A friend taught me a cure for hiccups of which I’d never heard. It has worked for me every time I’ve tried it since learning about it.

All the common cures I’ve known (holding your breath, swallowing a spoonful of sugar, drinking upside-down, drinking from the wrong side of the glass, etc., etc.) have never worked for me and I’ve had to patiently wait for the hiccups to go away on their own.

I once had a chronic case of hiccups that lasted for a few weeks. I even went to urgent care. Although I was assured there was little danger, they were unable to offer me a satisfactory cure. My hiccups eventually went away, but they lasted way longer than they should have, were bothersome, and interrupted my sleep.

So what was the amazing and effective hiccup cure I learned recently?

Insert fingers into both ears and slowly drink a glass of water. If you are alone, you can use a straw to drink the water. Alternatively, you can fill your mouth with water and hold it, insert your fingers into your ears, then slowly swallow the water. You might have to repeat the process.

I was very skeptical when I was told of this solution — especially since I had never heard of it before. But I tried it, and it worked and has cured my hiccups every time since for me!

How and why does it work?

Multiple sources indicate the stimulating and overloading the vagus nerve will cure hiccups. The vagus nerve interfaces with the heart, lungs, and digestive tract and happens to be the longest nerve in the autonomic nervous system.

Many hiccup remedies stimulate the vagus nerve in some way, and I read a couple scientific studies of extreme methods of vagus nerve stimulation (example 1, example 2) that are supposed to work as well — but neither is convenient or would socially acceptable in public.

Researching this fingers-in-ear-drinking-water solution, I did find a few references to it, but most lists of cures I found did not include it.

Next time or someone you know starts hiccuping, try this solution and let me know if works for you!