What makes hiccups start

Metabolic disorders : Examples include diabetes , uremia, and hyponatremia. Cardiovascular disorders : Examples include heart attack and pericarditis. Learn more about what hiccups are and why they happen here.

People use a number of remedies for curing short term hiccups. Some of these are useful, but others are not. Here are some that may help :. Breathing into a paper bag can halt the spasms by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the lungs and relaxing the diaphragm. However, people should not put the bag over their head.

Learn more about how to get rid of hiccups here. If a person has persistent hiccups, a doctor may :. Various drugs can help relieve hiccups. A study identifies complex distinctions in genomes that help map the migrations of the Arabic people. The results may represent an important step…. This test measures levels of cortisol, thyroid stimulating hormone, and free testosterone. Learn what the results can mean and more. Gender bias affects every part of the healthcare system, from diagnosis to health outcomes.

Learn more about gender bias in healthcare and how to stop…. Microbiome tests analyze the bacteria in a person's stool sample.

Learn more about what these tests offer and how to interpret the results. Allopathic medicine is another term for conventional, or modern Western medicine. Learn more. Why do we hiccup? I know they're not serious, but they sure are aggravating. Hiccups are one of those minor maladies of man that they don't teach you about in medical school.

But they can affect a person's life — particularly when they start at the wrong time. The first time I realized this was when hiccups started just as I was in the middle of giving a lecture to medical students. You want your lectures to be memorable, and this one may have been — not for what I said, but for the way it came out of my mouth. To continue reading this article, you must log in. Already a member?

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They should only last a few minutes. You can usually wait for them to go away or treat them yourself without seeing a GP. Although many people find these things helpful, there's no evidence that they work for everyone. There's often no obvious reason why you get hiccups, but some people find certain things trigger their hiccups, such as:.

In rare cases, hiccups that last longer than 48 hours can be due to a medical condition or a medicine you're taking.