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Hiccups cause when the diaphragm, the muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen and is crucial to breathing, contracts uncontrollably. Your voice chords abruptly close with each contraction, creating the distinctive “hic” sound.
A heavy meal, alcoholic or carbonated beverages, as well as abrupt excitement can be a hiccup’s reason. Hiccups may occasionally indicate an underlying medical issue. A case of hiccups typically only lasts a few minutes for most people. Hiccups can, occasionally, last for months. Exhaustion and weight loss may occur from this.
Causes of Hiccups
Why people experience hiccups is a mystery. Hiccups can occur for several reasons, including inflamed nerves and low blood carbon dioxide levels. Important components of breathing include the vagus nerve, which connects the brain to the stomach, and the phrenic nerve, which runs from the neck to the diaphragm. Causes of hiccups in adults can range from various problems. Mild hiccups (those that disappear quickly) can occur when you:
- Drink and eat too soon
- Ingest alcohol or fizzy beverages
- Eat excessively
- Feel anxiety, including exhilaration and terror
- Strain your neck too far
- Take medication, especially benzodiazepines, if you suffer from anxiety
- Drink anything really hot or chilly
- Undergoing chemotherapy
- Inhale dangerous vapours
Continuous hiccups can lead to complications like:
- Weight loss and dehydration: If the hiccups last for a long time and happen frequently, eating may be challenging.
- Insomnia: It may be difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep if you experience extended hiccups during the night.
- Communication issues: If a person has hiccups, speaking may be challenging.
- Clinical depression: Chronic hiccups can raise the likelihood of getting the condition.
- Delay in wound healing: Chronic hiccups can delay the healing of post-surgical wounds, which raises the danger of infections or bleeding.
An irregular pulse and GERD are two more potential complications.
Symptoms
Hiccups are not an illness instead, they are a symptom. Sometimes, a slight tightening sensation in your chest, belly, or throat may accompany it.
Risk factors
Continuous hiccups are far more common in men than in women. Risk factors that could raise your likelihood of hiccups are:
- Mental or emotional issues: Some incidences of short-term and long-term hiccups have been linked to anxiety, tension, and enthusiasm.
- Surgery: Some people can develop hiccups following procedures that involve abdominal organs or undergoing general anaesthesia.
