Would You Rather Have Hiccups Forever or Always Be About To Sneeze?

HICCUP! You suck in a sharp gulp of air. A few moments later, it happens again. HICCUP! Oh no . . . you have the hiccups!

“Hiccups are sudden, involuntary spasms of the diaphragm, the muscle that sits under our lungs and helps us breathe,” explains Dr. Ali Seifi, a physician who treats patients with injuries to the brain and spinal cord at the University of Texas Health in San Antonio. “These spasms cause a quick intake of breath that is suddenly stopped by the closure of the vocal cords.” These bands of muscle in your throat vibrate to produce your voice. When your vocal cords snap shut, it creates a “hiccup” sound.

There are multiple reasons why someone might develop hiccups. “One is that something irritates the diaphragm, like eating spicy food, drinking soda, eating too quickly, or drinking very cold liquids,” says Seifi. Some medical conditions that affect the brain—like stroke or cancer—can also trigger hiccups.

You’re probably familiar with a couple of methods to cure hiccups, like drinking a tall glass of water, getting scared, or holding your breath. “Common remedies for stopping hiccups aren’t just random tricks,” says Seifi. These cures work by activating the nerves that control the diaphragm and other breathing muscles. This distracts the brain, causing the muscles to relax. Most of the time, hiccups go away anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours after they start—but not always. One man’s hiccups lasted 68 years! Can you imagine having hiccups for the rest of your life?

HICCUP! You suck in a sharp gulp of air. A few moments later, it happens again. HICCUP! Oh no! You have the hiccups!

“Hiccups are sudden, involuntary spasms of the diaphragm, the muscle that sits under our lungs and helps us breathe,” explains Dr. Ali Seifi. He’s a physician at the University of Texas Health in San Antonio. He treats patients with brain and spinal cord injuries. “These spasms cause a quick intake of breath that is suddenly stopped by the closure of the vocal cords,” he says. Vocal cords are bands of muscle in your throat. They vibrate to produce your voice. When they snap shut, it creates a “hiccup” sound.

People might develop hiccups for many reasons. “One is that something irritates the diaphragm, like eating spicy food, drinking soda, eating too quickly, or drinking very cold liquids,” says Seifi. Some medical conditions that affect the brain can also trigger hiccups. Stroke and cancer are examples. 

You probably know a couple of methods to cure hiccups. You might drink a tall glass of water, get scared, or hold your breath. “Common remedies for stopping hiccups aren’t just random tricks,” says Seifi. These cures activate the nerves that control the diaphragm and other breathing muscles. This distracts the brain, so the muscles relax. Most of the time, hiccups last a few minutes to 48 hours after they start. Then they go away—but not always. One man’s hiccups lasted 68 years! Can you imagine having hiccups for the rest of your life?

You feel a tickle in your nose. It gets stronger and stronger until, finally . . . AHCHOO! You let out a satisfying sneeze.

“A sneeze is our body’s response to something in our nose that shouldn’t be there,” says Theresa Larkin, an anatomist, or scientist who studies the human body, at the University of Wollongong in Australia. This reflex—or automatic response—is triggered by irritants, like pollen, dust, or germs, entering the nose. Our body reacts by squeezing the diaphragm to take a big breath in. Then muscles in our abdomen contract, forcefully pushing air from our lungs and out through our nose. That expels the pesky particles at speeds of up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour.

In a few seconds, this fast-moving cloud of hot, moist air can travel as far as 7.6 meters (25 feet). It’s full of droplets that could be carrying germs. If another person inhales them, they may become sick. That’s why sneezers should always cover their nose and mouth.

Right before a sneeze, we feel a tingling sensation in our nose. “That feeling of being ‘about to sneeze’ is the brain detecting messages that there is something annoying the inside of your nose,” says Larkin. Sometimes simply rubbing your nose can cause the tickling to stop. This might be because you’ve knocked out the irritant or because pressing on the area blocked the nerves carrying the message to your brain. But what if this didn’t work? How would you feel if that itchy, tickling feeling NEVER went away?

You feel a tickle in your nose. It gets stronger and stronger. Then finally, you let out a satisfying sneeze. AHCHOO!

“A sneeze is our body’s response to something in our nose that shouldn’t be there,” says Theresa Larkin, who studies the human body. She’s an anatomist at the University of Wollongong in Australia. A sneeze is a reflex, or automatic response. It’s triggered by irritants like pollen, dust, or germs. They enter the nose, and our body reacts. It squeezes the diaphragm to take a big breath in. Then muscles in our abdomen contract. They force air from our lungs and out through our nose. That expels the pesky particles. They fly out at speeds of up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour.

This creates a fast-moving cloud of hot, moist air. In a few seconds, it can travel as far as 7.6 meters (25 feet). It’s full of droplets that could be carrying germs. Another person may inhale them and become sick. That’s why sneezers should always cover their nose and mouth.

Right before a sneeze, our nose begins to tingle. “That feeling of being ‘about to sneeze’ is the brain detecting messages that there is something annoying the inside of your nose,” says Larkin. Sometimes you can rub your nose and the tickling stops. This might be because you knocked out the irritant. Or maybe you blocked the nerves when you pressed on the area. Then they can’t carry the message to your brain. But what if this didn’t work? How would you feel if that itchy, tickling feeling NEVER went away?