Reasons to get rid of it. Hiccup. Description, types, causes and treatment of hiccups. Remedies for hiccups What causes hiccups

"Hiccups, hiccups, go to Fedot,

From Fedot to Yakov, from Yakov to everyone.

Who was not told such words in childhood! Every person is familiar with hiccups, even a baby developing in the mother's womb hiccups. And how many home tips, folk recipes exist to get rid of an unpleasant condition! Why does a person hiccup? Is hiccups dangerous? Why does it start and how to stop it?

Why do people hiccup

What is a hiccup? Let's start with physiology. The human body has a muscle that helps us breathe. It is located next to the stomach and is called the "diaphragm". When people breathe, the diaphragm contracts rhythmically. But, sometimes the normal functioning of the muscle is disrupted. It breaks off from a stable rhythm and gets out of control, forcing the person to inhale more air.

What makes a person hiccup. When uncontrolled air masses fill the lungs in large volume, the brain frantically tries to put the body in order. A strict larynx signal is given: “Stop the disgrace! Stop!” In response, the vocal cords immediately close.

The diaphragm at this time still forces the body to inhale air, and the larynx, obeying the brain, does everything possible to stop this process. The movements of the diaphragm become convulsive, the air, colliding with the closed vocal cords, produces a strange, funny sound "Ik". A person starts hiccuping.

Interesting fact. A case is known when a person hiccupped for 68 years. American Charles Osborne began to have hiccups while slaughtering a pig for a holiday. At first, the person hiccupped 40-50 times per minute, then the hiccups decreased, dropping to 20-30 times every minute, and did not stop. Charles got used to it, led a normal life. Hiccups released the man in 1990, a year later Osborne died from an exacerbation of a gastric ulcer.

Causes of hiccups

Hiccuping is an entertaining and varied process. There are many reasons and types of diaphragm contraction. Hiccups can be episodic (short-term), the attack lasts 10-15 minutes and does not cause discomfort. But this can not be said about prolonged hiccups. Long-term (idiopathic) hiccups are divided into three types:

1. Central. The culprit of the syndrome is a violation of human brain activity and concomitant diseases: meningitis, myelinopathy, encephalitis, encephalopathy.
2. Peripheral. The pathology of the normal processes of the phrenic nerve (hernia, paresis, cysts, tumors) becomes responsible for the unpleasant condition.
3. Toxic. The symptom provokes an organic lesion of nerve endings that occurs due to intoxication of the body.

For each type of convulsive contraction of the diaphragm, there is its own cause. To get rid of, to mitigate the tormenting syndrome, one should understand the root cause, which is why people hiccup.

After meal

Hiccups often appear after eating (especially in children). What is it connected with? With the fact that we do not know how to eat properly. We quickly stuff large pieces of food into ourselves, hastily chew and swallow feverishly. Hurry and healthy food are incompatible things! It is important to instill a culture of nutrition in a person from a young age.

In 9 out of 10 adults, hiccups after eating appear on the background of regular overeating. The walls of the distended stomach provoke convulsive contractions of the diaphragm - hence the hiccups.

The chances of acquiring unpleasant moments when the body is shaking from hiccups - watching TV or reading while eating - increase. This fact adversely affects digestion and provokes the appearance of uncontrolled spasms and contractions of the diaphragm.

Hiccuping after eating is a safe phenomenon, but if the symptom persists, more serious health problems can be detected: respiratory failure, paralysis of the sternum muscles, asthma. This specificity is observed in people after surgery of the spine or stomach.

After alcohol

Regular intake of alcoholic beverages poisons the body. Under the influence of alcohol, normally functioning body systems get out of control. Toxic toxins of ethyl alcohol, together with the bloodstream, are carried through tissues and organs. Why does a drunk have hiccups? There are several reasons:

• Suffering liver. The liver, which takes the brunt of intoxication, increases in size. The enlarged organ presses on the diaphragm, which provokes its convulsive and uncontrolled contraction.
• Muscle weakness. The nervous system affected by intoxication causes muscle weakness in the body. A drunk person is in constant nervous tension. What does it mean? Nerve impulses are sent by the brain chaotically, combined with muscle weakness, the diaphragm reacts with a contraction - hiccups.
• Nerve damage. With alcoholism, irreversible changes in the functioning of the nerve trunks begin. Hiccups during intoxication is a common symptom of alcoholic toxic polyneuritis. In this case, there is incontinence of feces, urine. The muscles of the body atrophy, memory processes deteriorate. Polyneuritis in severe cases is fatal.

If hiccups begin in a state of intoxication, this is a sign that it is necessary to induce vomiting in a person, freeing the stomach from the toxic residues of alcohol. Having rid of the accumulated poisons, the person is taken out into the fresh air. To relieve spasm of the diaphragm, the intoxicated person is forced to eat food with a sharp, sour taste (mustard, horseradish, spread on bread or a slice of lemon).

When smoking

A frequent complaint of heavy smokers is the resulting hiccups when smoking. No means help to get rid of an unpleasant phenomenon (neither changing the brand of cigarettes, nor temporarily stopping smoking). With each puff, a new long attack of hiccups begins. Why is this happening? There are several reasons that explain what causes hiccups in smokers:

1. When smoking, a person inhales the smoke. The nicotine veil gets not only into the lungs, smog also enters the esophagus. Nicotine has a relaxing effect on the sphincter. A relaxed organ is not able to resist the flow of gastric juice into the esophagus. From acid, the mucous membrane of the esophagus is irritated, spasms occur that affect the nerve of the diaphragm - hiccups begin.
2. Hiccups are affected by the air entering the stomach (if the smoker is talking at the same time). The same thing happens if you combine eating and smoking.
3. Hiccups as a result of intoxication of the body, poisoned by combustion products, resins. Likewise with hiccups in drunk people.
4. In 3 out of 10 cases, hiccups when smoking occur due to the temperature difference between the smoke and the surrounding air.
5. If a smoker often hiccups, this indicates possible physical problems in the body (tumors, diseases associated with the stomach). The components included in nicotine exacerbate the development of pathology.

With a constant convulsive contraction of the diaphragm during smoking or after it, consult a doctor and undergo a diagnosis of the body.

In the fetus during pregnancy

The most touching moment when a woman carries a baby in herself is the beginning of the fetal movement. But some movements of the baby scare the expectant mother. At 28-34 weeks, the baby signals itself with rhythmic, clearly defined movements. Such contractions last 10-30 minutes, sometimes they are so strong that they cause inconvenience to a woman. What it is?

Hiccup! Yes, a baby can hiccup while still in utero. Doctors consider this process normal and physiological. This symptom should not cause concern to parents.

Why is this happening. From the 28th week of development, the human fetus learns to suckle. During suckling, amniotic fluid enters the baby's stomach, which surrounds the baby. The fluid provokes contractile movements of the diaphragm and the embryo hiccups. Hiccups in the fetus are a natural reflex, showing that the central nervous system in the baby is developing normally.

Babies, developing in the mother's belly, hiccup all. But not every mom feels such movements. People are different, each person has his own threshold of sensitivity. Yes, and babies can hiccup imperceptibly for the mother.

There is another, disappointing version of fetal hiccups. In 5 out of 50 cases, the hiccups of the developing embryo are evidence of the baby's hypoxia. With a lack of oxygen, the baby captures the oxygen he lacks with convulsive, hiccup-like movements.

Hypoxia cannot be determined based on frequent contractions of the diaphragm. Hypoxia is detected by undergoing a pregnant ultrasound with additional cardiotocography (observation of the movement of the embryo and its heartbeats) and dopplerometry (measurement of blood flow velocity in the fetus, in the umbilical cord and uterine vessels).

In newborns

When a newborn baby hiccups, it scares the parents. But the child himself does not experience any suffering and inconvenience. What provokes a frightening adult symptom in a newborn baby?

• Binge eating. Excess milk presses on the walls of the ventricle, stretching the organ. The stomach pushes the diaphragm, causing it to contract. Because of this, hiccups begin after feeding.
• Swallowing excess air. Too big hole in the nipple or excessively greedy absorption of food.
• Dysfunction of nerve centers. If the mother's birth was difficult and the baby suffered from hypoxia, regular hiccups occur as a result of acquired neurosis in the newborn.
• Colic. Hiccups are due to intestinal colic. The intestines, swollen with gas, press through the stomach on the walls of the diaphragm, causing it to contract.
• Cold. Convulsive contractions of the diaphragm also occur due to the fact that the baby is frozen.
• Nervous jolts. The arrival of a new person, noise, bright flashes of light, loud sounds - this causes hiccups. Sensitive children with an exacerbated nervous system suffer more often.

Hiccups in a newborn are easily eliminated, and the baby returns to normal. But, if the attack of hiccups does not stop, when hiccups occur constantly and last for a long time, the baby must be examined. Such a symptom may indicate incipient diseases (flu, pneumonia, diseases of the central nervous system).

Hiccups in diseases

Diaphragmatic cramps sometimes begin in moments of unrest in a person (before exams, in romantic girls before a first date, during interviews or public speaking). But there is a hiccup of a pathological nature, showing that a person’s health is not in order:

With existing pathologies, a person hiccups all day. Contractions of the diaphragm, lasting for a long time, greatly exhaust the body, exhaust the person. In severe cases, they even cause mental disorders. Patients with idiopathic hiccups are examined by a psychiatrist. It is impossible to diagnose a disease by hiccups alone, but such a syndrome helps to recognize a serious illness in time.

Folk "hiccuping" signs

Since ancient times, there has been a superstition that if a hiccup suddenly attacked a person, someone remembers him. This belief is the most common. To understand who is thinking, one should pronounce the names of friends. On which name the hiccups stop - that one is occupied with thoughts of a hiccuping person.

The people offer another way to "find the culprit." Lubricate the little finger and run it over the eyebrows, saying out loud the names of acquaintances. On whose name a hair remains on the little finger - that is the cause of the hiccups. There are other interesting signs:

• If it hiccups easily, they remember it with a kind word.
• Severe hiccups - the hiccuping person is scolded and scolded.
• If a person hiccups, he stole something.
• Once hiccupped - there is an envious person.
• Hiccup - good weather.

Topical even today (especially for young girls) is the decoding of hiccups by the days of the week:

1. Monday. A pleasant acquaintance or an unexpected meeting with a lover.
2. Tuesday. Hiccups portend happy events that will happen soon. If the hiccups began in the morning - the week will be blessed, in the afternoon - a love adventure, in the evening - frivolous, but pleasant spending.
3. Wednesday. Romance awaits, a touching date.
4. Thursday. Good communication with a friend who will charge you with a cheerful mood and optimistic energy for the whole week.
5. Friday. Unexpected heartfelt news.
6. Saturday. Secret desire will come true.
7. Sunday. Waiting for stormy gatherings with friends and relatives.

How to accept beliefs, whether to believe in them is an individual matter. But what to do with hiccups that do not stop? Are there ways to remove an unpleasant symptom?

What to do with hiccups

In a healthy person, hiccups pass in 10-15 minutes. What to do in order not to hiccup an adult? To stop the symptom tormenting the body, many methods have been invented, the most common of them is holding the breath for 25-35 seconds with a repetition of 4-5 times. If you continue to hiccup, use other methods that will help you say goodbye to hiccups at home quickly:

Sour/bitter food, sugar. For hiccups, take granulated sugar (a tablespoon). How sweetness affects the cessation of diaphragm spasms is not clear and has not been studied, but the method is effective. He especially helps children. The same effect occurs when eating sour or bitter (a piece of lemon, horseradish, mustard). Or moisten a piece of refined sugar with vinegar, bite it into several small particles and swallow it quickly.

Water. Helps to remove hiccups water. Fill a glass of water, hold your nose and drink continuously, taking small sips. 25-30 sips is enough to stop the hiccups. There is a more complicated way, it is called "Drinking Ballerina". Stand up, put your hands behind your lower back, tilt your body forward. In this position, take a sip of water, keep your head straight. Hold your breath for 5-10 seconds. The hiccups will subside.

reflex methods. Open your mouth and gently press your finger on the root of the tongue (as is done when invoking vomiting). But do not bring the body to vomiting spasms. Or take the tongue with your fingers and gently pull it out of your mouth. Fix the tongue in this position for 10-15 seconds.

Repeat 3-4 times - this will help stop the spasm of the diaphragm. Helps relieve spasms by gentle pressure on the eyeballs while holding the breath. You can try to massage the points located above the collarbone (these are the exit points of the diaphragmatic nerve).

Carbon dioxide. Want to quickly get rid of hiccups? Place a plastic bag tightly over your face and breathe into it. Inhale and exhale air until you feel a lack of oxygen. As soon as this feeling arises, stop the procedure immediately. The hiccup goes away.

Sedative. Help to say goodbye to hiccups sedatives (valocordin, corvalol, valerian, peony, motherwort, St. John's wort). Drop the solution into a teaspoon (15-20 drops) and drink. Drink warm water.

If you have been in the cold all day and are thoroughly frozen, and the body has reacted with violent hiccups, dress in warm clothes. Then drink a hot, invigorating drink (tea, chocolate, compote, fruit drink, jelly). Do not take alcohol!

These methods are proven and effective. The main thing is to calm down and not think about the result, do not wait for it. The hiccups will definitely go away. Although, maybe hiccuping is a test that helps us harden in the fight against life's difficulties and troubles? Have you thought about it?

If the convulsive contractions of the diaphragm do not stop, but continue for more than 1.5-2 hours, and all the methods have been tried, passed and have not yielded results, it is time to go to the doctor for an examination. The doctor will help you find the source of the tormenting ailment and prescribe the appropriate treatment.

Do not hiccup and be healthy!

Hiccups are a phenomenon familiar to everyone. By themselves, single bouts of hiccups are harmless to the human body. However, in the event that hiccups do not go away on their own within a day or are accompanied by symptoms that cause serious damage to a person’s life (suffocation, headache, shortness of breath), this may indicate serious pathologies and disturbances in the internal systems of the body. A mistake that many people make is ignoring the symptoms that accompany hiccups. Knowing the features of the occurrence of hiccups will help alleviate the condition as quickly as possible and completely get rid of it.

Frequent stress can be accompanied by hiccups.

Causes of frequent hiccups in adults

First, let's figure out why frequent hiccups appear. By itself, the mechanism of hiccups is simple. It appears due to involuntary rhythmic contractions of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles. During hiccups, smooth muscles contract, causing a sharp breath, and the larynx does not allow air to enter, provoking a short-lived state resembling suffocation. At the same time, when the muscles contract, the vocal cords also contract - this is how a typical sound occurs that accompanies hiccups.

However, what causes hiccups? In fact, the reasons can be very different:

• Food and overeating. Perhaps the most common cause of hiccups is overeating. When you overeat, the walls of the stomach stretch due to overfilling with food, causing the intercostal muscles to contract. This is what causes hiccups. Ask yourself: when exactly do I start hiccuping? If this condition torments you systematically after eating, this means that it is worth reducing portions.
• Sudden fright can be the cause of hiccups. This occurs because fear causes an involuntary sharp breath, pinching the muscles of the diaphragm. This is typical if you were sleeping or the torso was in an uncomfortable position.

• Frequent hiccups can be triggered by the abuse of alcoholic beverages. The fact is that alcohol invariably leads to intoxication. In this case, the body tries to cope with toxins by contracting smooth muscles.
• Very often, the fact that people hiccup may be the result of a malfunction of the nervous system.
• Another common factor that can cause hiccups is hypothermia. That is why it is so important to maintain a balance in temperature and avoid sudden temperature changes.

Sometimes the occurrence of frequent hiccups can be associated with a serious illness. Here is a list of characteristic diseases accompanied by hiccups:

• stroke;
• diseases of the lungs and respiratory system;
• diseases of the digestive tract;
• metabolic disorders;
• stress;
• hernia;
• lesions of the central nervous system and others.

Of course, in order to get rid of indomitable hiccups, it is necessary to eradicate the cause that caused this uncomfortable condition. To do this, it is better not to self-medicate, but to immediately seek help from a doctor.

How to stop hiccups fast?

If in your case, indomitable constant frequent hiccups are not associated with a serious pathological disease, you can try several express methods to get rid of this unpleasant condition. Effective methods to stop hiccups in adults:

• Glass of water. A method that is familiar to us since childhood. Try to drink water from the back of the glass, a little cold, slowly, in small sips.
• Hold your breath. This method is based on artificially created pressure on the diaphragm. Take in as much air as possible and try not to breathe. This method almost always works effectively.
• Breathe into the bag. As strange as it may sound, this method can be extremely effective in combating this unpleasant phenomenon. However, you should breathe not in a plastic bag, but in a paper one. Inflate the bag, and then begin to draw air into yourself. This usually works great.

• Place a piece of butter or a cube of refined sugar under your tongue. Dissolve slowly. This method promotes intense salivation, which affects the diaphragm and larynx, causing relief when a person hiccups.
• Sharp fear. Sometimes a sudden fright can help if you hiccup. Due to a sharp fright, a phenomenon occurs that is completely opposite to what caused this uncomfortable state - a sharp contraction of the diaphragm, which can help get rid of this uncomfortable state.
• Vomiting reflex. If none of the methods help, you can try to induce a gag reflex. The gag reflex is based on a sharp contraction of the muscles of the esophagus, which helps to eradicate the signs of hiccups.
• Try tickling as an effective remedy if you have hiccups. Tickling artificially causes a sharp contraction of the muscles, causing a hiccup-like condition.
• Bring your knees to your chest. Bend over and press your stomach to your knees. The resulting pressure on the diaphragm will help to get rid of this uncomfortable annoying condition.
• Yoga and light gymnastics are effective in combating hiccups.
• During hiccups, it is important that the patient takes a horizontal position, so that the diaphragm is higher than the larynx. This will help as soon as possible to alleviate the condition and get rid of hiccups. However, do not stay in this state for too long, so that the blood does not begin to rush to the brain.

It should be noted that these methods are good only for an adult, you should not check their effectiveness on a child's body. There are other, more non-standard methods of getting rid of hiccups in adults:

• This method was once used by John F. Kennedy to get rid of hiccups. Try to stick out your tongue as much as possible and grab its tip with your fingers. Try to stay in this state for a long time.
• Try pressing on the eyeball with your fingers. Of course, this must be done with your eyes closed. And do not engage in such a procedure for too long to protect yourself from a rush of blood to the brain.

Survey

If your constant hiccups continue for more than a day, it is imperative to consult a doctor to determine the factors that can provoke it. To determine the main cause of hiccups, the following diagnostic methods may be required:

• first you need to do a general and biochemical blood test;
• undergo a study of the work of the heart (using ultrasound therapy (ultrasound) or an electrocardiogram (ECG);
• a chest x-ray may be needed.

hiccup- This is an innate reflex that is given to us by nature. This is the reaction of the body to external (cold) or internal (pressure of food on the walls of the esophagus and stomach) stimuli. In hiccups, the diaphragm and intercostal muscles try to take a deep breath. But at the same time there is a spasm in the larynx, and the airways overlap. A characteristic sound occurs on inspiration at the time of spasm of the vocal cords.

Each of the innate reflexes helps a person to survive. Coughing, for example, clears the lungs, and pulling the hand away from a hot object momentarily helps to avoid burns.

But why do we need hiccups?
This time, the opinions of scientists differed. Let's dwell on the two most plausible versions.

Version one. Hiccups help release the vagus nerve, which is pinched at the hiatal opening of the diaphragm. This nerve is very important, since its proper functioning ensures the functioning of vital organs: the heart, lungs, stomach, and intestines. So, hiccups are an attempt to protect the vagus nerve from irritation.

Version two. Hiccups are a defense mechanism that keeps fluid circulating in the lungs of the fetus. In the future, this reflex becomes unnecessary and slowly fades away, but its appearance is periodically provoked by various factors.

Interesting Hiccup Facts

• Several centuries ago, hiccups were considered a sign of the evil eye and corruption.
• The Germans from hiccups put a paper cross made with their own hands to their foreheads. And the British baptize their left foot with their right hand.
• The longest bout of hiccups lasted 68 years.
• Men are more likely to suffer from hiccups than women.
• Stopping hiccups is easier before you hiccup 5-10 times. If the moment is missed, then you will hiccup about 60 more times.
• In the Arkhangelsk region once there was a whole epidemic. Women caught hiccups from each other. This phenomenon is called "Pinezhsky hiccups". But there was no explanation for him.

Causes of hiccups

Let's remember the anatomy to make it clearer what happens to our body during hiccups. The diaphragm is a broad muscle that separates the thoracic and abdominal cavities. In a calm state, it resembles a dome. When a muscle is tensed, it becomes flat. At the same time, it stretches the lungs and increases their volume. This happens with every breath. The intercostal muscles lift the ribs to further increase the volume of the chest.

During hiccups, this process occurs very quickly, the diaphragm and intercostal muscles contract convulsively. But the vocal cords close, air is blocked by the epiglottis, and instead of a full breath, we get hiccups.

We figured out how the characteristic "hic" occurs. But the muscles of the body do not work on their own. They are always controlled by the nervous system. But in this case, she does it against our will.

Hiccups occur when irritants act on the vagus nerve - a thick fiber of nerve endings covered with a protective sheath that runs from the skull to the internal organs. The irritation signal immediately gets to the “hiccup centers”. The intermediate is located in the cervical spinal cord, and the central stem section of the brain. These structures are responsible for analyzing the signal and making decisions about aperture reduction. A command from the brain in the form of a nerve impulse descends to the diaphragm and intercostal muscles and causes them to contract sharply.

The path that a nerve impulse takes is called a reflex arc. Its components: diaphragm, vagus nerve, brain, vagus nerve, phrenic nerve, diaphragm muscles. If you open this circuit and stop the transmission of the nerve impulse, then the hiccups will stop. This will happen when the respiratory center, which is normally responsible for the functioning of the lungs, will again take over the function of controlling the diaphragm and other respiratory muscles.

The mechanism of hiccups is closely related to the respiratory, nervous system and digestive organs (esophagus and stomach). Changes in the organs for which the vagus nerve is responsible can cause hiccups.

Let's take a closer look at what can cause hiccups. These factors are usually divided into two groups.

To the first we will attribute the “harmless” causes that cause short bouts of banal hiccups that last from 5 to 20 minutes and pass on their own.
To the second a group of causes include diseases that lead to hiccups. If hiccups are associated with pathology and attacks last more than 2 days, then this is long-term persistent hiccups. Her attacks are repeated often, and it is much more difficult to cope with them.

1. Pathologies of the digestive system
   • esophagitis
   • peptic ulcer of the stomach or intestines
   Inflammation of the esophagus, stomach, intestines and glands, which are considered "subordinate" to the vagus nerve, causes malfunctions in its work. Inflammation from nearby organs affects the vagus and phrenic nerves and the diaphragmatic muscle. Any impact on the nerve endings turns into a nerve impulse that travels along the reflex arc and ends with a convulsive contraction of the muscles of the diaphragm.
2. Diseases of the respiratory system The vagus nerve provides the muscles of the pharynx and palate, so any inflammation of the upper respiratory tract disrupts its work. This is facilitated by intoxication and compression of surrounding tissues as a result of edema. But if in the upper sections the nerve is protected by sheaths of the neurovascular bundle, then when it enters the chest, it breaks up into a number of small branches. They are more vulnerable and sensitive to inflammation of the bronchi and lungs. And, as you understand, any impact on the vagus nerve can result in hiccups.
3. Disorders of the nervous system
   • concussion
   • occlusion of the nerve by the vertebral hernia
   Injuries or inflammatory diseases, brain damage due to poor vascular function or poisoning by toxins show a variety of symptoms. Among them, there is also persistent prolonged hiccups. In this case, spasms of the diaphragm are caused by compression of a section of the brainstem by the surrounding edematous tissues.
4. Pathologies of the cardiovascular system
   • myocardial infarction
   • aortic aneurysm
   • artificial pacemaker
   Since the heart lies in close proximity to the vagus nerve, serious interruptions in its work can be transmitted to the nerve trunk. Through it, excitation spreads to the "center of hiccups."
5. Body intoxication
   • chemotherapy
   • drugs (dexamethasone)
   • drugs for general anesthesia
   Intoxications caused by microorganisms that enter the bloodstream during an illness or drugs poison the nervous system. They have a toxic effect on both the brain and peripheral nerves. This causes abnormal nerve impulses that cause the diaphragm to contract.
6. Tumors

   This, of course, is a very rare cause of hiccups, but it is quite likely. Benign or malignant tumors can occur in any organ. Hiccups are associated with those tumors that are located in the brain, along the path of the vagus nerve or on the diaphragm itself. The tumor tissue compresses the nerve endings, causing a nervous tic - hiccups.

Hiccups in newborns

Hiccups in newborns are frequent rhythmic twitches of the diaphragm, the muscular septum that separates the lungs from the digestive organs. It can last from 5 minutes to an hour.

Causes of hiccups in newborns

After birth, this reflex becomes unnecessary, but it fades slowly. Therefore, any external influence can provoke it.

Mechanism of hiccups in newborns. An impulse occurs in the nerve endings of the vagus nerve. It appears if there is a spasm of the diaphragm, it is squeezed by a swollen tummy or after irritation of the esophagus. The impulse goes up to the brain. There is a special section there that controls the movements of the diaphragm. He gives a command that, in the form of a nerve impulse, goes down and causes the diaphragm to shudder. The following reasons can cause contractions of the vagus nerve:

1. hypothermia. A normal child reacts to cold air with strong muscle tension. At the same time, the abdominal muscles contract, and the internal organs support the diaphragm. Hiccups, in this case, are an attempt to relax the muscles of the diaphragm so that it would be easier for the lungs to breathe.
2. After vomiting. During regurgitation, air and a portion of food quickly pass through the esophagus, irritating nearby nerve endings.
3. Full stomach. Incorrect attachment to the breast, when the child gasps for air with every sip, or rapid sucking often ends in hiccups. The stomach, overflowing with milk and air, presses on the diaphragm from below, causing hiccups.
4. Bloating. Gases that have formed in the intestines cause pain. The baby's tummy becomes swollen and hard. The kid tenses up, twists his legs and thereby squeezes the diaphragm even more, lifting it up to the lungs. In response to this, the sensitive muscular septum begins to twitch.
5. Scream. During crying, the child strongly strains all the muscles and gains a large amount of air, which enters not only the lungs, but also the stomach. It enlarges and stretches the vagus nerve, which runs along the surface of the stomach.
6. Fright. You took the baby with cold hands, turned on a bright light or heard a loud sound next to him - this can scare the child. Stress is always accompanied by contraction of the muscles of the body, and sometimes hiccups.
7. Immaturity of internal organs. The internal organs of a small person continue to form even after birth, especially for babies who were born prematurely. The nervous system and digestive organs are very sensitive to various stimuli. They are just learning how to do it right. Therefore, spasms often occur, and hiccups are already their consequence.
8. Diseases. In rare cases, increased intracranial pressure can cause hiccups - the center of the hiccups is compressed and sends impulses to the diaphragm. Another reason is pneumonia. In this case, inflammatory processes disrupt the conduction of signals along the vagus and phrenic nerves.

How does hiccups appear in newborns

Most often, hiccups do not cause much concern in newborns. But it prevents some babies from falling asleep, then the child becomes capricious and whiny.

Treatment

What should not be done?

Treatments for hiccups that can be tried on an adult are absolutely not suitable for a newborn baby. Hiccups themselves will not do as much harm as some attempts to get rid of hiccups.

1. Don't scare the baby. Clapping, shouting and throwing up will only cause an attack of crying and will cause a sleepless night. Try to distract the child with more civilized methods: show toys, carry them in your arms.
2. Don't wrap. Hiccups are not a reason to put winter clothes on a child. If the temperature in the newborn's room is normal (22 ° C), then a blouse and sliders are enough. Remember that overheating a newborn is worse than hypothermia. If, nevertheless, the baby has cold hands and nose, then wrap it in a warm diaper or pick it up.
3. Don't give water. According to WHO breastfeeding experts, newborns need only mother's milk. And a bottle of water can cause a baby to not want to breastfeed.
4. Do not eat foods that cause gas. The menu of a nursing mother is of great importance. The use of cabbage, legumes, peanuts, tomatoes causes bloating in infants and can cause hiccups.

Medication treatment

Remember It is forbidden to give a newborn child any medicines without a doctor's prescription. Even the most harmless, from your point of view, medicine or dietary supplement can cause irreparable harm to a child. Allergic reactions, palpitations, digestive disorders are just a few of the possible consequences. Therefore, before treating hiccups in a newborn with drugs, consult a pediatrician and a neurologist.

Tell your pediatrician about these cases of hiccups:

• hiccups last more than 2 hours after you have eliminated the possible causes of its occurrence;
• attacks appear regularly several times a day for 2 weeks or more.

Hiccups in children

Another thing is prolonged hiccups. It can go on for hours. Due to the large number of contractions of the diaphragm, the child experiences discomfort. The fact is that each “hic” is a powerful and quick breath. But it is defective, because the glottis sharply narrows and does not allow air to enter the lungs. Therefore, during prolonged hiccups, the child may experience oxygen deficiency. It is necessary to examine the baby to detect pathologies that cause hiccups. These can be worms, gastritis, disorders of the liver, brain or spinal cord,

Causes and mechanism of hiccups in children

What can cause hiccups?

1. Full stomach. Your baby ate more than usual or drank a lot of liquid. The stomach stretches and presses on the diaphragm, lifting it up. This triggers a response in the brain, and it causes the diaphragm muscles to contract.
2. Irritation of the esophagus. Perhaps the child chewed food poorly and swallowed large pieces. This is especially true for dry products: crackers, bagels. This happens when the child is in a hurry, or his baby teeth are loose and it hurts to chew. Large pieces of food stretch the wall of the esophagus and irritate the branches of the vagus nerve.
3. hypothermia. Wet feet, a wet diaper, or general hypothermia cause contraction of the skeletal muscles and diaphragm. Thus, the body tries to keep warm. A compressed diaphragm is discomfort for the nerves, and hence the hiccups.
4. Swallowing air (aerophagia). This can happen during laughter, crying, when the child excitedly tells you something or chews chewing gum. Aerophagia is often observed during diseases that are accompanied by a sore throat. Air, like food, inflates the stomach and, with the help of diaphragmatic contractions, the body tries to reduce pressure.
5. Nervous tension, fear. In stressful situations, a lot of adrenaline enters the bloodstream. This substance causes muscle contraction, including the diaphragm. And we already know what the consequences are. In addition, there is a malfunction in the nervous system. Foci of excitation arise in the "hiccup center", and he takes control of the respiratory muscles.
6. Uncomfortable position. If the baby has been in one position for a long time, for example, sitting stooped, then the abdominal organs press on the diaphragm. This can cause her muscles to spasm.
7. Taking medicines. Sulfanilamide drugs, which are often prescribed to children to fight bacteria, muscle relaxants that are used before surgery, and other drugs can cause intoxication. Damage to the nervous system can manifest itself in the form of prolonged bouts of hiccups.

Inflammation is rarely limited to a small area. It almost always affects the surrounding tissues. They swell, the nerve endings in them are clamped. Hiccups are caused by those diseases in which the organs located along the vagus and phrenic nerves are affected. And it doesn't matter if there are disorders in the brain or in the abdominal cavity. The signal enters the "hiccup center", and there an impulse is formed that makes the child hiccup.

1. Inflammation of different parts of the respiratory system
   • inflammation of the pharynx
   • inflammation of the trachea and bronchi
   • pneumonia
2. Diseases of the digestive system
   • inflammation or distension of the esophagus
   • inflammation or peptic ulcer of the stomach, intestines
   • liver pathology
3. Pathologies of the nervous system
   • brain and spinal cord injuries
   • dysfunction of the peripheral nervous system,
   • nerve damage
   • cysts and tumors
4. • inflammation of the membranes of the heart
   • aortic aneurysm

Treatment of hiccups in children

There is something for everyone, there are no universal recipes. Most of the methods are quite safe and children perceive them as a fun game. But among the recipes for hiccups, there are those that can be harmful, especially with frequent use.

What should not be done?

1. Do not grease the root of the tongue with strong mustard. Another variation on this theme is to mix mustard with vinegar and grease the tip of the tongue. In children, such a procedure can cause not only allergies, but also a spasm of the muscles of the larynx and bronchi, then the child will begin to choke.
2. Do not swallow a teaspoon of salt. Remember that the daily salt intake for a child is less than one gram, and 5 grams are placed in a teaspoon. Therefore, such a treatment for hiccups can disrupt the water and electrolyte balance in the body.
3. Don't scare the child. Fright is unlikely to relieve hiccups, it will rather aggravate the situation. In addition, it can cause other unpleasant phenomena, such as stuttering and enuresis.
4. Don't induce a gag reflex. Pressing on the root of the tongue helps some adults, but in a child this procedure will cause a lot of discomfort and every bout of hiccups will be associated with psychological trauma. Believe me, there are many more pleasant and no less effective ways to treat hiccups.
5. Do not drip corvalol on sugar. This method helps many adults, but is completely unsuitable for children. Their body may behave unpredictably in response to the medication. Side effects are tachycardia, drowsiness and dizziness.

1. Learn to eat slowly. When the baby chews food thoroughly and swallows it in small portions, he will not swallow air, which causes hiccups. By eating slowly, he will have time to understand that he is full and is less likely to overeat. This habit will help to avoid the occurrence of hiccups associated with overeating and swallowing air.
2. Retention of breath. Ask the child to take a deep breath, hold the breath as far as possible and draw in the stomach. Another option is to breathe in the air that is in the paper bag. At the same time, the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood rises, and the brain begins to feel a lack of oxygen. When the body is faced with such a serious problem, it "forgets" about the hiccups caused by irritation of the vagus and phrenic nerves. From an excess of carbon dioxide, the respiratory center is rebooted, which is responsible for the proper functioning of the diaphragm and lungs.
3. Drinking water. It is necessary to hold your breath and drink 12 small sips of water during this time. Another way: put a glass on a chair and drink water through a straw, bending over it. At this time, the hands should be clasped into the castle and laid as high as possible. Drinking poda helps to relax the esophagus and diaphragm and interrupts the nerve impulse that causes hiccups.
4. Stretch your diaphragm. Ask the child to take the deepest possible breath and hold the breath for 30 seconds. Then you can fold your lips with a tube and exhale slowly and smoothly. Repeat 5-6 times. Stretching the diaphragm and normalizing breathing restore proper muscle function. This method helps if hiccups are associated with a long stay in one position or muscle spasm after fright and hypothermia.
5. Unusual tastes. An experiment conducted by British scientists showed that in 19 cases out of 20, hiccups in children stopped after they were offered to dissolve a teaspoon of granulated sugar. If you are not at home, sugar can be replaced with M&M's sweets, they must be chewed. American children are treated with a spoonful of peanut butter. A slice of lemon also helps. The fact is that foods with a sharp taste irritate the taste buds, switching the attention of the nervous system to this problem and distracting from hiccups.This method works in almost all cases.
6. Massage hard palate. Massage of the hard palate (this is the area of ​​the mouth behind the upper teeth) is a distraction for the vagus nerve. The sky can be tickled with the tip of the tongue or massaged with a finger. Tactile stimulation of the palate receptors helps to relieve the excitation of the vagus nerve caused by laughter or swallowing air.
7. Dip your face in cool water. Fill a basin with cool water and invite the child to dip his face for a few seconds. It is necessary to hold your breath, and then slowly release the air. The leaning position, holding the breath, and the unusual sensation of "diving" into cool water will relax the diaphragm and interrupt the transmission of commands from the "hiccup center" to the diaphragm.
8. Physical exercise.
   • While inhaling, raise your arms up and stretch. As you exhale, bend down and relax.
   • Sit your child in a chair and ask them to snuggle up against the back and take a deep breath. After that, lean forward, clasp your knees and hold your breath for 5-10 seconds. Now you can exhale slowly.
   Such exercises help to relax the muscles of the diaphragm, and holding the breath is needed to increase the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood. under such conditions, the respiratory center takes control of the work of the respiratory muscles.
9. Chamomile tea. This drink helps calm the nervous system and relax the muscles. If you drink tea in small sips, you can influence the nerve endings of the vagus nerve in the pharynx and esophagus.

Medical treatment for hiccups in children

Hiccups in adults

Causes and mechanism of hiccups in adults

1. Full stomach. If you sat down more than usual, then the stomach increases significantly in volume. It presses on the diaphragm located above it and on the vagus nerve. Overfilling is often preceded by spasm of the sphincters. These are special circular muscles that are located at the entrance and exit from the stomach. If they are compressed, then food cannot go into the intestines, and air can not come out in the form of belching. In this case, we feel an unpleasant heaviness that precedes the hiccups.
2. Hot or cold food, dry food, spicy food. Passing through the esophagus, food irritates its membrane. This irritation is transmitted to the nearby vagus nerve, and through it to the brain. The response to the stimulus is a sharp contraction of the diaphragm
3. Alcohol. Strong alcoholic drinks burn the mucous membrane of the pharynx and esophagus, and then cause intoxication (poisoning) by disrupting the functioning of the nerves, including the vagus and diaphragmatic. That is why hiccups so often accompanies plentiful feasts.
4. Drug intoxication. In this case, hiccups in adults are a side effect of medications. Their components disrupt the functioning of the nervous system. More often than others, sulfanilamide drugs, muscle relaxants, and anesthetics are to blame for the appearance of hiccups.
5. Stress, fear, hysteria - this is a load on the central nervous system. Stress disrupts the transmission of signals from the centers in the brain to the executive organs. In the center responsible for the contraction of the diaphragm, there is an excitation that is transmitted to its muscles.
6. Hypothermia. When we are cold, we shiver. This is a convulsive contraction of the muscles aimed at keeping warm, and we feel the trembling of the diaphragm as hiccups.
7. Laughter. When laughing, a deep breath is followed by a series of sharp exhalations. This disrupts the work of the respiratory center, and the “hiccup center” receives control over the diaphragm.

Persistent prolonged hiccups in adults can be caused by various diseases:

1. Nervous System Damage Pathologies of the nervous system are accompanied by swelling of the nervous tissue, while some cells die and the signal transmission paths from the brain to the diaphragm are disrupted. This causes her convulsive contraction.

   Diseases of other organs cause irritation not of the central section, but of the peripheral nerves - the vagus and diaphragmatic. If the focus of inflammation is located next to them, then there is a failure in the nervous regulation of the diaphragm. Here is a list of diseases that may be accompanied by hiccups:

   • inflammation of the brain
   • concussions and bruises
   • multiple sclerosis
   • tumors
   • herniated disc that compresses nerves
2. Diseases of the digestive system
   • heartburn and enlargement of the esophagus
   • peptic ulcer of the stomach and small intestine
3. Diseases of the cardiovascular system
   • aortic aneurysm
   • myocardial infarction
4. Diseases of the respiratory system
   • pneumonia
   • pleurisy
   • tumors

Treatment

What should not be done?

You should not use extreme methods to combat hiccups, which, although they will stop hiccups, can also be harmful to your health.

1. Rectal massage. American Francis Fesmire, together with Israeli scientists, received the Ig Nobel Prize in 2006 for this method. They have proven that digital rectal massage is a good cure for hiccups. But this method has not gained wide acceptance.
2. Fright. Attempts to scare a hiccuping person can cause serious neurological disorders. It is especially dangerous if a person has heart problems.
3. Lubricate the root of the tongue with strong mustard. This seasoning can cause spasm of the larynx. In addition, mustard, getting into the esophagus, will burn it, which can cause increased hiccups.

1. Drinking water. There are several exotic ways to drink water that help with hiccups. The fact is that cool water acts on receptors in the throat, which distract the vagus nerve from transmitting commands to the diaphragm. As the water travels down the esophagus, it relaxes the esophagus and pushes out trapped food that can irritate the diaphragm. In addition, focusing on counting the throats puts the nervous system in order.
   • Hold your breath and take 12 sips;
   • Drink water from the opposite side of the glass;
   • Clamp the pencil with your teeth, it should be placed horizontally between your teeth. Try to take a few sips.
   • Throw half of a wooden toothpick into the glass. Drink water, being careful not to put the toothpick in your mouth.
   • Drink water while leaning forward. You can drink from the tap or from a glass on the table. At the same time, hands should be clasped behind the back in the castle. Raise them as high as possible.
2. Retention of breath. When you hold your breath, your blood is enriched with carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a signal for the respiratory center to take control of the diaphragm. It forces the muscle to work only to ventilate the lungs. The method helps to get rid of hiccups caused by nerves and as a result of muscle spasm.
   • Breathe slowly into the paper bag. Polyethylene for these purposes cannot be used - you can suffocate.
   • Take a deep breath, then a few more, until you feel that your lungs are full. Now tilt your head down and hold your breath for 30 seconds. After that, slowly, without effort, exhale. This method allows you to cause oxygen deficiency and relax the muscles of the diaphragm.
   • Valsalva reception. Take a deep breath, hold your breath and tense your muscles strongly, strain. Stay in this state for 10-15 seconds.
3. Salt and sugar. Irritation of the taste buds located in the mouth helps to improve the functioning of the vagus nerve if the hiccups come from cold or irritation of the nerve when swallowing. It is recommended to dissolve, a teaspoon of granulated sugar or salt. For the same purposes, you can use a slice of lemon or a piece of candied honey, a few dragees of ascorbic acid.
4. Physical exercise. Exercise, combined with even breathing, helps control the abdominal muscles and diaphragm. This method helps eliminate neurogenic hiccups and those associated with swallowing air.
   • Stretch, standing on your toes and raising your hands up. This exercise is done while inhaling. Lean forward while exhaling.
   • Sit on a chair, leaning against its back, take a deep breath. Lean forward and wrap your arms around yourself like you would during an emergency landing on an airplane. Hold this for 10-30 seconds, then exhale smoothly.
   • Do a handstand or lie on your back and hang your head off the bed so that it is below your diaphragm.
5. Vomiting reflex. Tickle the root of the tongue with your fingers (no need to bring it up to vomiting). This stimulates your gag reflex. The vagus nerve is also responsible for it. Since the gag reflex is stronger than hiccups, the body switches to this task. This method of struggle copes with hiccups that have arisen for any reason.
6. Induce a burp. If hiccups are caused by swallowing air or drinking carbonated drinks, then it is necessary to empty the stomach of the air bubble. To do this, swallow the air several times, lean forward a little and tighten your abdominal muscles.
7. Water with mint drops. Peppermint tincture helps relax the esophageal sphincter, the muscular ring that separates the esophagus from the stomach. This will let the excess air out of it. This method is suitable if you hiccup after overeating, drinking carbonated drinks or laughing.
8. Impact on reflex zones. Press on the biologically active points where the receptors of the nervous system are located. This causes excitation of the respiratory center, from which the diaphragm is controlled.

   Reflexology helps well with hiccups in adults of a neurogenic nature.

   • Sit down, close your eyes and lightly press on the eyeballs;
   • Intensively massage the back of the hands from the hand to the elbow;
   • Massage the upper palate with your finger or the tip of your tongue.
   • Pull your earlobes or apply something cold to them.

Medical treatment for hiccups in adults

• hiccups appear regularly;
• the attack lasts more than 48 hours;
• during hiccups, heartburn and chest pain appear;
• hiccups are associated with various diseases.

Inhalations with carbon dioxide(5-7% carbon dioxide and 93-95% oxygen). Carbon dioxide is an irritant of the respiratory center. This procedure activates his work and makes you breathe deeply. At the same time, the lungs, diaphragm, and intercostal muscles work smoothly and without unnecessary contractions.

Intranasal catheter insertion to a depth of 10-12 cm. The catheter is a thin flexible tube. It is injected through the nose into the respiratory tract. It irritates the nerve endings of the vagus nerve. The procedure itself is not particularly pleasant. Medical manipulations make you quickly forget about hiccups and switch to your own feelings.

Novocaine blockade of the vagus nerve. 40-50 ml of a 0.25% solution of novocaine is injected with a needle at the posterior edge of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. Thus, the work of the vagus and phrenic nerves is blocked. This method is used in extreme cases, when hiccups are associated with inflammatory processes in the chest.

Medical treatment

hiccups during pregnancy

Let's hasten to reassure expectant mothers - hiccups in your condition are absolutely safe. It doesn't harm you or your baby. In addition, your unborn child hiccups regularly. He does this starting from the 6th week, but you will feel rhythmic tremors only at the 26-28th week of pregnancy. Hiccups for the fetus and massage of the internal organs, and exercises for the muscles, and the prevention of stagnation of fluid in the lungs - in general, a solid benefit. But there are also less pleasant cases. The baby may experience oxygen starvation. In this case, hiccups are the result of excitation of the respiratory center. Therefore, if you are in doubt, then tell your gynecologist about your fears. Cardiotocography, ultrasound, listening to the fetal heartbeat and counting its movements will tell you about the baby's condition.

Causes and mechanism of hiccups during pregnancy

1. hypothermia. When the temperature drops, your body reflexively tries to keep warm around the baby and internal organs. And the muscles are contracting. This contraction of the diaphragm leads to the simulation of the nerve endings of the phrenic nerve. This excitation is transmitted to the brain stem. There, a command is formed to relax the diaphragm and the body does this with the help of hiccups.
2. Full stomach. Expectant mothers often eat for two to meet the increased needs of the body. In this case, the stomach increases in size more than usual. It presses on the diaphragm from below, pinching the vagus nerve and preventing the lungs from fully relaxing. The body tries to eliminate this with the help of sharp and rhythmic contractions of the diaphragm.
3. Drinking carbonated drinks. Bubbles of carbon dioxide are released from the liquid and collect in the upper part of the stomach. The gas bubble inflates the stomach. In this case, the fibers of the vagus nerve are irritated, which pass along its surface. In response, the brain causes hiccups to free the stomach from the air bubble. Therefore, hiccups stop after belching.
4. Irritation of the esophagus. Badly chewed food, hot, cold or spicy dishes can irritate the walls of the esophagus. Also, irritation causes the contents of the stomach, mixed with digestive juice, which rises during belching. In this case, you feel heartburn. The vagus nerve, which wraps around the esophagus, is very sensitive to such stimuli.
5. Big fruit. By the third trimester of pregnancy, your baby is getting big enough that the uterus takes up a lot of space in your belly. The remaining internal organs are shifted upward, closer to the lungs. This increases the pressure on the diaphragm. The phrenic nerve endings get pinched and send signals of discomfort to the "diaphragm control center" that makes you hiccup.
6. Experiences. Stress, anxiety, and experiences are inseparable from pregnancy, such is the peculiarity of the work of the nervous system during this period. But such loads prevent the brain from properly managing internal organs. The diaphragm, instead of making smooth respiratory movements, begins to contract rapidly.

• Pathologies of the nervous system: concussion, meningitis, encephalitis, tumors. Hernias of the cervical spine. Such diseases disrupt the respiratory center and can cause prolonged bouts of hiccups.
• Respiratory diseases: laryngitis, bronchitis, pneumonia. When the vagus and phrenic nerves pass through areas of inflammation, they are compressed and irritated. This leads to a distortion of the signals coming from the brain.
• Diseases of the digestive system: inflammation of the mucous membrane of the esophagus and stomach. Peptic ulcer, stones in the bile ducts. Such pathologies irritate the sensitive endings of the nerves, activating hiccups.
• Diseases of the cardiovascular system: infarction, myocarditis. In severe cases, swelling and inflammation is transmitted to the heart on the vagus nerve. Violating the innervation of the diaphragm.

Treatment of hiccups in pregnant women

What should not be done?

1. No need to scare a pregnant woman. This dubious way to deal with hiccups can cause involuntary termination of pregnancy, in other words, miscarriage.
2. Don't get carried away with exercise. Rocking the press and push-ups help to forget about hiccups, but in your position you should not do strength exercises.
3. Breath holding is especially contraindicated those women who have a threat of premature termination of pregnancy. By holding your breath, you tense your abdominal muscles and increase the tone of the uterus. And repeated holding of the breath reduces the level of oxygen in the blood, and the baby may experience oxygen starvation.
4. Do not overeat or drink carbonated drinks. This rule helps prevent hiccups.
5. Give up alcohol. Even low-alcohol drinks can harm the fetus and cause intoxication, which is considered one of the causes of hiccups.

1. Have a cup of tea. It should be moderately warm and sweet. Slow drinking in small sips works well on the vagus nerve, which is closely adjacent to the esophagus. If you make tea from chamomile, mint or lemon balm, then such a drink will help calm the nerves and relax smooth muscles. Suitable for the treatment of hiccups after stress.
2. Drink some water. Hold your breath and drink 12 small sips of water at a time. Having experienced a lack of oxygen, the respiratory center will quickly take control of the diaphragm. And drinking water helps to improve the function of the vagus nerve. If you add a few ice cubes to the water, then cold water will stimulate the temperature receptors of the pharynx and esophagus, which also has a positive effect on the work of the vagus nerve. This method helps to cope with hiccups caused by irritation of nerve fibers.
3. Cover the glass with a tissue paper. Try drinking water through a cloth. For this you will have to make an effort. Such a distracting maneuver helps to break the passage of the signal along the reflex arc.
4. Sing a rhythmic cheerful song. Singing performs several tasks at once: it normalizes breathing and soothes. In addition, the baby is pleased to hear your voice.
5. Sugar or refined sugar. Dissolve sugar without drinking. The sweet taste and hard sugar crystals irritate the receptors in the mouth and help neutralize irritation in the lower vagus nerve.
6. Eat small meals. Fractional nutrition helps to avoid overfilling the stomach and its pressure on the diaphragm.

Medical treatment for hiccups during pregnancy

During pregnancy, drugs are prescribed not for hiccups, but to combat diseases that can cause prolonged attacks. In this case, the doctor will select the drugs allowed for expectant mothers and determine the required dosage.

How to stop hiccups?

• Fill your mouth with water and try to swallow it without closing your mouth.
• Take a deep breath, strongly tighten the abdominal muscles and freeze in this position for 15 seconds. To enhance the effect, you can sit down, wrapping your arms around yourself under the ribs.
• Take a deep breath. Close your ears with your thumbs, placing them on the cartilaginous protrusion in front of the auricle. Close your nostrils with your little fingers. Close your eyes. Try not to breathe for as long as possible.
• Tea from gray hiccups will soothe long-term hiccups of nervous origin. Pour 1 tablespoon of vegetable raw materials with a glass of boiling water. Infuse for 10 minutes, drink a tablespoon every half hour.

Why does hiccups occur after eating?

• Spicy or hot food irritates the stomach;
• With portions of food, you swallow a little air;
• You have eaten more than normal and the stomach is full.

Through the sensory fibers that make up the vagus nerve, these impulses enter the "hiccup centers". One of them is located in the cervical spinal cord, the other in the brain stem. Here another nerve impulse is formed - a command to contract for the diaphragmatic muscle. This impulse is transmitted from top to bottom along the motor fibers of the vagus nerve.

The diaphragm receives a command from the nervous system and contracts. The hiccups continue until the full stomach irritates the sensory endings of the vagus nerve.

Remember, hiccups are your body's attempt to protect your nerves. Therefore, even if the hiccups caught you in the most inappropriate place, treat it with gratitude, and the situation with humor!

In today's article, we will get to know you better with such an unpleasant sensation as hiccups. So...

hiccup(Eng. Hiccup) - a non-specific violation of the function of external respiration, which occurs as a result of a series of convulsive jerky contractions of the diaphragm (a muscle located on the border of the abdominal and chest cavities of the human body, not subject to the conscious control of a person, controlled by the autonomic nervous system) and is manifested by subjectively unpleasant short and intense breathing.

Simply put, hiccups are nothing more than a spasm of the diaphragm. Its sudden jerky contraction leads to a sharp change in the volume of the chest. The lungs are stretched, and a kind of involuntary sharp breath is obtained. The sudden movement of air irritates the nerve endings located in the region of the mucous membrane of the larynx, and the glottis closes reflexively. This is how a person hiccups.

Hiccups are one of the possible symptoms of overeating and other conditions of the body.

Hiccups - ICD

ICD-10: R06.6
ICD-9: 786.8

Types of hiccups

Short-term (episodic hiccups)

Typically, an attack of such hiccups lasts 10-15 minutes. It occurs spontaneously for several reasons: due to hypothermia, "excesses" in nutrition (overeating, "fast food", dry food, etc.), the state of "sucking in the spoon" or simply hunger, thirst.

Hiccups prolonged

It occurs daily for two or more weeks and lasts longer than usual, sometimes for hours and even days. Frequent and prolonged hiccups, especially with accompanying vomiting, is a reason to see a doctor, as this can be a sign of a number of serious diseases! These can be diseases of the central nervous system and the digestive system, diseases of the liver, gallbladder or pancreas, vasoconstriction, or infections, including giardiasis, helminthiasis. The final diagnosis is made after a series of studies, including worms, and a visit to a neurologist.

Prolonged hiccups are divided into three types:

central hiccups- neurology explains its origin as a result of brain damage, or encephalitis.

peripheral hiccups- occurs as a result of pathological processes of the phrenic nerve.

toxic hiccups- occurs when the nerve endings are damaged as a result of taking the drug.

Causes of hiccups

The cause of hiccups are sharper than usual contractions of the diaphragm, while the breaths are accompanied, as it were, by a short suffocation.

Hiccups occur occasionally in otherwise healthy people for no apparent reason and are usually harmless and resolve quickly. Hiccups can occur with general cooling (especially in young children), with overdistension of the stomach (overfilling it with food), as well as with irritation of the phrenic nerve (a case of prolonged hiccups with a frequency of contractions of the diaphragm equal to the heart rate is described when the damaged wire from the pacemaker is shorted to phrenic nerve).

Also, the causes of hiccups can be: hunger, thirst, dry food (bread, buns, etc.), fast food, excitement, sudden changes in temperature,.

Prolonged debilitating hiccups can be caused by CNS lesions, in particular, metabolic disorders (with diabetic, uremic or hepatic coma), intoxications (alcohol, barbiturates, muscle relaxants, benzodiazepines), traumatic brain injury, arteriovenous malformations. Hiccups can be a formidable sign of increasing intracranial pressure or volumetric formation of the posterior cranial fossa.

The causes of hiccups can also be compression of the CIV root by a herniated disc, neck tumors, mediastinal tumor, lymphogranulomatosis or sarcoidosis, tumor of the esophagus or lungs, esophageal diverticulum, reflux esophagitis, laryngobronchitis, mediastinitis, diseases of the abdominal organs (, and, intestinal obstruction, subdiaphragmatic abscess, diseases of the biliary system, tumors of the stomach, pancreas, liver).

In young women, hiccups are sometimes psychogenic in nature.

Diagnosis of prolonged hiccups

If hiccups continue for several days, you need to see a doctor to rule out the possibility of damage to the body due to serious diseases. The doctor prescribes a series of tests to the patient. For example, laboratory tests of a patient for kidney disease, infection, or. Endoscopic tests look for possible problems in the windpipe or esophagus using a special camera located at the end of a flexible, thin tube that is passed down the throat and into the esophagus. Fluoroscopy can detect possible problems in the diaphragm, as well as damage to the vagus and phrenic nerves. These tests include, and chest.

So how can hiccups be treated?

There is no single true and correct method of dealing with hiccups: someone helps a drunk glass of water, someone - holding their breath. Some recommend scaring a hiccup, which is actually a very controversial remedy. The hiccups should go away on their own within 5-15 minutes of onset - just as involuntarily as they started.

It should be noted that in the case of prolonged hiccups, treatment, first of all, involves an impact on the underlying disease, which the doctor must establish, therefore, if hiccups do not leave you for a long time, be sure to consult a doctor.

And now let's look at what are the methods and means of getting rid of hiccups:

Medical treatment

Neurology involves the treatment of prolonged intractable hiccups with drugs: antidepressants, antipsychotics and anticonvulsants. They will calm the excessive bioelectrical activity of the brain and will help get rid of hiccups. However, it should be remembered that anticonvulsant and antiepileptic drugs can cause lethargy and lethargy.

Medications for hiccups:"", "", "Scopolamine", "Pipolfen", "Haloperidol", "Finlepsin", "Difenin", "Corvalol".

Diaphragm nerve block

In cases where drug treatment does not help get rid of hiccups, blockade of the nerves of the diaphragm with novocaine, which was developed by Vishnevsky, is used. This type of hiccup treatment is surgical and improves the sympathetic functions of the nervous system.

Folk remedies for hiccups

I want to note that some methods can be completely opposite to each other, but nevertheless, some help some people, others help others. If you, dear readers, know your methods, write in the comments, and perhaps your method will help many people get rid of hiccups. So…

1. Hiccups - spasm of the diaphragm. If you straighten the diaphragm as much as possible, then the hiccups disappear. It is usually enough to inhale the maximum amount of air while standing, then sit down and lean forward, wait about a minute. If hiccups are felt even with a deep breath, then the breath was not full enough;

2. Take a deep breath and hold your breath;

3. Consistently hold your breath three times;

4. Hold your breath as you exhale before the spasm, then you can take a shallow breath, and hold it again before the spasm. 2-3 times is enough;

5. Breathe often for a while;

6. Take the deepest possible breath and, without exhaling, perform actions similar to inhalation;

7. Drink a large glass of water in one gulp;

8. Several small continuous sips of water. In this case, water must be swallowed and not breathed;

9. Ingestion of one teaspoon of ordinary granulated sugar in dry form without drinking water. You can drink a little later;

10. Raise your arms above your head and take deep breaths in and out;

11. Fold the little finger and thumb with the pads to each other on both hands;

12. A slightly strange, but very effective way is to take a small bag and tightly close your nose and mouth with it (as with vomiting), leaving a volume for inhalation-exhalation of 200-300 ml, keep it so that air does not pass from the outside. Breathe in this way until you feel a lack of air. Usually once is enough;

13. Bend your body forward as much as possible, close your hands behind your back and then with the help of another person who will hold the glass, drink water in small sips;

14. It also helps to lie on your side and lie down a bit;

15. Lying on your back, raise your hands up. Take the left hand with the right hand at the wrist and make springy movements up and down with a small amplitude so that the vibration passes to the chest. Do this for a short time and the hiccups will go away;

16. Apply a cold compress or pieces of ice to the throat;

17. Try to put a mustard plaster around your neck;

18. Put a rubber heating pad with cold water on the diaphragm (where the chest ends);

19. Spread your arms to the sides, cross your fingers, straighten your back, expose your chest with a “wheel” and breathe through your nose. Especially effective after a couple of sips of water;

20. Sitting on a chair (office chair, etc.), lean back and stretch your arms as high as possible and slightly back (about 15 degrees from the vertical), as much as you can, for 10-15 seconds. In most cases, hiccups go away instantly;

21. Spread the root of the tongue with mustard;

22. Plug your ears with your fingers and drink some liquid;

23. Focus on something, such as doing simple physical exercises, etc .;

24. Take 250 milliliters of cool water, add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, drink quickly;

25.

26. Will help get rid of the problem and water with juice. It must be drunk quickly in large sips;

27. Chamomile tea. The drink must be brewed for at least half an hour. The substances contained in have muscle relaxant properties, they can also stop diaphragm contractions that cause hiccups;

28. Drop 20 drops of valocordin, corvalol or something similar into a teaspoon, drink and drink with a glass of warm water;

29. To stop hiccups, a person needs to be suddenly scared;

30. Warm up (if the reason is hypothermia): put on dry warm clothes, drink a hot soft drink, etc .;

31. The advice is not for everyone - try to stand on your hands. Or just lie down on the bed in such a way that your head is very low. The idea is to get your head below your diaphragm. This often stops hiccups;

32. Dip the tip of the tongue a little in salt and press it against the upper palate, while you need to sit in a chair and relax;

33. Try to provoke, for example with pepper;

34. Take half a glass of slightly warmed water, add fifteen drops of laurel cherry water, drink in one gulp;

35. Sometimes pressure on the eyeballs or exit points of the phrenic nerve (above the collarbone at the edge of the sternocleidomastoid muscle) helps;

36. American Francis Fesmire, as well as three of his Israeli colleagues, discovered in 2006 that hiccups can be cured with rectal massage, for which they received the Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine. The discovery was made by them in different years independently of each other.

37. Ask the Lord to take the hiccups away from you. Prayer is the most powerful remedy against any complications in human health.

Superstitions about hiccups, or how not to deal with hiccups

I cannot but add a few lines to this article concerning superstitions, or, so to speak, the Slavic heritage, thanks to which sometimes a person is subjected to serious complications in life, not even suspecting the causes of his problems.

So, there are such methods of getting rid of hiccups, as with certain actions, which I will not write about, in order not to be a source of temptation, you need to read the prayer “Our Father” on the contrary. Or use conspiracies, spells in the fight against hiccups.

It is important to understand that these manipulations in the spiritual world can harm a person. So, prayers spoken on the contrary are magic spells that come into contact with evil spirits, and have devastating consequences, the same applies to all conspiracies, trips to grandmothers, fortune-tellers, etc.

In addition, you should not bandage your hands with threads, or bury something in the ground. Fortunately, there are safer methods that are listed in the article above.

If we are talking about a newborn baby, then most often the baby hiccups due to the fact that he is cold or he swallowed air while eating. When a baby suckles at the breast, he may also have hiccups. It is the air that enters the stomach that causes it.

What should be done if a newborn baby has hiccups?

First, check if the diapers are wet - maybe this is the reason.

Perhaps it is too cold in the room, then cover the window, or eliminate other sources of cold and wrap the baby warmer.

If a similar phenomenon appeared after eating, vilify the baby with a “column”, stroking his back. The air will come out and will not cause this phenomenon. This often happens in newborn babies. After all, they are just learning to eat, breathe and everything else.

If your baby is no longer so small, then the causes of hiccups may be different. Perhaps he ate without drinking dry food, such as a bagel, cookies, crackers. Sometimes a similar phenomenon in children is associated with gluttony. Maybe the baby ate too much and the stomach can not cope with such a volume of food. Or maybe the child just wants to drink.

And, of course, the option with hypothermia should not be forgotten either. Check if your child's feet are wet. Let him drink a warm drink with honey. It can be milk or tea - whichever is more to his taste.

If hiccups in a baby are rare, then you can not worry and do not contact a specialist. If this phenomenon in a child appears often and lasts a long time, then go to the doctor. Sometimes it indicates problems with the central nervous system, the phrenic nerve, or the presence of an aneurysm in the diaphragm. Also, hiccups in babies are often a sign of the presence of worms.

The body of a pregnant woman is generally very different from the female body in a different physiological state. Something that normally does not cause any particular inconvenience during pregnancy can become a whole problem. Some future mothers begin to hiccup more often and for longer than before pregnancy.

Perhaps the increase in hiccups during pregnancy is due to the indigestion that many of you suffer from. And in some cases, and this is not uncommon, hiccups are provoked by nervousness and tension. It is no secret that some expectant mothers worry too much about the future and the successful outcome of pregnancy and childbirth. Such fears can cause hiccups as well.

When hiccups appear against the background of emotional stress, try to relax, think about the good, sing a funny song out loud. Learn to distract yourself from hiccups. Talk to your doctor. Maybe a little light sedative or herbal teas will help you relax your nervous system and get rid of those annoying hiccups.

Important! Remember, taking medicines and dietary supplements (dietary supplements) without consulting a doctor is now categorically contraindicated for you.

Ways to get rid of hiccups should be as gentle as possible and at the same time effective. Of course, if your pregnancy is still two weeks old, then you can easily experience all kinds of ways to drink water (with and without slopes, from the opposite edge of the glass, and various others). But if the tummy is already decently rounded, then it will be difficult to bend over, and you don’t need to strain the muscles of the abdominal press once again.

With hiccups, you can try to draw the maximum amount of air into the lungs and not breathe longer. Just don't overdo it. Oxygen starvation is not good for the baby. And try to relax your abdominal muscles too.

Drink half a glass of ice water in small sips. Cold water shakes the body, the muscles are sharply reduced, hiccups disappear. Sometimes herbal teas work well. It can be both, and, and chamomile. Tea must not be cold. Often, to stop hiccups, it is enough to gnaw on a cracker or a crust of bread.

Try not to overcool - cold is a known cause of hiccups in both adult patients and small ones and, of course, in pregnant women. If you feel the first signs of hypothermia, immediately change into dry and warm clothes, drink hot tea, coffee.

Starting from the twenty-eighth week of pregnancy, you will feel rhythmic and short movements inside you. This makes your little one aware of yourself. Hiccups are normal for him. Doctors say that in the mother's belly, the child often sucks a finger, when a little amniotic fluid enters the tummy during sucking, the baby begins to hiccup.

Hiccups help the baby's internal organs, such as his heart and intestines. Some doctors believe that hiccups are like a massage. Such attacks of hiccups in an unborn child can last up to twenty minutes. Do not worry, this is absolutely normal and does not threaten the baby. Some babies may even have hiccups several times a day. At the same time, doctors believe that the child does not experience any unpleasant sensations from hiccups, similar to those experienced by you and me.

Important! It is worth noting that hiccups in your fetus are terrible when they do not go away for a long time. Too long and frequent bouts of hiccups in a baby can be triggered by oxygen starvation. This situation requires control by doctors.

What symptoms of hiccups should I pay special attention to?

- Hiccups, many days, debilitating, with profuse salivation can be a sign of damage to the parts of the brain and spinal cord, disorders of the central nervous system.

- Hiccups, combined with an unexpected cough, accompanied by dull pain in the back or side, may indicate, or another more complex disease of the pulmonary system.

- Hiccups, frequent, complicated by pain in the head, accompanied by general weakness, pain in the shoulders and neck, are most likely a symptom.

In any case, when such an unpleasant problem as hiccups drags on, you should not test the body for strength and wait for it to “pass by itself”. Hiccups may pass, meanwhile, the ailment that your body tried to “report” about will take on more severe forms. It is necessary to try to find time for the diagnosis of your health.

Charles Osborne (born 1894), Anton, Iowa, USA began to hiccup in 1922. The attack of hiccups began at the moment when he was slaughtering a pig. The attack of hiccups continued for the next 68 years until 1990. During this time, he hiccupped about 430 million times. The hiccups did not succumb to treatment, but this did not prevent Osborne from leading a lifestyle familiar to all people, he got married and had children. The average frequency of hiccups at the beginning of the attack was 40 times per minute, which then decreased to 20-25 times.

Video about hiccups

What causes hiccups and how to treat it

We get acquainted with hiccups in early childhood and its manifestations are well known to everyone, but the causes of occurrence remain a mystery to many, sometimes until the end of their lives. This harmless, but somewhat inconvenient, phenomenon appears suddenly and just as suddenly disappears.

What is a hiccup?

Hiccups are involuntary rhythmic contractions of the intercostal muscles and diaphragm. Simultaneously with muscle spasms, the gap between the vocal cords closes - hence the characteristic hiccup sound.

The process of hiccuping occurs as follows: the smooth muscles are sharply reduced, which leads to a sharp breath, but at the same time the larynx is blocked and for a second, as if suffocation occurs. This is where unpleasant and sometimes even painful sensations arise, as well as the well-known hiccupping sound.

Causes of hiccups

According to doctors, the cause of hiccups is irritation of the vagus nerve.

Nervus vagus It is the longest and most widely divergent nerve in the human body. It performs many different functions and for this reason is one of the most important components of the nervous system.

One of the causes of hiccups can be overeating. A large accumulation of food can infringe on the vagus nerve, which immediately transmits signals to the brain, and the brain, wanting to release the injured area, sends the body a command to contract nearby muscles.

Also, the cause of hiccups can be alcohol, hot food, and similar things that irritate the digestive system.

Strong fright, fear, stress can cause hiccups. Therefore, quite often, in order to get rid of it, people ask them to scare them 🙂

Anecdote on the subject:
A car with a woman behind the wheel drives under a brick at high speed, flies through a red light three times, rushes in the opposite direction, slips between two trucks ... Behind her are the police, sirens, flashing lights ...
The car is pushed to the curb.
The woman stops the car and asks her husband, who is sitting next to him, barely alive:
- Well, has your HICCUP finally passed?

Another reason could be hypothermia. This is quite common in children.

Sometimes hiccups can be caused by hysterical laughter or coughing.

And the most unpleasant of the reasons is any diseases, most often associated with the central nervous system. In this case, hiccups are protracted and can happen several times a week. It is best to consult a doctor with such symptoms.

How to get rid of hiccups?

Usually hiccups go away on their own. The body quickly copes with this problem, unless, of course, it is complicated by any disease. Therefore, “endure” may be one option.

It is hard to believe, but they say that one unique case is known when a person, a resident of the United States of America, continuously hiccups his whole life, up to 68 years. During this time, he married twice and had 8 children. And the hiccups didn't bother him at all.

Of course, it is better not to repeat this story, because. modern medicine allows you to get rid of this problem. Basically, tablets are used for this to relax smooth muscles, carbon dioxide inhalation, and acupuncture. In severe cases, an operation is performed to cut off the nerve endings connecting the larynx and diaphragm.

From folk remedies, which are not always effective, but sometimes work, you can try the following:

• Inhale, hold your breath, exhale slowly. Repeat until the hiccups are gone.
• Press on the root of the tongue to induce a gag reflex. Spasm of the esophagus can relieve hiccups.
• Drink a large glass of water in small sips without stopping.
• Press your fingers on the neck at the point where the collarbone is attached to the sternum.
• Switch from chest breathing to diaphragmatic breathing.
• If you feel cold, dress warmly.
• Swallow a teaspoon of sugar without drinking. If the hiccups don't go away in a minute, repeat.

In any case, if the hiccups last more than a day, you should consult a doctor, because. it may be a symptom that signals serious problems that you are not aware of.