Hichki (Hiccups) Home Remedies: Which Household Tricks Are Safe
Hic. Someone at the table says “koi yaad kar raha hai”, somebody’s thinking of you, and someone else offers a spoon of sugar. Hiccups are nearly always harmless and short, and the household tricks mostly work by giving your breathing something else to do.
In brief
- What they are: sudden, involuntary spasms of the diaphragm, with the vocal cords snapping shut to make the “hic”
- Usual triggers: eating fast, fizzy drinks, very hot or spicy food, gulping air, laughing hard, sudden temperature change
- Best simple tricks: slow sips of cool water, a spoon of sugar, gentle breath holding, sitting forward
- Skip: scaring people, forceful breath holding, pressing on eyeballs
- See a doctor: if they last more than 48 hours or keep returning
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What a hiccup really is
Under your lungs sits the diaphragm, a dome of muscle that pulls down each time you breathe in. Now and then the nerves that control it misfire. The diaphragm twitches, air rushes in, and a flap in your throat slams shut a fraction of a second later. That’s the “hic.” It repeats because the same nerve loop keeps triggering.
Anything that irritates the nerves running near the stomach and food pipe can set it off. A stomach stretched by a fast meal or a cold drink. Hot mirchi. A gulp of air when you’re laughing. Even a sudden gulp of very cold water after being in the heat. Most bouts settle on their own in a few minutes, well before anyone has finished arguing about which trick to use.
The household tricks, rated honestly
Nearly every trick below does one of two things: it interrupts your breathing rhythm, or it gives the nerves in your throat and mouth a strong new signal. Neither is proven to work every time. But some are harmless, and some aren’t.
| Trick | How it’s done at home | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar on the tongue | ½ tsp dry sugar, slowly swallowed | Harmless, worth trying |
| Sipping cold water | 10 small sips without breathing | Harmless |
| Holding breath | 10 to 15 seconds, gently | Fine if brief |
| Knees to chest | Sit and hug knees for 2 minutes | Harmless |
| Lemon or sirka on tongue | A few drops | Harmless, sour shock |
| Paper bag breathing | Breathing into a bag | Avoid |
| Scaring someone | Sudden shout or fright | Avoid |
| Pressing on eyes | Pushing on closed eyelids | Never |
Sugar, water and breath: the step by step
The spoon of sugar
- Take ½ teaspoon of plain white sugar or crushed mishri.
- Put it on the back half of your tongue.
- Let it sit for 5 to 10 seconds, then swallow slowly without water.
- Wait a minute before trying anything else.
The grainy texture seems to distract the throat nerves. If you’re diabetic, a ½ teaspoon once is still a small amount, but you might prefer the water or lemon method instead.
Ten sips without a breath
- Fill a glass with 150 to 200 ml of cool, not ice-cold, water.
- Take a normal breath, then hold it.
- Take 8 to 10 small sips in a row without breathing.
- Breathe out slowly. Repeat once if needed.
A variation many families swear by: drink from the far side of the glass, bending forward. It’s awkward and a bit messy, but it forces slow, careful swallowing.
Gentle breath holding
- Sit comfortably and breathe out fully.
- Breathe in deeply and hold for 10 seconds, no longer than 15.
- Breathe out slowly through pursed lips, as if blowing a candle.
- Rest for 30 seconds, then repeat up to 3 times.
Don’t turn this into a contest. Holding until you’re red-faced, or straining hard with a closed throat, isn’t a good idea, especially for anyone with heart or blood pressure problems.
The desi pantry options
Lemon with a pinch of salt
Cut a lemon wedge, sprinkle a tiny pinch of kala namak, and suck on it for a few seconds. The sour, salty jolt is harmless, though acidic juice isn’t kind to tooth enamel if you do it often. Rinse your mouth with water afterwards.
Elaichi water
Some homes crush 2 green elaichi pods and simmer them in 200 ml of water for 5 minutes, then give it warm in slow sips. It’s gentle and pleasant. More on buying good pods is in the choti elaichi guide.
A teaspoon of honey
For adults, a teaspoon of honey held on the tongue then slowly swallowed is another traditional choice, similar to the sugar trick. Never give honey to a baby under 12 months old. Our raw honey guide explains why.
Peanut butter or a dry roti bite
Newer homes sometimes use a spoon of peanut butter; older ones, a bite of dry roti chewed slowly. Both work on the same principle: slow, deliberate swallowing. Mind nut allergies.
In Ayurveda, hiccups are called “hikka” and are linked to disturbed vata, the airy principle, with prana moving the wrong way. The traditional response was warming, grounding food, slow breathing, and sometimes a lick of honey mixed with a little dried ginger. Unani medicine knows them as “fuwaq” and, depending on cause, hakeems traditionally distinguished hiccups from fullness (from overeating) from those from dryness or emptiness. The “somebody is remembering you” belief is folklore found across South Asia and far beyond. It’s charming, and has nothing to do with the diaphragm.
What to avoid, and why
Scaring people. A sudden fright isn’t reliable, and for an older person or anyone with a heart condition, a big shock is a pointless risk. For small children, it just teaches fear.
Paper bag breathing. Rebreathing your own air raises carbon dioxide. It can make some people dizzy or panicky, and it’s unsafe for anyone with heart or lung disease.
Pressing on the eyeballs or forcefully pulling the tongue. These old tricks can injure you. Leave them in the past.
Dozens of remedies in a row. Five spoons of sugar, a glass of vinegar and a lemon later, your stomach is more irritated than when you started. Try one, wait a couple of minutes, then another.
Hiccups that last more than 48 hours, keep coming back over days, or disturb your eating, sleep or breathing need a doctor. Get help urgently if hiccups come with chest pain, shortness of breath, trouble swallowing, vomiting blood, black stools, severe abdominal pain, slurred speech, weakness or numbness on one side, confusion or a severe headache. Persistent hiccups can occasionally be a sign of reflux, a nerve problem, kidney issues or a side effect of certain medicines (including some steroids and sedatives), so mention them if you’ve recently started something new. Babies often hiccup after feeds and it’s usually normal: burp them and keep them upright, but don’t use sugar, honey, water tricks or frights on an infant, and ask a doctor if hiccups seem to distress them or interfere with feeding. Pregnant women commonly feel the baby hiccup, which is normal; your own persistent hiccups in pregnancy are worth mentioning to your midwife. People with diabetes should skip the repeated sugar spoons.
Keeping them away
- Eat slowly and take smaller bites, especially spicy food.
- Go easy on fizzy drinks, and don’t drink them fast through a straw.
- Avoid gulping ice-cold drinks right after coming in from the heat.
- Don’t talk and laugh through mouthfuls. Easier said than done at a family dinner.
- If hiccups often arrive with sour burps, the tips in our acidity and heartburn piece may help.
For travel queasiness, see nausea and motion sickness, and for gas after meals, our bloating guide. Everything else is in Desi Remedies.
Why do I get hiccups after spicy food?
Hot chilli can irritate the nerves along the food pipe. Eating slowly and having a little dahi or chaas with the meal helps many people.
Do hiccups mean something is wrong?
Almost always not. A short bout after eating or laughing is normal. Hiccups lasting more than two days, or returning often, are the ones to get checked.
Can alcohol trigger hiccups?
Yes, for some people, along with fizzy drinks and eating large meals quickly.
What if my newborn hiccups a lot?
It’s common after feeds. Pause, burp the baby, and hold them upright for a while. Never give sugar, honey or water tricks. If hiccups come with vomiting, poor feeding or distress, speak to your paediatrician.
How long do hiccups normally last?
Most bouts settle within a few minutes. Hiccups lasting more than 48 hours, or that keep coming back or disturb eating, sleep or breathing, need a doctor.
Does a spoon of sugar really stop hiccups?
It doesn't work every time, but it is harmless to try. Put half a teaspoon on the back of your tongue, let it sit 5 to 10 seconds and swallow slowly without water.
Is breathing into a paper bag safe for hiccups?
Best avoided. Rebreathing your own air raises carbon dioxide, can make you dizzy or panicky, and is unsafe for anyone with heart or lung disease.