• Question: Why do we get hiccups?

    Asked by Lily to Hayley, Jimi on 18 Mar 2016.
    • Photo: Hayley Moulding

      Hayley Moulding answered on 18 Mar 2016:

      Sometimes we breathe in a bit too fast!! When we take in breath, there are muscles between our ribs and around our ribs which help us to breathe. There is also your diaphragm which helps too. If we breathe in a little too fast or if we eat or drinking too quickly too, it sometimes makes the diaphragm (muscle at the bottom of your lungs and rib cage pull down in a bit of a jerky way, so not as smoothly as it normally does. That makes you suck in air a bit too quickly and the air will rush into your throat. The air will hit your voice box and will cause you vocal cords to close! So what happens as it makes a noise, a hiccup!! Hiccups usually go and are fine, but sometimes people have hiccups for a very very long time!!

    • Photo: Jimi Wills

      Jimi Wills answered on 18 Mar 2016:

      Hiccups are cause by the diaphram spasming… this can be for many reasons, including:

      dehydration
      low blood sugar
      high blood sugar
      low blood oxygen level
      poor blood suppy
      drugs
      salt imbalance

      (all the same reasons we get cramps)

      one of the most commonly mentioned reasons is build up of carbon dioxide in the lungs, but I dn’t think there’s actually any evidence to support that… and if it was true a couple of deep breaths would make your hiccups go away, and we all know that doesn’t work!

      My wife drinks up-side-down to get rid of hiccups!

Comments