In the world there is no such person who at least once did not encounter the unpleasant sensation of hiccups. When someone seems to be pulling the rope inside of us, forcing the whole body to shudder. Why does the phenomenon of hiccups arise, and what are the prejudices associated with it? What to do if you hiccup, and how long can this ailment last? All the details are on.
From what man hiccups?
Surely you heard from friends or acquaintances a rather common phrase: "I hike all day. Someone probably remembers. " The author of this well-known prejudice is no longer to be found, but sincerely believing that when you hike someone remembers for today quite a lot. And such cases, of course, happen. But it is also likely that adults and seemingly serious people need to re-explain that the hiccup is a physiological process and does not arise from scratch. But then why do we hiccup?
The mechanism is pretty simple. In our body there is X pair of cranial nerves, which are called one word - the vagus nerve. It provides innervation of many muscles throughout the body, as well as the mucous membrane. The wandering nerve is the link between the internal organs and the central nervous system. From the chest through a narrow opening in the diaphragm, it goes into the abdominal cavity to the other internal organs. Diaphragm septum, consisting of muscles and tendons, is very narrow. It is she who is the main reason why a person hiccups. If the body has not received food for a long time and the person starts to hastily eat large chunks, they pass through the esophagus and traumatize the vagus nerve. In the compressed state, he is irritated, which can lead to disruption in the functioning of many organs. Therefore, when the vagus nerve is not all right the body sends an alarm signal to the nervous system, which activates the nerve responsible for contraction of the diaphragm, which means unpleasant "pulling" sensations when you hiccup.
At its core, hiccups are the result of the activity of the diaphragm's nerve, which pulsates and causes it to drop dramatically. In this case, there is a sharp closing of the glottis, due to which we hear a sound habitual with hiccups.
Causes of hiccoughs
In addition to hasty and rough eating, there are several other reasons why people hiccup. Among them:
- the use of cold water in large quantities;
- uncomfortable posture (because of which the nerve is compressed);
- fright (at which there is a sharp sigh);
- in young children hiccups begin when they freeze.
A more serious reason why a person often hiccups is a weak nervous system, severe stress or nervous shock. Also, if the hiccup is accompanied by nausea, abdominal pains or excessive salivation, this can be a manifestation of liver, pancreas, gallbladder or ulcer disease, which requires additional research.
What if the person hiccups?
Wondered what to do when you hiccup? In order to help your body, you need to perform a few simple steps:
- stretch as much as possible;
- make some deep and good sighs;
- take a deep breath and hold your breath;
- not breathing a glass of water for 10-12 small sips;
- put a glass of water on the table, bend down to it as hard as possible, having closed hands behind your back and drink water also for 10-12 small sips.
Thanks to such actions, the pressure on the vagus nerve will be significantly reduced. This will lead to its liberation and the disappearance of hiccups.
In fact, it usually lasts no more than 15 minutes. By the way, hiccups are an unconditioned reflex and can not be artificially induced.