what do you do to end the hiccups?

[salin]

raise your hands above your head (to the point of raising your rib cage) and hold your breath for ten - long seconds... was my family's solution. Works some of the time. Other 'remedies'... please?

[KitchenWitch]

1. a teaspoon of sugar on the tongue

let it dissolve before swallowing.

[radfringe]

25. there are actually 2 types of hiccups

sugar on the tongue works for one type

teaspoon of lemon juice works for the other

[Deja Q]

2. Contrary to popular belief, suffocation does NOT work. Case in point:

[BrotherBuzz]

3. Hold your breath and swallow ten times...

Sounds easy, but isn't. The idea is to focus and control the diaphragm muscles so the hiccups will go away. It works.

[Deja Q]

4. In another mindset, what you just said is reeeeeeeeeally kinky...

[BrotherBuzz]

7. LOL, I won't go down that road...

Even if she's wearing a blue dress.

[salin]

My old tried way didn't work

the arms raised (to raise the diaphragm) usually works - two or three more hiccups and done. Not tonight. Tried your method - couldn't get past five swallows while holding my breath... but viola - that did the trick. Yea - my new method. Thank you, Brother Buzz!

[BrotherBuzz]

13. Great, and ten is only a target number, but....

don't misconstrue it as medical advice.

[salin]

15. no prob

even the MDs in the family give that disclaimer

Seriously - great advice - hiccups are gone.

[Whoa_Nelly]

5. Either take a deep breath or expel all air from lungs

and right after that take three separate swallows of water...then expel air or breathe in deeply. And, if you hiccup after taking deep breathe or expelling air during the time taking the three swallows of water, you have to start over again.

Eeverses the action of the spasmodic diaphragm, and the hiccups stop.

[salin]

10. I will try this in the future

this time brother buzz's recommendation (hold breath and try to swallow ten times) worked.

[democracyindanger]

6. Glass of water

pinch your nose shut. Start drinking water until you literally feel like you'll drown. This shocks your diaphragm--which is the cause of hiccups.

[bettyellen]

8. gulp a whole pint while someone has their fingers plugging your

ears, tightly. it actually works better if you plug your own ears and someone takes care of lifting the glass for you.

or drink through a hankercheif that's tautly covering the top of the glass.

[salin]

11. I will keep these in mind

but the requirement of a second person makes this more difficult.

[bettyellen]

14. and it's not as good with a straw. but they're irish so...

well, we do know about those things.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. My method does NOT use water......

You can do it anywhere......

Just sit down, and relax. Then hold your breath for as long as you can.

Exhale, and then hold it again, for as long as you can.

Then repeat, inhaling.....and so on.....

If you start this as soon as you realize you have the hiccups, then they will disappear more quickly.

It has NEVER failed me.

[salin]

12. Great suggestions tonight

when my old tried and true failed me... just had a conversation earlier in the day with a colleague who had a long episode that was highly visible - so not only will I hold these solutions close to the vest, I will also pass them on. Thanks.

[Roon]

16. Grab your tongue

and pull as hard as you can stand it. Tug it a few times, that will get rid of the hiccups.

[Flaxbee]

17. if you're not a teetotaler, a shot of very cold vodka

does it for me every time. There was a period of several weeks when I was getting hiccups ALL THE FREAKING TIME - usually in the evenings. I'd sit there and suffer, and then my husband would just pour vodka (kept in the freezer) into a shot glass and I'd toss it all back at once. Seemed to shock/freeze the diaphragm into stillness. Even helped with especially 'vigorous' hiccups, when the holding-breath method was just a joke.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

18. teaspoon of sugar

moistened with water.

[begin_within]

19. Drink soda, then burp

[fujiyama]

20. I tried that the other day

and was surprised how well it worked.

[tuvor]

21. Patience has always worked for me.

Just not very quickly.

[RebelOne]

22. I take a big gulp of vinegar. It works every time.

[Jamastiene]

23. Have a buddy agree beforehand to scare you.

It works, assuming you don't have a weak heart. Otherwise, I take a long deep breath and hold it as long as I can. That usually works for me.

[dorkulon]

24. From what I've heard...

All hiccup cures are just various ways to get you to decrease your oxygen intake, the object being to increase your blood CO2. So, basically, hold your breath.

[LynzM]

26. *Think* about your breathing

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, very slowly, very carefully. Sounds like total B.S., but most hiccups can be cured this way. Think about most other hiccup cures - they're just distractions or shocks to your system that take your mind off of thinking about your hiccups. So concentrating very carefully on your breathing can have the same effect. Takes a little bit of practice, but it's worked for me for years. Oh, and telling people this same thing, in person, is also usually enough to stop their hiccups.

But hey, drinkin' some alcohol isn't always an all-bad plan, either

[Patiod]

27. My grandmother's solution

Go lie down somewhere (I've done this in a fraternity's coat closet, but I recommend somewhere more private).

Get in the "snow angel" position - legs slightly apart, arms above head (now you see why privacy is optimal) and

RELAX

Takes about 3-4 minutes, and I've found it works really well.

In a pinch, you can do it seated - it's not CRUCIAL that the legs be apart, but if you're seated you need to arch your back, put your head back, and put your arms up so hands are at least above the shoulders. RELAX.