The single most effective technique for stopping hiccups is a structured breathing method called supra-supramaximal inspiration, which stopped hiccups in 84% of patients in clinical testing. But several other approaches work well too, and understanding why they work helps you pick the right one in the moment.
Why Hiccups Happen
A hiccup is an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm and the small muscles between your ribs. The spasm pulls air into your lungs so suddenly that your vocal cords snap shut, producing the “hic” sound. The whole thing is controlled by a reflex arc involving three nerves: the phrenic nerve (which controls the diaphragm), the vagus nerve (which runs from your brain down through your chest and abdomen), and sympathetic nerves that carry sensory signals. These nerves send a signal to a processing center in the midbrain, which fires back a command to contract.
Nearly every effective hiccup remedy works by interrupting this reflex arc, either by raising carbon dioxide levels in your blood, stimulating the vagus nerve directly, or resetting the rhythm of your diaphragm. That’s why so many folk remedies actually have a basis in physiology.
The Breathing Technique With the Best Evidence
The supra-supramaximal inspiration technique works by forcefully engaging the diaphragm and holding it in a fully contracted position, which disrupts the spasm cycle. Here’s how to do it:
- Step 1: Exhale completely, emptying your lungs as much as you can.
- Step 2: Inhale a deep, full breath.
- Step 3: Hold for 10 seconds without exhaling.
- Step 4: Without letting any air out, sip in a little more air.
- Step 5: Hold for another 5 seconds.
- Step 6: Try to inhale just a tiny bit more, then finally exhale.
This layered breath-hold forces your diaphragm into sustained contraction and raises carbon dioxide in your blood, both of which help override the hiccup reflex. In a case series of 19 patients, this technique resolved hiccups 84% of the time.
A Purpose-Built Straw That Outperforms Home Remedies
A device called the Forced Inspiratory Suction and Swallow Tool (sold commercially as HiccAway) takes a similar approach but adds a swallowing component. It’s essentially a rigid straw with a pressure valve at the bottom that forces you to suck hard to draw water through it. The forceful inhalation engages the phrenic nerve and diaphragm, while swallowing simultaneously stimulates the vagus nerve. In a study published in JAMA Network Open, the device stopped hiccups in nearly 92% of cases, and about 90% of participants rated it more effective than their usual home remedies.
It costs around $14 and fits in a bag, so if you get hiccups frequently, it may be worth keeping one around.
Classic Remedies That Actually Work
Most traditional hiccup cures fall into two categories: those that raise carbon dioxide and those that stimulate the vagus nerve. Both are valid strategies.
Carbon Dioxide Methods
Holding your breath for 10 to 20 seconds lets carbon dioxide build up in your bloodstream, which suppresses the firing of the hiccup reflex. Breathing into a paper bag does the same thing by making you re-inhale air with a higher concentration of CO2. Both are quick and work well for mild, short hiccups.
Vagus Nerve Methods
The vagus nerve is one of the main wires in the hiccup reflex arc, and stimulating it can interrupt the signal. Gargling with ice water, sipping very cold water slowly, or swallowing crushed ice all activate the vagus nerve through the throat. Gently pulling on your tongue or pressing on your eyeballs (with eyes closed) can also trigger a vagal response, though these are less pleasant. Even a sudden fright works in some cases by jolting the nervous system out of its rhythm.
You don’t need to try all of these. Pick one carbon dioxide method and one vagus nerve method and use them together. Holding your breath while sipping ice water, for example, hits both pathways at once.
When Hiccups Last More Than a Day
Most hiccup bouts resolve within minutes. But there are clinical thresholds worth knowing. Hiccups lasting longer than 48 hours are classified as persistent. Hiccups lasting longer than one month are considered intractable. Both warrant medical evaluation, because prolonged hiccups can signal an underlying condition affecting the nerves or brain.
Persistent and intractable hiccups are typically treated with prescription medications. Chlorpromazine (an older antipsychotic) is the most commonly used first-line option. Gabapentin, a nerve-pain medication, resolved hiccups in the majority of patients in one study of 43 people. Baclofen, a muscle relaxant, has shown effectiveness in several smaller trials. Your doctor will choose based on your medical history and what else might be causing the hiccups.
Hiccups That Signal Something Serious
On their own, even annoying hiccups are almost never dangerous. But hiccups combined with certain neurological symptoms can indicate a stroke, particularly one affecting the brainstem. If hiccups appear alongside sudden numbness, coordination problems, difficulty speaking or swallowing, facial drooping, vision changes, or weakness on one side of your body, that combination requires emergency care immediately.
Hiccups in Babies
Newborns and infants hiccup frequently, and it almost always bothers parents more than the baby. If hiccups start during a feeding, change your baby’s position, try to get a burp out, or help them relax. Pause feeding until the hiccups stop. If they haven’t resolved in 5 to 10 minutes, resuming the feeding for a few minutes usually does the trick.
To prevent hiccups in the first place, try feeding your baby when they’re calm and before they get extremely hungry. Frantic, fast feeding tends to introduce more air into the stomach, which is a common hiccup trigger in infants.