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Topics: Health, NHS, Life Hacks, Advice
Mia Williams
We might finally have a working cure for hiccups - and it all comes from an unlikely food source.
When it comes to pesky hiccups, we've tried just about everything - every old wives tale is exhausted, and quite frankly so am I after holding my breath for several seconds and swallowing three times.
Drinking water upside down also isn't acceptable in a public place, and I'd rather someone not make me jump out of my skin.
The good news is that the NHS has some pretty concrete advice on how to stop hiccups in their tracks - and it doesn't require breathing into a paper bag.
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But why do we even get them in the first place?
Firstly, hiccups are just 'repeated spasm's in your diaphragm that you can't control, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The NHS suggest that there's actually no real reason as to why people have fits of hiccups, but there could be some possible triggers - these include stress, big emotions like a lot of adrenaline, and consuming certain food or drinks.
Whilst hiccups usually last several minutes, Charles Osborne currently has the Guinness World Record for the longest case of hiccups.
From Iowa, in the US, he started hiccuping in 1922 and continued until 1990.
According to the Smithsonian Magazine, he'd hiccuped an estimate 430 million times before his death in 1991.
And whilst they're just simply an annoyance for the average person, it is handy to know what you can do to put them to rest - and all you have to do is swallow some granulated sugar, the NHS says.
According to USA Today, this is due to the sensation of the sugar moving down the throat, which stimulates the vagus nerve and controls diaphragm movements, where hiccups stem from.
Other things that the NHS suggest could help is sipping ice cold water, biting on a lemon, tasting vinegar, pulling your knees up to your chest and leaning forward, or holding your breath for a small period of time.
But they also have a list of things you should probably avoid, including alcoholic, fizzy, or hot drinks, spicy food, eating quickly, and smoking.
If a spell of hiccups lasts longer than 48 hours, which realistically for most, it's never been more than 10 minutes, they say you should see your GP.
They also suggest that if they 'come back often' and are 'affecting your life', then you should also make an appointment with your doctor.