You are sitting quietly in class. Suddenly a loud “hic” bursts from your mouth. You hold your breath but the hiccups keep coming.
They are a common problem, but scientists really don’t know why we get the hiccups. Sometimes they start when we eat too much or drink too fast. Other times they seem to appear for no good reason.
So what causes these annoying little sounds? It all starts with the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a large muscle under the lungs in your chest. It lets you breathe in and out. When the diaphragm moves down, your lungs fill with air. When your diaphragm moves up, your lungs push air out.
Usually the diaphragm works smoothly in an up-and-down motion. But sometimes this big muscle can suddenly twitch. This causes you to take in a large gulp of air. When the air hits the vocal chords in your throat, the hiccup sound in made.
Most hiccups go away in a short period of time. But in some rare cases, they can go on for days or even weeks. The Guinness Book of Records says the longest case of hiccups lasted 69 years!
You have probably heard of many cures for the hiccups. In fact, you may be tired of holding your breath.
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"What causes hiccups?" was posted on Monday, August 13th, 2007 at 12:13 am.