{"id":8911,"date":"2023-01-10T13:28:08","date_gmt":"2023-01-10T02:28:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceillustrated.com.au\/blog\/?p=8911"},"modified":"2023-01-10T13:28:08","modified_gmt":"2023-01-10T02:28:08","slug":"can-a-fright-really-cure-hiccups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceillustrated.com.au\/blog\/medicine\/can-a-fright-really-cure-hiccups\/","title":{"rendered":"Can a fright really cure hiccups?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Shutterstock\/Stable<\/p>\n

READER QUESTION:
\n\u201cWhen I get hiccups, someone almost always shouts \u2018Boo!\u2019. Is there any reason to believe that this helps?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In scientific terms speaking, there is no proof that a fright can cure hiccups. But there is strong anecdotal evidence that this works, and physiological conditions support the idea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A hiccup is a quick involuntary contraction of the diaphragm. It is triggered by the autonomous nervous system \u2013 the part of the nervous system you cannot control \u2013 and is accompanied by a reflex that closes the glottis, the tissue around the vocal chords at the top of the windpipe, making the \u2018hic\u2019 sound.<\/p>\n

When we are startled, our breathing reflex is disturbed. This reflex uses the musculature of the midriff, and so this might indeed help stop a case of hiccups.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The inventors of a new straw called HiccAway leverages the same reaction. The straw was tested in 2021 on 249 people with a success rate of 92%, though with no control group, and based on self-reported results. <\/span>The straw requires sucking with extra force, which distracts two sets of nerves involved in hiccups.<\/p>\n

In 2000, Israeli scientists suggested that an orgasm during the act of sex should also offer a good chance of curing hiccups, as it causes a stimulation of the nervous system which is very similar to one caused by a sudden fright.<\/p>\n

Hiccups can prevent suffocation
\n<\/strong>Annoying as they may be, hiccups could save you from choking on food that gets stuck in your throat. Here’s how it works.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Hiccups1\"<\/p>\n

^ LARGE MUSCLE BREATHES
\n<\/span><\/strong>The diaphragm is one large muscle located below the lungs. During ordinary breathing, we breathe out when it relaxes, and bring new air into the lungs when it contracts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

^ HICCUPS ARE MUSCLE CRAMPS<\/strong>
\n<\/span>In the case of a hiccup, there is a cramp-like contraction of the diaphragm. At the same time, the glottis at the top of the windpipe closes, so that no air can enter the lungs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

^ LOW PRESSURE CLEARS THROAT
\n<\/span><\/strong>A contraction causes underpressure in the entire abdominal cavity, including the stomach. If food is stuck. between the mouth of the windpipe and gullet, it will be sucked into the stomach.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

READER QUESTION: \u201cWhen I get hiccups, someone almost always shouts \u2018Boo!\u2019. Is there any reason to believe that this helps?\u201d\u00a0 In scientific terms speaking, there is no proof that a fright can cure…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":8912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,48,5],"tags":[963,962,964],"class_list":["post-8911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ask-us","category-health","category-medicine","tag-hiccoughs","tag-hiccups","tag-scaring-hiccups"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceillustrated.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8911"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceillustrated.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceillustrated.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceillustrated.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceillustrated.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8911"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scienceillustrated.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8916,"href":"https:\/\/scienceillustrated.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8911\/revisions\/8916"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceillustrated.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceillustrated.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceillustrated.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceillustrated.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}