“Hip! Hip!” Who does not know this sound? Who else, who less, we have all ever experienced the annoying but harmless hiccups. Harmless, of course, when it lasts for a short time, because what happens if hours, days or weeks pass and we continue to hiccup? It will not be because we are drunk, as popular culture understands, but it is possible that we have a health problem and the hiccups are warning us. If you are one of those who suffer from recurrent hiccups and are concerned about it is bad to have hiccups several times a day, in UNCOMO we have the answers you are looking for.
What is hiccup and types of hiccups
Hiccups are the result of involuntary movements of the diaphragm. The diaphragm descends to help carry air into the lungs and rises when exhaling to facilitate expulsion. But when the diaphragm becomes irritated, it rises sharply and breathing becomes disturbed, closing the vocal cords and causing the particular “hip!” Sound.
How long is it normal for hiccups to last?
Normal hiccups usually last a few minutes or seconds, but never more than 48 hours. Depending on its duration, it is classified as acute, persistent or chronic:
- AcuteAlso called transient hiccups, it is the healthiest, lasting less than 48 hours.
- Persistent: can last up to a month.
- Chronic: has for more than two months.
Why hiccups
As explained by the SEMG (the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians), unlike other symptoms, hiccups do not have any protective function nor do they seem to play any physiological function. Therefore, today it is not really known what the function of hiccups is.
What is known is that when you hiccup, it is usually due to irritation of the phrenic or vagus nerve, which is the one that controls the diaphragm. Some of the reasons why you might get irritated in normal hiccups are:
- Be nervous.
- Eat a lot and / or very quickly.
- Have stomach or throat irritation.
- Problems in the esophagus.
- Having surgery on the abdomen.
- Have or have had pressure on the stomach.
- Eating spicy or spicy foods.
However, sometimes there is no clear cause for hiccups. If you want to know more about this topic, read our article Why hiccups occur.
Why do i hiccup so often
If we suffer hiccups very often, it could be that we have damaged or irritated phrenic nerve. The causes of hiccups all day would:
- Having diseases that irritate this nerve, such as pneumonia or pleurisy.
- Having brain tumors or a stroke.
- Have anxiety
- Neurological injuries.
- Renal problems.
- Central nervous system problems.
From UNCOMO we advise you that if you have any questions, go to your doctor or pharmacy.
Is it bad to have hiccups very often or several times a day?
Hiccups are not bad and it is considered up to normal. Yes, it can be annoying, especially if it catches you in the most unexpected moments: having a conversation with someone, at work, at bedtime, etc. It usually lasts a few seconds or a few minutes and in most cases you don’t have to do anything, just wait for it to go away.
Is it bad to have hiccups for a long time?
However, when the hiccups exceed 48 hours, it becomes an abnormal situation. It can cause discomfort in the organs from so much hiccuping, it can even prevent eating, speaking or breathing well. In these cases, it can be a sign that something in your body needs medical attention. Therefore, we repeat: it is not bad to have hiccups several times a day, but yes, after 48 hours, we must go to the doctor and tell him about our case so that he can investigate if we suffer from any kind of condition.
How to remove hiccups
It is likely that when you do not know what to do when your hiccups do not disappear, you go to thousands of tips on the Internet or those that you have heard here and there: that if you hold your breath, that if they give you a scare, that if you drink water , and many other tricks to get rid of hiccups. While some of these tips work for certain people, there are more who say that these methods are not miraculous.
Since the problem is in the diaphragm, and more specifically in the nerve of the diaphragm, we can try to calm the nervous system with infusions, with breathing exercises or even with stretching for the diaphragm at home.
Hiccups usually heal on their own with time. However, in very serious situations, we could resort to surgery to treat the diaphragm nerve and thus eliminate the problem.
How to remove hiccups from babies
In the case of babies, hiccups appear frequently because they have a less developed nervous system. But this should not alarm parents, since, as we have said, hiccups are harmless and the baby does not feel pain.
There is no magic formula to take away the hiccups in babies, and there is no magic formula to take it away from adults, but we do give you some at OneHOWTO. tips to try to cure hiccups in your baby:
- Make sure that the baby does not swallow air when breastfeeding; air intake can be the cause of hiccups.
- If he eats too fast, remove the breast and wait a few seconds, then feed it again.
- When you finish breastfeeding, stand your child up so he can breathe out.
- Changes in temperature can also make hiccups easier, so always keep your child warm.
This article is merely informative, at oneHOWTO we do not have the power to prescribe any medical treatment or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
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