No one knows precisely how hiccups are caused—eating, drinking, talking, laughing, swallowing air, anxiety are all possibilities— but they’re jolly annoying, even if they do provide much merriment for anyone witnessing them. Anyway, here is a list of ‘cures’ that no-doubt someone somewhere swears by :
Eating a tablespoon of peanut butter.
Pinching your nose while you drink water.
Pinching the back of your shoulder until it hurts (this works because the nerves that control your diaphragm come from the same place).
Exhaling as hard as you can and then holding your breath.
Coughing or sneezing.
Swallowing a teaspoon of sugar.
Holding the tongue with your thumb and index finger and gently pulling it forward.
Getting someone to drop an ice cube down your back.
Laughing.
Hyperventilating (which has the unfortunate side effect of giving you a panic attack).
Mass practice—i.e., trying to hiccup as much as possible.
Breathing into a paper bag.
Chewing gum.
Immersing your face in iced water.
Gargling.
Drinking a glass of water while someone presses your ears closed.
Drinking water from the far side of a glass (so that you’re drinking upside down).
This last one is my own favorite – Well, it works for me.
