What are hiccups?

Question

What actually causes hiccups and why do they make us make that funny noise?

Answer 1

trapped air

Answer 2

spasms of the diamphragm

Answer 3

i think they occur when the intercostal muscles are not in sync with the diaphragm.

Answer 4

i think it causes when inside you, when the air gets trap.... and when it wants to come out..... it won't be able to..... so u get hiccups.

Answer 5

it is just trapped air also if yu have hiccups you are going

Answer 6

A hiccup or hiccough (generally pronounced "HICK-up" (IPA: /ˈhɪ.kəp/) independent of the spelling) is an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm; typically this repeats several times a minute. The sudden rush of air into the lungs causes the glottis to close, creating the "hic" noise. A bout of hiccups generally resolves by itself, although many home remedies are in circulation to shorten the duration, and medication is occasionally necessary. By extension, the term "hiccup" is also used to describe a small and unrepeated aberration in an otherwise consistent pattern. The medical term is singultus.

While many cases develop spontaneously, hiccups are known to develop often in specific situations, such as eating too quickly, taking a cold drink while eating a hot meal, eating very hot or spicy food, laughing vigorously or coughing, or drinking an excess of an alcoholic beverage. Hiccups may be caused by pressure to the phrenic nerve by other anatomical structures, or rarely by tumors.

It is still unclear to scientists exactly why hiccups occur, particularly because it doesn't seem to give us any specific benefit. Some speculation exists that hiccups are a remnant of a bodily function that has been phased out by evolution, such as the move from aquatic gilled creatures to land animals. More research is required to ascertain their true nature, origins, and purpose, if any.

Answer 7

Hiccups are spasms of the diaphragm, which is the muscle between the lungs and stomach that makes our lungs breath in and out... as well as helps us sing out in loud volumes.

Answer 8

Hiccups are Gods way of saying " You pig..take your time with your food !"

Answer 9

theres a lot of reasons why someone would hiccup of of them is lack of air if you eat food to fast or drink to fast ur getting the food down but no air so it just they way ut body reacts

Answer 10

Nikki T... is correct!  Spasms in the diaphram.

Answer 11

Hiccups are caused from when you have a burp buble inside of you, and you swallow it, so it separates into a bunch of little bubbles that make a hi-pitched sound like that.

How to make your self stop hiccuping?

Drink a liquid, put your head down like your trying to look in between your legs to something behind you, and swallow! TADA!!

:D

Answer 12

It's caused by gas in your stomach or something.

Answer 13

Hiccups are caused by an air bubble in your wind pipe and hiccups are wind/breathe escaping past it.

Answer 14

hiccups are a spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm that typically repeats

Answer 15

They're just a spazm of your Diaphragm - the large sheet of muscle that forms the base of your chest cavity and is responsible for the large part of your breathing.

The sound is made by rapid air movement - the same way your voice is.