Why Do We Hiccup?

Summary: The diaphragm is what you might call a perfect muscle. Except for hiccups, there are rarely any problems with it. It actually works with the lungs and vocal chords to help you breathe*. It stretches downwards in order to make room for the air in your lungs, and when you breathe out, it relaxes. But sometimes, you upset your diaphragm and instead of stretching like usual, it recoils quickly, temporarily “confusing” the lungs and making you suck air in faster than normal. Most hiccups last for a few minutes. Severe cases last for days or possibly weeks, and if this happens, you should see a doctor right away. After a while, hiccups start to hurt, and because you can’t stop it when it’s internal, you’re in pain even when you aren’t hiccupping. Also, if you hiccup nonstop, there is most likely something constantly irritating your diaphragm, like a tumor or something which needs to be taken care of.

Critique: Learning how hiccups happen was really interesting. You can get rid of hiccups by drinking soda or water really fast and taking small gulps of air while you’re drinking intentionally. Or you could have someone come out and scare the living daylights out of you, which also seems to work. Another odd theory I heard about is putting sugar under your tongue. I have never tried this. so I guess I will have to.

Impact: There‘s really no “impact” here. Hiccups are not really welcomed by anyone, and therefore should be explained.

*side note: this is why when you’re in a fire, you can suffocate from smoke not only because your lungs are ruined, but also if your diaphragm gets too dirty, it’s all over.

http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/hiccup.html