How effective are Old Wives’ Tales on Hiccups

The hiccups can range from annoying to even somewhat alarming. While it’s unlikely that your hiccups are connected to a serious health issue, it can be rather aggravating if you keep struggling with them; after all, an individual can at times, hiccup up to 60 times per minute. That amount of hiccups will have you looking for a hiccups cures in no time. But the problem is that many of the cures you find are most likely old wives’ tales. This means that they may be widely circulated, but aren’t actually very effective. Though there are sometimes a bit of truth to old wives’ tales, it’s important to understand why you’re doing what you’re doing as you try to cure your hiccups, so you can prevent wasting time.

What Are The Hiccups, Actually?

To discount some of these old wives’ tales, let’s understand exactly what the hiccups really are. It’s essentially a spasm of your diaphragm, which is caused by the phrenic nerve. You have to raise the carbon dioxide level in your blood in order to stop these spasms, which is done by stopping your intake of oxygen. This means that the best cures for the hiccups include ones such as breathing into a paper bag or holding your breath for an extended period of time.

You may have tried these cures without any success, and it could be that you just weren’t waiting long enough for the fix to work. Typically, you’ll need to hold your breath for at least 30 seconds in order to stop your hiccups from recurring but again there is no exact science for this to accurately work each time. 

What Kinds of Old Wives’ Tales Supposedly Treat the Hiccups?

There are a variety of other old wives’ tales that allegedly treat the hiccups, some of which are more effective than others and some of which are just plain ineffective and way more complicated than holding your breath. Some of the more effective cures are consuming peppermint to relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter and eating a spoonful of peanut butter changes your breathing and swallowing pattern because it takes the body longer to digest. 

Startling someone, as the old wives’ tales often instruct, will probably not help their hiccups but it can be fun to do! However drinking water while holding your nose can be more effective but again may not work every time. 
While all these old wives’ tales can be fun to try, they can be frustrating if you’re in need of a solution and don’t see effective results. Because there is no exact science to the cures, they are inconsistent in their results. A more guaranteed solution, that has been tested and proven to work every time is the HiccAway device. The pressure from the suction has been accurately measured to provide enough pressure to stop these spasms every time, providing consistent reliable relief.