How to Effectively Stop Hiccups

How to Effectively Stop Hiccups

People experience bouts of hiccups that can be troublesome as well as embarrassing. Hiccups happen when the diaphragm, which is a large muscle that aids in breathing, begins to involuntarily spasm. When a spasm occurs, it makes you inhale suddenly and your vocal cords instantly shut. This results in an unusual sound. So, it’s essential to know how to stop hiccups rather than wait for it to end.

Usually, hiccups do not last for more than 5-10 minutes, but they can sometimes interfere with talking or eating. There are several effective ways to get rid of hiccups. Yet, if hiccups last for more than 48 hours, seek a doctor’s help because there may be an underlying condition which may require treatment. Here are some general tips on how to stop hiccups.

Breathing and Posture Techniques
Such techniques can be really helpful to stop hiccups.

  • Perform slow and measured breathing
    Slow and measured breathing can relax your diaphragm. Breathe in and breathe out to a count of five. This is a good start for those who don’t know how to stop hiccups.
  • Hold your breath
    Inhale a substantial amount of air and hold it for 10-20 seconds. Exhale slowly.
  • Hug your knees
    Sit down and bring your knees close to the chest. Hug them tightly for 3-4 minutes before releasing them.
  • Compress your chest
    Bend in the forward direction to compress your chest and exert pressure on the diaphragm.

Pressure Points
Simply pressing a few pressure points with your hands can help to relax the diaphragm.

  • Squeeze your palm
    Apply gentle pressure on one palm with the thumb of the other hand.
  • Pull out your tongue
    This can help in stimulating your throat muscles.
  • Put pressure on your diaphragm
    Gently apply pressure on the area between your lungs and the abdomen with your hands.

Things to Eat or Drink

  • Drink ice cold water
    Slowly sipping ice-cold water can help you get rid of hiccups.
  • Eat sugar or suck sugar cubes
    Put a small pinch of sugar on your tongue and let it sit for 10 seconds.
  • Suck on a lemon
    Slowly suck on a lemon. Remember to rinse your mouth to safeguard your teeth from citric acid.
  • Eat honey or peanut butter
    Consume a spoon of either honey or peanut butter, letting it dissolve in your mouth.

The above suggest some ways of how to stop hiccups. However , if you get hiccups frequently or long-lasting ones, chances of underlying conditions such as stroke, gastroesophageal reflux or multiple sclerosis arise. Therefore, consult a doctor immediately.

Related Reading

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Most of the dogs do not have a food fuss and may eat almost anything that you feed them. Dogs are not choosy at all when it comes to food and nutrition. Hence, it is important to make sure that the food that you are purchasing for your dog is healthy. The landscape of dog food has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent times. There is a wide variety of options to choose from in the online and offline market. Given the wide range of options that are available today, buying the best dog food might seem to be a confusing task indeed. All the commercial pet food that is available in the market today is regulated by the FDA. Therefore, most of the products do contain nutritious, healthy, and safe ingredients. But it does help to know certain basic factors you should look for while buying food for your dog. Prioritize on the nutritional guarantee The best dog food, which meets the dog’s needs adequately has a statement written on the label of the product, from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Buy from some of the best dog food brands, such as Fromm Family Foods, Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and The Honest Kitchen.
Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

The most important aspect when designing your kitchen is deciding on the type of cabinets. In addition to functionality, kitchen cabinets score on aesthetics as well. Once the layout is planned, you can go ahead with choosing the cabinets. If you’re remodeling your home or just the kitchen, what you need to consider are the types of cabinets that furnish your kitchen. Here are a few types of kitchen cabinets that you can choose from. Base cabinets These kitchen cabinets are mounted on the floor and they are placed after checking out the floor plan. A major part of your job in the kitchen is on these base cabinets, which hold and support the countertops. These base cabinets are combined to carve out kitchen islands. A number of base cabinets are fused/set against one another and installed on site. The base cabinets, in addition to supporting the countertops, serve as drawers to hold your cutlery and appliances. Wall cabinets Mounted on the walls, these cabinets can store everything, right from your cookware to cookbooks. In terms of design, they offer utmost flexibility. Wall cabinet kitchen is available in varying heights, multiple widths, and custom depth options. This customization helps you to fit in your stuff of varying shapes and sizes into the wall cabinets.
How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

In today’s world, where you are presented with over a dozen choices for every item you would purchase for your own kitchen, it is not surprising that you have an equal number of options for your dog’s food. However, choosing the perfect brand and formula for your dog out of a range of options in the market is not an easy job. Your pet depends on you and trusts you to make the right choice for them. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research about the products available in the market, understand what your dog needs, know what might be your pet’s problems, and then make a sound decision. What is a sensitive stomach? Dogs are known to have voracious and large appetites. Keeping that in mind, it is normal to assume that they have strong stomachs. They can eat close to anything be it sweets, bakes, chewy gum, hard leather or even woolen socks for that matter! It always so happens that the strongest of them are prone to allergies and can develop a disorder which is medically translated as a sensitive stomach. This might be due to a sudden change in the food habits or even due an infection picked up from somewhere.
All You Need to Know about Cat Food

All You Need to Know about Cat Food

For cat owners, cat food is a hot topic. You need to think about it in different aspects. The best thing is to know which ingredients are good for cat food and which are harmful. If you are aware of this, you can get an idea about the quality of the cat food just by going through the label. It is always sensible to stick to one brand of cat food. However, you may also want to try and prepare cat food yourself. There are also various options for wet cat food as well. Cat’s love for fish is universal, so you can do without going for expensive cat food. Nevertheless, whether you buy it or prepare cat food at home, you need to ensure that the food contains enough nutrition and calories. You would need to have some idea about the ingredients that must be present in cat food and make a worthy selection for your cat. Basic ingredients present in good cat foods Cats need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and active; they need various vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oils. The following is a brief explanation of the basic ingredients that should be present in cat foods.