Easy Ways To Get Rid of Your Hiccups Fast (2025)

Hiccups happen to almost everyone. Still, they're annoying. And if hiccups don't go away fast, they can become uncomfortable, even embarrassing. Even though we've all likely experienced them before, what are hiccups, anyway?

A hiccup occurs when there is an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm—the largest muscle responsible for breathing. After your diaphragm contracts, your vocal cords close, and you suck in air. The sound this makes is all too familiar.

While you can't readily control these involuntary movements, you may at least be able to use simple remedies to get rid of them. Here's what causes hiccups, how to get rid of them, and how to prevent them—plus which treatment options are available for hiccups that just won't go away.

Experts don't quite fully understand what causes hiccups. Hiccups can start and stop for no apparent reason, but they can also happen if something irritates your diaphragm. Here are some things that may give you hiccups:

• A bloated stomach
• Abdominal surgery
• Central nervous system disorders
• Certain medicines
• Diseases that irritate the nerves that control the diaphragm
• Drinking alcohol
• Drinking carbonated drinks
• Eating too quickly
• Eating too much at one time
• Eating hot or spicy foods
• Feeling nervous or excited
• Metabolic disorders

Some medical conditions, including gastrointestinal disorders like acid reflux, can also cause hiccups.

How To Stop Hiccups

How long do hiccups last? Most of the time, they will go away within several minutes.

Sometimes your best strategy for getting rid of them may be to ignore them and wait. After a few minutes, they'll likely stop on their own.

However, let's say you have a Zoom presentation in five minutes, and you'd rather not hiccup between every sentence in front of your colleagues. What can you do to nip hiccups in the bud? Try these home remedies:

1. Bite into a lemon.
2. Blow up a balloon.
3. Breathe into a paper bag.
4. Drink water or ice water.
5. Gargle.
6. Hold your breath for 5 to 10 seconds.
7. Let someone or something scare you.
8. Pull on your tongue.
9. Put a cold compress on your face.
10. Sit down and pull your knees to your chest for one minute.
11. Swallow dry bread, granulated sugar, or crushed ice.
12. Take deep, slow breaths.

You might also try the Valsalva maneuver. To do it, pinch your nose and hold your breath, then force yourself to exhale and bear down as if you're going to poop. Hold for about 10 seconds. You might want to attempt this if you're at home by yourself versus in public, though.

Some of these remedies work by relying on similar mechanisms. Deep breathing and breathing into a bag can increase the amount of carbon dioxide in your blood enough to stop hiccups. Swallowing dry bread, granulated sugar, or crushed ice and pulling on your tongue can also stop hiccups by stimulating the vagus nerve responsible for breathing.

Unfortunately, none of these "cures" are proven treatments. They may work for some people, but not all. Still, they might get rid of your hiccups, and most are safe to try.

However, not everyone should try them. If you often have shortness of breath, for example, it might not be a good idea to try and hold your breath for a long time. If you're unsure if a remedy is safe for you, consult your healthcare provider first.

Baby Hiccups

Just like adults, babies can get hiccups too. Usually, hiccups don't really bother the baby.

Here's what you can do to get your baby to stop hiccupping:

1. Change the infant's position.
2. Help the infant relax.
3. Try to get the infant to burp.
4. Wait it out.

If your baby starts hiccupping during feeding, wait until the hiccups are gone to continue feeding.

Typical hiccups that last for less than 48 hours are medically termed acute hiccups. Chronic hiccups last longer and come in two types: persistent, meaning they're around for more than two days, and intractable, meaning they last longer than one month. The above remedies will be most effective for acute hiccups but may not be as helpful for the chronic type.

Chronic hiccups are treated based on the underlying cause. If you're taking a medication that causes hiccups, your healthcare provider will have you stop or prescribe something else. This can prevent your hiccups from coming back.

Hiccups caused by acid reflux can be treated with medication. Your healthcare provider may have you try antacids, antihistamines, or a proton pump inhibitor.

Sometimes hiccups may continue even after you've tried medication. Your next options may include more invasive treatments:

• Acupuncture: Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine involving fine needles inserted at specific points on the body.
• Positive pressure ventilation: This form of respiratory assistance helps keep air in your lungs. It is the same technique used to treat sleep apnea.
• Vagus nerve stimulators: This treatment involves sending electrical impulses to your vagus nerve. It is also used to treat seizures.
• Stellate or phrenic nerve blocks: These injections use medications that numb the target nerve.
  

Prevention

If you get hiccups often, pay attention to when you're getting them in the first place. Over time, you may notice some patterns—like getting them after eating too fast, eating spicy foods, or drinking carbonated beverages.

Once you can identify what's causing your hiccups, you may want to avoid those situations. Should you notice that stress sets off your hiccups, consider slowing down and building more opportunities for self-care.

Hiccups can cause discomfort—but are they serious? Fortunately, in most cases, they're not.

Certain medical conditions can cause hiccups, however. These include cardiovascular disorders, central nervous system disorders, lung conditions, esophageal tumors, and others.

Hiccups can take a real toll on your quality of life, too. If they are interfering with your sleep, eating, drinking, and/or talking, contact your healthcare provider. Your provider might decide to run additional tests to determine if a disease or disorder is the cause.

A Quick Review

You can usually ride out your hiccups and they go away on their own. Who knows? Maybe yours went away during the time it took you to read this.

While most hiccups do go away on their own, some don't. Chronic hiccups lasting for more than 2 days can significantly affect quality of life and should be checked out.

Talk to a healthcare provider if your hiccups won't go away and are interfering with your sleep, eating, drinking, and/or talking. Healthcare providers can help you pinpoint the cause and offer treatment based on what's right for you.