I never get hiccups. Like, really I think it had been years… until last week. I got them several times in one day. It stunk! It was reminding me of being pregnant and having my little babies hiccup inside me every 10 minutes. Poor things… huge hiccups, tiny little bodies. I wonder what makes them hiccup so much in the womb!?! Then one of the gals on Facebook mentioned how she has tourette syndrome and her tic is hiccuping, she battles it all the time. Made me grateful and sad for her.
Anyway, while on Facebook (do you follow??), I was asking the ladies to help me out… what are the best tried and true hiccup cures? I got some fantastic answers. Some made perfect sense, others made me laugh, but they are all sworn by. So, the next time you have the hiccups, go through this list and I’m pretty dang sure you’ll be hiccup-free in no time.
1. Mind over matter. Relax and take slow, steady breaths.
2. Gargle ice water
3. Drink a glass of water while someone plugs your ears.
4. Cover a glass of water with a clean towel. Drink the water through the towel.
5. Drink a glass of water by sipping it 20 times, swallowing completely between each sip.
6. Have someone offer you money if you can hiccup 3 more times. You probably won’t be able to!
7. Put a pinch of sugar on your tongue and gulp down a glass of water.
8. Hold your breath, while plugging your ears and nose (you may need some help with this!)
9. When someone else has hiccups, ask them when the last time was that they saw a rabbit. Their thoughts interrupt their hiccups and they’re gone!
10. Eat a spoonful of peanut butter.
11. Sip a glass of water while bending far forward at the waist.
12. Lay down and take a rest.
13. Drink something carbonated and burp!
14. Swallow a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
15. Suck on a lemon.
16. Pull on your tongue.
17. Cup your hands over your nose and mouth and keep breathing normally.
18. Kiss someone until they’re gone!
19. Take a big drink of water and while it’s still in your mouth, try to say, ‘Mississippi, Mississippi, Mississippi.’
20. Say the alphabet backwards, in one breath, and skip the vowels.
And, just for fun… while reading hiccup cures online, I stumbled on this one and thought it was absolutely perfect as a last resort.
“First-Obtain Dr. Pepper in a 20oz bottle. Then proceed to take your left hand and carefully pull your right nostril. Then obtain a spoon-full of salt. Snort half a teaspoon of the salt and swallow the rest. Make your eyes water. Then take a crowbar to the left shin. You must make a small wound. Pour 11 ounces of the Dr. Pepper on the open wound and chug the rest. Smack your trachea 3 times and hold your breath for 69 seconds. Now, I must warn you these procedures can be dangerous. Make sure you are ready for any possible outcomes. If you can manage these simple procedures, you will have defeated the hiccups for the rest of your pathetic life. Your welcome….”
Good luck! Feel free to share your hiccup cures in the comments!
Love the last remedy! I laughed so hard! lolz
When I get hiccups, I think it is because I inhaled too much air when I laugh or even when I cough(which is a lot, for I have year-round) allergies. I drink a large amount of water to ‘drown’ them out. It works every time. Carbonated beverages do not help for me personally. I believe it is because carbonation causes air/gas in your stomach, which may contribute to hiccups.
It sucks when you get hiccups. Try this remedy if you get them again and see if it works for you and the same goes for your other readers. I think it will help!
Have a great weekend, dear! 🙂
Ha, I loved that one too! My kids all came running in the office to see what I was laughing about. 🙂 Thanks for the suggestion!
Too funny!
Mine’s lemon, sugar, & bitters. Take a lemon wedge, sprinkle about a teaspoon (or packet) of sugar over it, pour bitters over that. Eat everything but the lemon peel. Definitely works.
Most times if you haven’t got all that, though, a teaspoon of sugar will work by itself.
Awesome. Thanks, Larissa!
without fail, I get the hiccups EVERY SINGLE DAY OF MY LIFE. its a joke at my work. people always say, “oh I knew that was you before I saw you”. they dont even bother me anymore, its just become part of my daily routine. The ONLY one of these solutions that has EVER worked for me (and trust me, ive tried them all) is number 11 except, I bend way over at the waist and drink from the opposite side of the cup, the part furthest away from you. its difficult to do at first, but its really the only thing that has ever worked for me personally. thanks for the list! 🙂
Oh my heavens, Ashley… that sounds horrible! I guess if it’s every single day, you get used to it, but… bleh. I’m sorry! So, that’s interesting to know that #11 is the only one that works for you, as you are clearly a hiccup pro. 🙂 Hang in there. Thanks for the stopping by!
My daughter will often get huge, loud hiccups. These hiccups aggravate her chronic pain and if the hiccups are not resolved an ER visit is required for her pain. Over time we have found straight lemon juice to be the only thing to help her. She drinks about the equivalent of a shot of lemon juice and her hiccups are gone almost instantaneously! We use lemon juice from a bottle or the little plastic squirt lemons. We have been using this method for about 14 years. Works every time!
Wow, that’s crazy that she actually has to go to the hospital! Poor thing. That’s a great tip about the lemon juice and sounds like you’ve had plenty of years of experience with it. Thanks so much, Marsha!
Babies hiccup in utero to develop the lungs. =)
I can’t believe there’s so many ways to get rid of the horrid hiccups and I didn’t know most of these all these years. I i will try sucking on a lemon next time since I love them anyway! Thanks Mariel
Eeeek! I don’t know if I could do that one!