Hiccoughs or hiccups can be a source of merriment, embarrassment and intense of merriment, embarrassment and intense irritation and they can if they last for too long become exhausting and painful. They are caused by a nervous spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm which causes the victim to inhale suddenly and the vocal cords to close quickly, thus creating the ‘hie’ which is followed by the relaxation of the muscles and the ‘cough’. Most attacks of hiccoughs are only of short duration although in some cases have been known to become almost permanent.
The cures for hiccoughs are legion and many of them almost come into the category of party games. I know of only two that work very well, one of which has a perfect physical explanation while the other I believe is psychological.
When an attack of hiccoughs starts take a paper bag and breathe into it 20 times, the effect being that you take back into your lungs the carbon dioxide that you have exhaled. When you breathe in stale or bad air the brain, the automatic centre of control for breathing, calls for deeper breaths, regulating the control of the diaphragm and thus enabling it to break the spasm.
The second practice is even more fun and works particularly well with susceptible children and adults. Make the victim stand with their arms stretched high above their head whilst you give them sips of water. The exquisite tension created by the certain knowledge target for ticking fingers combined with the effort of trying to breathe calmly and drink at the same time is all too much for any hiccough to survive.
All of these remedies to some extent or another seek to regulate the breathing but some also work on the digestive system. Do be careful how you implement those relying on fright or your victim may end up suffering more than you intended!
- Cold water or an ice cube hold your breath (or hold your nose) whilst drinking a glass of cold water or hold an ice cube in your mouth.
- Oranges Eat an orange or drink 2 tablespoons of pure orange juice.
- Gripe water or dill seeds Take a good swig of gripe water or chew a few dill seeds.
- Cinnamon or cloves Put 3 drops of the oil of either herb on a sugar lump. Hold it in your mouth until it dissolves then slowly swallow.
- Shock A cold key, the large type rather than Yale, should be slipped down the back of the neck or an unexpected thump administered between the shoulder blades! Indeed any kind of shock or fright should do the trick.
- Holding your breath Hold for a count of 20.
- Sneezing Induce an attack of sneezing. Some sources recommend a feather under the nose, others suggest snuff.
- Charcoal At one time it was suggested that charcoal straight from the bonfire was the answer but a charcoal tablet taken with cold water is the modern solution.
