What Causes Hiccups — and How to Stop Them

1. Holding your breath and counting to 10.
2. Drinking a glass of water, ideally in one big gulp.
3. Tasting something sweet or sour.
4. Drinking from a straw.

There is some evidence to support the last remedy on the list: A recent JAMA Network Open study about a straw-like tool “did seem to suggest that that device worked for hiccups,” Jatoi says. The early, nonclinical-trial paper describes the efficacy of a “forced inspiratory suction and swallow tool” (FISST). Coauthor Ali Seifi, M.D., an associate professor of neurosurgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, patented the device, which is now marketed as HiccAway. It’s fairly straightforward: You put the plastic tube in a half-full glass of water and quickly suck up and swallow the water. After a few tries, your hiccups should disappear, the authors say.

For many of the study participants, that’s exactly what happened. Of 249 volunteers, 92 percent said the tool stopped their hiccups, and 90 percent preferred it over other strategies. The study offers an imperfect and incomplete picture, however, since it’s based on self-reported experiences and subjective ratings. The researchers say future studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of the tool.

“Lots of methods have been suggested. None are proven,” Prince adds, though these “common, simple methods for treating acute hiccups [do] seem to help some people.”

When should you see a doctor for hiccups?

Though it’s rare, some cases of hiccups may actually warrant a trip to the doctor. If you’ve had hiccups for at least 48 hours, you should consult a medical professional. 

These cases of “persistent hiccups,” as they’re called, “should usually be investigated to assess for more serious causes,” Prince says. Rarely, hiccups can be a symptom of other conditions and diseases, especially if they go on for — not minutes or even hours — but days. If hiccups are accompanied by heartburn, for example, they may be caused by gastroesophageal reflux. Here are other rare causes:

1. Tumors in the neck and chest, either malignant or benign. “It is likely that the tumor mass is irritating nerves or other structures that regulate the function of the diaphragm, leading to hiccups,” Prince says.
2. Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, strokes, brain tumors, intracranial injuries — though a bout of persistent hiccups does not, itself, suggest any of these conditions.
3. Cardiac issues, like pericarditis and myocardial infarctions. “Again, generally patients with these conditions have other symptoms in addition to hiccups,” Prince says.
4. Electrolyte imbalance
5. Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar)
6. Use of benzodiazepines, opiates or steroids
7. Anxiety disorders

“If a person has had lots of troubling hiccups over less than two days, touching base with your health care provider is probably called for under these circumstances, too,” Jatoi says.

That said, if you’ve “had just a few bouts of hiccups over two days, then likely the hiccups are not indicative of anything serious,” Jatoi adds, but you should contact a health care provider just in case, especially if you’ve had difficulty sleeping and eating.