“Hip! Hip!” Who does not know this sound? Who else, who less, we have all ever experienced the annoying but harmless hiccups. Harmless, of course, when it lasts for a short time, because what happens if hours, days or weeks pass and we continue to hiccup? It will not be because we are drunkards, as popular culture understands, but it is possible that we have a health problem and the hiccups are warning us. If you are one of those who suffer from recurrent hiccups and are concerned about whether it is bad to have hiccups several times a day, here we have the answers you are looking for.
What is hiccup and types of hiccups
Hiccups are the result of involuntary movements of the diaphragm. The diaphragm descends to help carry air into the lungs and rises when exhaling to facilitate expulsion. But when the diaphragm becomes irritated, it rises abruptly and breathing becomes disturbed, closing the vocal cords and causing the particular “hip!” Sound.
How long is it normal for hiccups to last
Normal hiccups usually last a few minutes or seconds, but never more than 48 hours. Depending on its duration, it is classified as acute, persistent or chronic:
- Acute: also called transient hiccups, it is the healthiest, lasting less than 48 hours.
- Persistent: can last up to a month.
- Chronic: it is hard for more than two months.
Why hiccups
According to the SEMG (the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians), unlike other symptoms, hiccups do not have any protective function nor do they seem to play any physiological function. Therefore, today it is not really known what the function of hiccups is.
What is known is that when you hiccup, it is usually due to irritation of the phrenic or vagus nerve, which is what controls the diaphragm. Some of the reasons you might get irritated in normal hiccups are:
- Be nervous.
- Eat a lot and / or very quickly.
- Have stomach or throat irritation.
- Problems in the esophagus.
- Having surgery on the abdomen.
- Have or have had pressure on the stomach.
- Eat spicy or spicy foods.
Why do I hiccup so often
If we suffer hiccups very often, it could be that we have damaged or irritated phrenic nerve. The causes of having hiccups all day would be:
- Having diseases that irritate this nerve, such as pneumonia or pleurisy.
- Having tumors in the brain or a stroke.
- Have anxiety
- Neurological injuries.
- Renal problems.
- Central nervous system problems.
Is it bad to have hiccups very often or several times a day?
Hiccups are not bad and are considered normal. Yes, it can be annoying, especially if it catches you in the most unexpected moments: having a conversation with someone, at work, at bedtime, etc. It usually lasts a few seconds or a few minutes and in most cases you don’t have to do anything, just wait for it to disappear.
Is it bad to have hiccups for a long time?
However, when hiccups exceed 48 hours, it becomes abnormal. It can cause discomfort in the organs from so much hiccup, it can even prevent eating, speaking or breathing well. In these cases, it can be a sign that something in your body needs medical attention. Therefore, we repeat: it is not bad to have hiccups several times a day, but it is true that, after 48 hours, we must go to the doctor and tell him about our case so that he can investigate if we suffer from any kind of condition.
How to remove hiccups
It is likely that when you do not know what to do when your hiccups do not disappear, you go to thousands of tips on the Internet or those that you have heard here and there: that if you hold your breath, that if they scare you, that if you drink water, and many other tricks to get rid of hiccups. While some of these tips work for certain people, there are more who say that these methods are miraculous.
As the problem is in the diaphragm, and more specifically in the nerve of the diaphragm, we can try to calm the nervous system with infusions, with breathing exercises or even with stretching for the diaphragm at home.
Hiccups usually heal on their own with time. However, in very serious situations, we could resort to surgery to treat the diaphragm nerve and thus eliminate the problem.
How to remove hiccups in babies
In the case of babies, hiccups appear frequently because they have a less developed nervous system. But this should not alarm parents, since, as we have said, hiccups are harmless and the baby does not feel pain.
There is no magic formula to take away the hiccups in babies, and there is no magic formula to take it away from adults, but we give you some tips to try to cure hiccups in your baby:
- Watch that the baby does not swallow air when breastfeeding; air intake can be the cause of hiccups.
- If he eats too fast, remove the breast and wait a few seconds, then feed it again.
- When you finish breastfeeding, stand your baby up so he can breathe out.
- Changes in temperature can also make hiccups easier, so always keep your child warm.
