• Question: Why do people hiccup?

    Asked by inflamedeggbert99 to Andy on 23 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Andy Norton

      Andy Norton answered on 23 Jun 2011:

      Heya inflamedeggbert99. Did you enjoy the chat session today?

      Interesting question! I’m not an expect on this at all, but I’ll have a go…

      So, you know that you have a diaphragm that you use to breath in and out? Well, the diaphragm almost always works really well. However, sometimes the diaphragm becomes irritated, and when this happens, it pushes up in a jerky way that makes your breath come out differently from how it normally does. When this irregular breath hits your voice box, you’re left with a big hiccup.

      Some things that irritate the diaphragm are eating too quickly or too much, an irritation in the stomach or the throat, or feeling nervous or excited. Almost all cases of the hiccups last only a few minutes. Some cases of the hiccups can last for days or weeks, but this is very unusual, and it’s usually a sign of another medical problem.

      Does that make sense?

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