Last night, I ate some delicious–and slightly spicy–paneer masala curry that a friend made. After a lovely meal, I walked to my car, burped awkwardly as I sat down inside…and hiccupped. My heart sank.
I’ve come to dread hiccups. If I eat spicy food or overly carbonated beverages, there’s a decent chance I’ll start to hiccup. Once I start, I can’t stop. There was even a time earlier this year that I couldn’t fall asleep due to a bad case of the hiccups, which was kind of terrifying–I was so tired, but I couldn’t stop hiccupping.
Fortunately, I have found a cure that works 100% of the time for me. The only problem is that it requires something that isn’t always available: peanut butter.
That’s right. The cure that has never failed me is to quickly eat a spoonful of peanut butter. There’s something about how a sticky mouth of peanut butter that calms my throat in such a way that the hiccups disappear instantly.
This cure has worked so consistently–including last night when I got home–that I’m suspicious every time that it won’t work. Yet it’s time I come to terms with the fact that it always works, and I wanted to share it in case it works for you too.
If you’ve found a 100% successful cure for hiccups (or any other annoying ailments), let me know in the comments!
What a great remedy!
I love peanut butter and will be picking up a jar of skippy crunchy from Costco 🙂
I’m curious to hear if crunchy works as well as smooth! 🙂
Nothing says you can’t keep a small squeeze packet of peanut butter on yourself at all times like it was an epi-pen.
I only ever hiccup once at a time. Usually related to drinking something carbonated. I always tell my kids to try to hold their breath as long as they can to get rid of hiccups, but I’m not much of an expert.
I like that idea! 🙂
Another trick that works for me: get a half full glass of water. While standing bend forward, head towards the ground. Put the glass to your upper lip and drink via the roof of your mouth. So kinda upside down drinking. This whole complexity occupies you so much that the hiccup is lost during the process.
I’m glad that works for you! I’ve tried variations of that and it unfortunately doesn’t work for me.
For me personally, just holding my breath briefly helps most of the time. I never have long hiccup episodes. For my children, it’s a bit harder, but what usually helps is that I ask the some harder math, like for instance “How much is 744 times 13?”. The effect is the same as Croft’s solution: it occupies you so much that the hiccup is lost during the process. The difference is: math doesn’t make you wet. 😄
That’s great! I wish mind-over-matter techniques could work for my hiccups.
Good timing on the article, I just got the hiccups and the PB worked. Hiccups is from irritation of cranial nerve 12 which also controls swallowing (and the diaphragm) so the sticky peanut butter requires activation of throat muscles which might “distract” the CN XII.
My anatomy teacher said pressing down somewhere along the clavicle helps stop the hiccups but that hasn’t worked for me.
I’m so glad the solution worked for you too! That makes sense about the distraction of the CN XII.