We all get hiccups from time to time, and sometimes they just won’t seem to go away.
Hiccups are involuntary contractions of the diaphragm—the muscle separating your chest from your abdomen, which plays a key role in breathing—followed by a sudden closure of the vocal cords.
The medical term for hiccups is singultus. This derives from the Latin word singult which means “to catch one’s breath while sobbing.”
For most of us, hiccups are annoying and don’t last that long. But for some people, they can be persistent, lasting more than two days.
The good news is, there are simple ways to alleviate regular hiccups—and treatments for when they persist….