Almost all of us have experienced hiccups at one point in our life. I’m positive most you have tried to drink water, get someone to scare you, or make you laugh. But what really causes hiccups?

A dome-shaped muscle at the bottom of your chest called the diaphragm is the reason those annoying hiccups occur. A diaphragm works by pulling air in the lungs through a contracting motion. When you exhale, the diaphragm contracts and pushes air out of the lungs. So, the diaphragm basically acts as a vacuum for your lungs to pull in air. Sometimes, there is an involuntary contraction in the diaphragm that can be caused by a variety of reasons. You could have been eating too fast, swallowing a lot of air, or doing other things to trigger hiccups. Really anything that upsets or aggravates your digestive or respiratory tracts can induce hiccups. While hiccuping, the diaphragm quickly contracts and releases, which causes the larynx, or your voicebox, to quickly close and open in order to prevent the excess air from entering your respiratory system.

So how do you get rid of hiccups? Well, hiccups usually go away on their own after a few minutes. However, some people may have hiccups for days or months, but this is unusual, and it usually indicates a medical problem. Many have said that you can hold your breath and count to 1, drink water, or get someone to scare you to get rid of your hiccups. My suggestion is to use the method that works for you!