Hiccups are an unpleasant, if often harmless, experience that can occur at any time. Though many people go to the doctor looking for treatment, most are familiar with home remedies to get relief. One of the recipes is to take sugar. But why is it that a small spoonful of sugar appears to help to bring an end to hiccups?
Now, let’s dig deeper into some scientific explanations for this sweet discovery.
Hiccups?
Hiccups are involuntary spasms involving the diaphragm, a muscular sheet of tissue that forms the floor of the chest cavity and also forms the ceiling of the abdominal cavity. The above contractions are followed by the closure of the vocal cords and then result in the common sound of “hic”. Hiccups can be triggered by various factors, including:
- Eating too quickly
- Consuming carbonated drinks
- Sudden changes in temperature
- Excitement or stress
While hiccups are generally harmless, they can be quite bothersome.
The Sugar Remedy
Even though the functions of sugar have been known for quite a long time, still the old theory that sugar can cure hiccups is in debate. That is why we sometimes think hard and wonder what the mechanism underlying it is.
Here are some key points explaining how sugar may help alleviate hiccups:
- Irritation of the Pharynx: When you swallow sugar it scrapes the back of your throat and causes reflex in the pharynx. This sort of irritation can prevent the hiccup reflex because your body is not paying much attention to the muscle contractions in your diaphragm.
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation: The vagus nerve which starts in the head and ends in the stomach is highly responsible for the contraction and relaxation of the diaphragm. You could try swallowing a spoon of granulated sugar that may touch the nerve in your throat which helps to reset the diaphragm and bring the hiccuping to a halt.
- Distraction: As Engleman and his colleagues pointed out in several studies looking into the issue, eating sugar could physically intercept the hiccup reflex. This distraction tells your brain that something most important is going on such as the pleasure from the sweet item, to keep it from concentrating on the hiccups.
- Effectiveness: The first, old-wives-tale type of remedy that has been proven effective includes consuming a spoonful of sugar to stop hiccups in many instances. In one study, it was established that there was significant relief out of 20 patients after they had taken granulated sugar.
How to Use Sugar for Hiccups
If you find yourself battling a bout of hiccups and want to try this method, here’s how to do it:
- Take a teaspoon of granulated sugar.
- Place it on your tongue and let it dissolve slowly.
- Alternatively, you can chew it if you prefer a quicker method.
Other Remedies for Hiccups
While sugar is a popular remedy, there are several other methods people use to combat hiccups:
- Drinking Water: Sipping water slowly or gargling with water can stimulate the throat and help interrupt hiccup patterns.
- Breathing Techniques: Holding your breath or breathing into a paper bag increases carbon dioxide levels in your blood, which may relax the diaphragm.
- Sour Tastes: Eating something sour, like a lemon or vinegar, can also stimulate the throat and provide relief.
Stop Your Hiccups with Sugar
Although hiccups are not dangerous, they occur with regularity so it is useful to know that culprits such as sugar can provide helpful relief off the countertop. When we take time to understand how sugar affects the body’s nervous system through diaphragm control, then we get to see why this remedy has been applied traditionally.
But if one wants more remedies for hiccups or other digestion concerns, one might try the HicAway hiccup remedy which should help in the cure from hiccups rate efficiently.
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