKED FOR ME EVERY TIME since I was told about it.  The best part about this trick for me is that lemons are always around when you're at a bar (or restaurant).  Take a lemon wedge, take a big bite and suck - just like it's an orange.  The shock to your vagus nerve is almost always enough to overstimulate and cure your hiccups.   

Well there you go - my top 10 best ways to cure you of those annoying diaphragm spasms.  Hope these work for you - and if you know of any more, let me know! I'll add them as honorary additions.