Key Takeaways
- Most hiccups are harmless and stop on their own within a few minutes.
- Gentle methods such as briefly holding your breath, taking small sips of cold water, or drawing your knees toward your chest may help.
- No home remedy is guaranteed to stop hiccups, and evidence for traditional remedies is limited.
- Avoid techniques that could cause choking, fainting, falls, suffocation, or breathing difficulties.
- Contact a healthcare professional if hiccups last longer than 48 hours, frequently return, or interfere with eating, drinking, speaking, or sleeping.
Hiccups are involuntary contractions of the diaphragm, the muscle beneath the lungs that helps you breathe. Each contraction is followed by a sudden closure of the opening between the vocal cords, producing the familiar “hic” sound.
Most episodes are short and disappear without treatment. When trying to stop hiccups, use one gentle technique at a time. Stop immediately if you feel dizzy, short of breath, faint, or uncomfortable.
How to Stop Hiccups Safely
Start by sitting upright and relaxing your breathing. You can then try one of the following methods:
- Take a normal breath, hold it briefly, and then exhale slowly.
- Take several small, controlled sips of cold water without gulping.
- Draw your knees toward your chest and lean forward gently for a few seconds.
- Gargle a small amount of cold water and spit it out.
These techniques are commonly recommended, but none is guaranteed to work. There is limited high-quality evidence supporting traditional hiccup remedies, and most short episodes stop naturally.
| Method | How to try it | Main precaution |
| Brief breath-holding | Take a normal breath, hold it briefly, and exhale slowly | Stop if you feel dizzy, faint, or breathless |
| Cold water | Take small, controlled sips | Do not try this if you are having difficulty swallowing |
| Knees toward chest | Sit down, draw your knees in, and lean forward gently | Stop if the position causes pain or breathing discomfort |
| Gargling | Gargle a small amount of cold water and spit it out | Avoid this method if you have difficulty swallowing or an increased choking risk |
Try only one method at a time. Repeatedly combining several techniques is unlikely to help and may increase discomfort.
Hiccup Remedies to Avoid
Avoid any technique that interferes with breathing or creates a choking or falling risk.
Do not:
- Breathe into a plastic bag.
- Hold your breath until you feel faint.
- Drink water while upside down.
- Swallow large amounts of dry food.
- Press forcefully on your eyes.
- Massage or press the arteries on the sides of your neck.
- Deliberately frighten someone.
Dry sugar is sometimes suggested as a remedy, but evidence is limited. It can also be a choking risk, particularly for young children and people who have difficulty swallowing.
What Causes Hiccups?
Hiccups begin when something triggers the hiccup reflex, which involves the diaphragm, nerves, and areas of the brain that control breathing.
Common triggers include:
- Eating too much or too quickly
- Carbonated drinks
- Alcohol
- Spicy foods
- Very hot or very cold food or drinks
- Rapidly switching between hot and cold foods
- Swallowing air
- Chewing gum
- Smoking
- Stress, laughter, excitement, or other strong emotions
Sometimes there is no obvious trigger.
If your hiccups frequently return, record when they begin, what you recently ate or drank, how long they last, and whether you experienced other symptoms. A short record may help you or a healthcare professional identify a pattern.
How to Prevent Hiccups
Hiccups cannot always be prevented, but changing a few habits may reduce episodes:
- Eat slowly and take smaller bites.
- Choose smaller portions.
- Limit carbonated drinks and alcohol if they trigger hiccups.
- Avoid foods that repeatedly cause episodes.
- Do not rapidly switch between very hot and very cold foods or drinks.
- Reduce habits that increase swallowed air, such as chewing gum or smoking.
Prevention is most useful when you have identified a consistent personal trigger.
When to Contact a Healthcare Professional
Contact a healthcare professional if your hiccups:
- Last longer than 48 hours
- Frequently return
- Interfere with eating or drinking
- Prevent you from sleeping
- Make speaking or normal daily activities difficult
- Begin after starting a new medication or having surgery
Persistent hiccups may occasionally be related to a medication, acid reflux, recent surgery, irritation of the nerves involved in the hiccup reflex, or another medical condition.
Do not stop taking prescribed medication without speaking to the prescriber or a pharmacist.
Seek urgent medical help if hiccups occur with:
- Chest pain
- Severe difficulty breathing
- Fainting
- Confusion
- Sudden weakness or numbness
- Facial drooping
- Difficulty speaking
- A sudden, severe headache
These accompanying symptoms—not usually the hiccups themselves—may indicate a condition that needs immediate assessment.
How Persistent Hiccups Are Treated
A healthcare professional may ask about your medical history, medications, recent operations or procedures, and other symptoms. Depending on the circumstances, further examination or testing may be needed.
Treatment usually focuses on identifying and addressing the cause.
For severe or prolonged hiccups, a clinician may consider medications such as baclofen, chlorpromazine, or metoclopramide. These medicines are not appropriate for everyone and can cause side effects, so they should be used only following professional assessment.
Never take someone else’s prescription medication to treat hiccups.
How to Help a Baby With Hiccups
Hiccups are common in newborns and babies and are usually harmless.
If hiccups begin during a feeding:
- Pause the feeding.
- Hold the baby upright and burp them gently.
- Resume the feeding more slowly once the baby is settled.
- Consider smaller, more frequent feeds if feeding too quickly or swallowing air seems to be a trigger.
Do not frighten a baby or give sugar, lemon, vinegar, or other home remedies. Babies younger than about six months generally should not be given extra water unless a pediatrician or other qualified healthcare professional recommends it.
Contact a healthcare professional if a baby’s hiccups repeatedly disrupt feeding or occur with:
- Breathing difficulties
- Frequent or forceful vomiting
- Persistent coughing
- Poor weight gain
- Difficulty feeding
- Unusual tiredness or reduced responsiveness
Frequently Asked Questions
Can acid reflux cause hiccups?
Reflux may irritate structures involved in the hiccup reflex and can sometimes contribute to recurring or persistent hiccups. Ask a healthcare professional for advice if hiccups frequently occur with heartburn, a sour taste, or discomfort after meals.
Can medications cause hiccups?
Yes. Some medications can trigger or worsen hiccups in certain people. Do not stop a prescribed medication without advice. Ask the prescriber or a pharmacist to review your medicines if the hiccups began after a new treatment or dose change.
Are hiccups after surgery normal?
Brief hiccups can occur after surgery or anesthesia. Contact your surgical team if they continue, become painful, interfere with recovery, or make it difficult to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep.
Is it safe to sleep with hiccups?
Occasional hiccups are usually harmless. Seek medical advice if they repeatedly prevent sleep or continue for longer than 48 hours.
Can hiccups be a sign of a serious condition?
Most hiccups are not serious. Rarely, persistent hiccups can be connected to a neurological, metabolic, digestive, or other medical condition. Seek urgent help if hiccups occur with symptoms such as sudden weakness, facial drooping, difficulty speaking, confusion, severe breathing problems, or chest pain.
Why do my hiccups keep coming back?
Recurring hiccups may be linked to eating habits, carbonated drinks, alcohol, reflux, stress, medications, or another personal trigger. Keeping a record of episodes can help identify a pattern. Consult a healthcare professional if they frequently affect your daily activities.
