I hold my breath as long as I can, take a few regular breaths, then hold it as long as I can. I also drink water, but hold it in my mouth for a few seconds before swallowing.
Digital rectal massage (aka a finger up your butt) is the only proven method to stop hiccups, according to QI at least. This isn't a joke post.
It's not the most convenient remedy but I have no reason to doubt its effectiveness . I haven't had the opportunity to try it myself though...
So what's the deal? Are you supposed to stimulate your anus externally or do you have to insert your finger?
The method of hiccup relief that I usually try first with patients is to take a teaspoon of table sugar into the mouth and after it mixes with a little saliva, swallow it. There seems to be something about the swallowing and the sweetness that seems to stop the diaphragm and esophageal spasms. Occasionally the hiccups may restart, so we recommend that they carry a few packets of sugar to repeat the process if needed.
The way I understand it, the reason hiccups happen is muscle tension in the upper belly/close to the diaphragm. Just take several deep breaths until the muscles relax, and the hiccups should stop. =) Or, you could try drinking from the far side of a glass without spilling; that usually works for me if I need to do it more quickly. Maybe it's the focus on something different that does it.
Just a thought, but it might work because the nerve line that runs to the brain from the throat/whatever causes hiccups is the same line that anal stimulation sends signals on. Kind of like how touching the middle of the space between your lip and your nose will stop you sneezing, because the signal from further down interrupts the other signal. I think thats how it works anyway. I cant remember if that was this or something else
Yeah it would most likely be something like this. This is probably also the reason why squeezing your thumb in a fist lessens your gag reflex for most people (I love bringing up this fact ). Insert, and presumably also move it around a bit as it is a digital rectal massage.
