Why does a person have hiccups, and how to get rid of it. Causes of hiccups in adults

It is popularly believed that if a person hiccups, someone remembered him. Scientists have long established why a person hiccups. Hiccups are an uncontrollable process that helps our body get rid of the load on nervus vagus connecting the nervous system, diaphragm and esophagus. The vagus nerve squeezes in the musculotendinous septum through a narrow opening into the diaphragm, which separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. In this place, hiccups are born.

From what a person hiccups most often. With the rapid absorption of food, poor chewing, if we swallow too large a piece or eat too much, the vagus nerve can be irritated and pressed. The reason for hiccups may be that the person is in an uncomfortable position or suddenly frightened. Small children hiccup if they are very cold.

Hiccups can come from various factors. The most common cause of hiccups is malnutrition and eating hastily, which irritates the diaphragm and causes hiccups. A person begins to hiccup after eating or during if the food is too dry. Overeating is another reason why a person hiccups. With large portions of food, the stomach stretches and touches the diaphragm, and in response it is irritated. Hiccups can provoke too fat and spicy food in combination with soda or kvass. Alcoholic drinks can also slow down the digestion process and cause hiccups.

Cause frequent hiccups may be associated with disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system. It can suffer due to the occurrence of a tumor, infection or injury, and with it the hiccup reflex. There are a number of diseases that affect normal work central system and causing hiccups:

heart disease - stroke;
multiple sclerosis;
encephalitis;
meningitis;
concussion and others.

Hiccups can often occur during chemotherapy. Patients who have gone through several stages of chemotherapy often begin to hiccup because their body has come under the influence of powerful medicines. More than one third of patients diagnosed with cancer may hiccup during chemotherapy. Most often it can be caused by dexamethasone substances.

Another factor why a person hiccups may be surgical intervention and the effect of anesthesia. Breathing tubes can be inserted into the trachea, and during the operation, the internal organs are displaced, so hiccups occur. It may happen after abdominal surgery due to the accumulation of air and gases in internal cavities organism.

Along with hiccups, vague pains in the heart may occur, abdominal cavity, hypochondrium or in the area of other internal organs. Then hiccups serve as a signal of a serious illness: heart attack, gastritis, stomach or intestinal ulcers, and others. A person can often hiccup from the development of pancreatitis, diseases of the stomach and liver.

The phenomenon of hiccups can be caused by strong feelings, emotions and fear. If a person is very frightened or worried before important event, he may start to hiccup.

Hiccups in children

Hiccups in babies can occur quite often and this normal phenomenon. At breastfeeding the baby swallows air along with milk, and the diaphragm contracts. The child may hiccup if severely frozen. Older children may hiccup due to the fact that they eat quickly and in a hurry. If the hiccups last no more than three hours, there is no cause for concern. The child's diet should not contain heavy foods and carbonated drinks, as they lead to hiccups. If the hiccups continue long time, you should see a doctor.

How to get rid of hiccups

There are several folk ways and means of getting rid of hiccups. They are aimed at changing breathing to stop spasms in the diaphragm.

The most popular method of getting rid of hiccups is holding your breath. If you have an attack of hiccups, you need to hold your breath and squeeze the diaphragm with the muscles of your chest. The longer you hold your breath, the more likely that the hiccups will stop. The diaphragm will relax and stop contracting.

If for any reason you have hiccups, just swallow one tablespoon of sugar. This method began to be used in the 20th century and was often used to treat hiccups in children. How sugar affects hiccups has not yet been established, but it is an effective way.

To stop hiccups, drink water in small sips, holding your nose. Sips should be done frequently and without interruption until water begins to pour out of the nose. Then the hiccups subside.

Enough radical method getting rid of hiccups - stand on your hands upside down. You can just lie down on the bed so that your head is at a low level. Count to ten and the hiccups will disappear. You can also scare a hiccuping person, but don't overdo it.

Another way to relieve the hiccup reflex, fresh chamomile tea. Infuse chamomile for half an hour, and then drink slowly. Chamomile contains substances that have a relaxing effect. Thus, the diaphragm stops contracting and the hiccups disappear.

With hiccups, it helps to press the fingers on eyeballs within 2-3 minutes. You can also press on a point located above the collarbone at the very edge of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. Local anesthesia nasal and laryngeal mucosa can stop hiccups. Another method for hiccups is inhalation. carbon dioxide. To do this, you need to exhale into the bag, and then inhale this air.

If hiccups are observed for more than an hour, attacks occur several times a day or several days a week, and against its background there are pains in the sternum region, heartburn or swallowing disorders, it is necessary to undergo an examination of the body. The cause of hiccups may be hidden in more serious illnesses so it's worth taking it into account.

Most often, a person begins to hiccup due to irritation of the phrenic nerve. In this case, hiccups are something like nervous tic. This nerve, for reasons unknown to doctors, begins to transmit irritation to the muscles of the diaphragm.

If a person hiccups, they may have overeaten or are cold.

Hypothermia can cause hiccups. Especially often small children begin to hiccup from the cold.

The most likely way to cause hiccups is to freeze while intoxicated.

Sometimes a person begins to hiccup if his stomach is too distended, that is, it is full of food. Food gets stuck in the esophagus and causes involuntary contractions where the esophagus meets the stomach.

In rare cases, this is a symptom of the disease. For example, prolonged and rather painful hiccups appear with inflammation in the abdominal region. It also sometimes appears due to problems with the head or spinal cord. And finally, such a symptom is typical for people who have recently undergone surgery. This is the body's response to pain medications.

What to do if a person hiccups?

There are many methods to overcome hiccups:

Eat some spicy or sour food like a slice of lemon.
Press the wall of the throat with your fingers as if you are going to make yourself vomit. This will break a certain rhythm of hiccups.
Drink a large glass of water in one gulp. Please note that you need to drink water in small sips, observing a strictly defined pace.
Let someone scare you with a sharp sound - a scream or a pop of a package.
Sprinkle some sugar on the base of your tongue and swallow. Fans of more extreme methods can try dissolving sugar in beer and drink this drink.
If you see that one of your friends hiccups, argue with him for money. Put a bill on the table and say that you bet that your friend will not be able to hiccup in the next minute. Surprisingly, this usually works and the person actually fails to hiccup.

Some of the methods seem rather funny, but they work nonetheless. Try different methods to find the one that helps you.

Every person has experienced bouts of hiccups. it unpleasant phenomenon brings discomfort to a short time, and people do not think about the causes of its occurrence and the consequences. As it turns out, in fact, frequent hiccups are wrong job respiratory organs, it occurs due to spontaneous compression of the diaphragm. Its feature is short and fast respiratory movements accompanied by a strangled sound. What is it, is there a danger and how to get rid of it, will be described in detail below.

Causes of an unpleasant symptom

Frequent hiccups can occur in both a healthy and a sick person, both in an adult and in a child. Usually it passes quickly, there is no harm from it, and it does not bring danger. But in some cases, you need to pay attention to this and identify the cause, because hiccups in adults can indicate the presence of diseases. If the hiccups do not go away for more than a day, while the person experiences suffocation, headache and shortness of breath, then you need to contact medical institution where the patient can undergo full examination organism.

You can do yoga or gymnastics, some exercises help to cope with an uncomfortable condition.

Borrow correct position body. It is necessary to lie on a horizontal surface and make sure that the diaphragm is above the larynx. This situation will quickly be eliminated unpleasant symptom. But you can’t lie in this position for a long time, otherwise the blood will begin to flow to the brain.

It is important to remember that all these methods are only acceptable for the treatment of frequent hiccups in adults. It is not recommended to treat children with these methods.

Examination and drug treatment

If you need to contact the clinic and undergo an examination to find out why the person hiccups? Must pass the following types diagnostics:

Blood tests: general and biochemical.
Study of the functions of the heart: ultrasound or ECG.
X-ray chest.

If the examination revealed any pathology, then drug treatment. It is recommended to take the following drugs:

Relaxing muscles of the diaphragm - Aminazine, Haloperidol.
Purifying, reducing content of hydrochloric acid in the stomach - Omeprazole, Ranitidine.
Eliminating shortness of breath and feelings of suffocation - Gabapentin.
Painkillers - Ketamine.
Sedatives that help manage stress and nervous strains arising after prolonged hiccups - Sedafiton.

Acupuncture.
Hypnosis session.
Stimulation of the phrenic nerve.
Blockade of the phrenic nerve.

You should not appoint yourself such methods of struggle. Before using these methods, you should consult a doctor, otherwise you can simply aggravate the symptoms. Hiccups do not lead to serious complications on the body or serious consequences, but its frequent and prolonged attacks lead to fatigue, loss of strength, stress, insomnia and headaches. The aesthetic side of the problem is also important - frequent hiccups cause embarrassment in a person and can cause serious moral damage.

Straightaway. You should pay attention to how often and at what moments it manifests itself. If the cases are isolated and quickly passing, then you should not worry. In the case of frequent and prolonged attacks, it is necessary to seek medical help.

Many are convinced that if hiccups attacked, then this is a sure sign that someone is remembering. Who composed this prejudice is no longer known, but many today continue to believe that sudden hiccups are due to the fact that someone remembers. And this is in the age of high technology and advanced medicine.

It would not be superfluous to recall the fact that hiccups are a physiological process and just like that, without a reason, it does not appear.

How does hiccups occur?
The hiccup mechanism cannot be called complicated. There is X pair in the human body cranial nerves. They are called the vagus nerve. This nerve is assigned the function of innervation of a large number of muscles of the whole body and the mucous membrane. The vagus nerve connects the internal organs and the central nervous system. It stretches from the chest through a narrow opening in the diaphragm to the abdominal cavity and other internal organs. The very narrow septum of the diaphragm is made up of muscles and tendons. This is the reason for the onset of hiccups.

Feeling hungry for a reason prolonged absence food in the body, a person eats large portions. These pieces go down the esophagus and touch the vagus nerve, pressing it. Nerve irritation occurs, which is fraught with impaired functioning of various organs.

Thus, when the vagus nerve starts to have problems, the body notifies alarm signal nervous system. That, in turn, activates the nerve, which is responsible for the contraction of the diaphragm. As a result, unpleasant twitches appear during hiccups. Therefore, it can be argued that hiccups occur as a result of the activity of the pulsating nerve of the diaphragm, which provokes its sharp contractions. The glottis closes abruptly, and a person can hear the familiar sound characteristic of hiccups.

Why does hiccups appear?
One of the reasons for the formation of hiccups has already been discussed above - a hasty and rough meal. But this is not the only reason.

Hiccups can be caused by:
drunk a large number of cold water;
Compression of the nerve with an uncomfortable posture;
A sharp sigh when frightened;
Small child often hiccups when he is cold.

If hiccups - frequent guest in the human body, then the reason lies in the weak nervous system, in the tested severe stress or in a nervous shock.

If, in addition to hiccups, a person experiences nausea, abdominal pain, profuse salivation, this may indicate diseases of the liver, pancreas, gallbladder or ulcers. This situation will require a visit to a doctor and an appropriate examination.

How to get rid of hiccups?
Continuous shuddering of the body during hiccups is unpleasant. There is a desire to get rid of this state. There are several ways to prevent hiccups. For hiccups to go away, you need:
Stretch strongly;
Take deep and good breaths;
Inhale the air and hold your breath;
Very quickly drink a glass of water in small sips;
From a glass of water placed on the table (with allotted behind hands) drink water in 12 quick sips, while trying not to breathe.

hiccups - physiological process, which occurs against the background of contractions of the diaphragm. As a rule, this phenomenon irritates a person, and sometimes others - it becomes impossible to communicate normally and do everyday activities. This is due to the stress placed on the vagus nerve.

Causes of hiccups

Vagus nerve irritation

The vagus nerve provides a connection between the internal organs of a person and the central nervous system. The nerve is located in close proximity to the esophagus, passing from chest cavity to the abdominal. Together, the esophagus and vagus nerve pass through a small opening in the diaphragm and reach the abdominal cavity. Very often, hiccups originate here, in this narrow opening. If a hungry person pounces on food and does not chew it thoroughly, swallowing large pieces, they, getting into the esophagus, in this very place can irritate the nerve and cause hiccups.

Wrong food intake

Hiccups after eating may be due to ingestion digestive system air. This is especially common in infants. In order for the air to come out sooner, it is necessary to carry the baby in your arms, holding it in a column. It is important not to overfeed the baby - it is better to feed him more often, but in small portions. Possible reason it may be that the nipple is not properly selected and the milk flows out too quickly. In this case, the pacifier must be replaced.

hypothermia

Low temperatures can also provoke this phenomenon, especially because of this, hiccups occur in newborns. In babies, the process of thermoregulation is not perfect, so parents should make sure that the child is not cold.

Other Common Causes

Also, the reasons can be fear, overeating, prolonged body in an uncomfortable position. The reason known to many is overuse alcohol. In addition to alcohol intoxication, hiccups can be provoked by poisoning. chemicals and even nicotine. Often it can be caused by excessive stress on the nervous system, that is, ordinary stress.

The Guinness book describes the case when the American Charles Osborne suffered from incessant hiccups for 68 years.

This example is an exception, and in most cases the hiccups end fairly quickly.

Hiccups - an indicator of serious diseases

The frequent occurrence of this phenomenon can be a symptom of a serious illness, so if it occurs regularly, you should seek the advice of a specialist.

Constant hiccups are most often associated with pathologies gastrointestinal tract and disorders of the central nervous system. First of all, it is necessary to exclude diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: gastritis, ulcers, intestinal obstruction.

Hiccups can be caused by neurological causes: strokes, brain injuries, encephalitis, hydrocephalus. If a person often hiccups, this may also indicate a violation of the respiratory system. Here, such diagnoses as pneumonia, tuberculosis, diaphragmatic hernia, pneumothorax are possible. On the background helminthic invasions and diseases of the female genital area can also occur constant hiccups. Probably the development oncological diseases: the growth of a tumor in the neck, mediastinum, esophagus, lungs - all this can cause frequent hiccups.

Of course, none of these diagnoses should be treated at home without consulting a doctor. But, fortunately, in most cases, hiccups are not a consequence dangerous disease and you can get rid of it yourself.

How to get rid of hiccups fast

There are many methods to stop hiccups. The choice should be approached wisely, for example, it is better not to use the well-known way to “scare”.

If you don't want to wait until it passes by itself, you can take a regular plastic or paper bag and breathe into it. It is necessary that air does not get there, thus reducing the amount of oxygen and increasing the amount of carbon dioxide.
A similar way is to hold your breath. Recommended 3 times in a row for a maximum possible time limit the supply of oxygen.
It would be logical to eliminate the cause of the problem. If you suspect that the premise has become nervous stress, then it should be accepted depressant. If she was provoked by hypothermia, you need to drink hot tea and warm up.
Sour or bitter foods can be used as a remedy for hiccups. This is something like a distraction - when such food enters the body, diaphragm spasms often stop. In this case, you can use a lemon or a small amount of mustard.
The standard and widespread way is to sip a glass of water while holding your breath.

Regardless of which method you choose, you must remember that if hiccups continue for more than an hour, you should consult a doctor for pharmacological treatment.