How to get rid of hiccups:
Best to attempt this while sitting. Make sure with your doctor that you have no pre-existing conditions that would be exacerbated by holding your breath for long periods. Increasing the volume of air in your chest naturally increases your blood pressure and heart rate slightly. Extreme filling of the lungs for several minutes at a time may not be advisable for people with serious cardiovascular or other conditions.
I developed the technique after learning in my physiology lecture at university why hiccups occur. I was told that basically poor oxygenation of the diaphragm causes it to spasm. The stretching and relaxation of the diaphragm counters the spasms and deep steady breathing counters the poor oxygenation.
There is some suggestion that high CO2 levels will help cure hiccups. Possibly this is due to the initial increase in CO2 from the breath hold or the latter increase in oxygenation form the deep breathing that follows. When you have high CO2, your body’s CO2 receptors activate the nervous system, stimulating breathing and forcing you to take longer, deeper breaths as a natural homeostatic response to get your oxygen levels back up quickly. It may be that the change in signalling helps to override the nerve signals that are perpetuating the hiccups, it may be the resulting increase in oxygenation helps to reset the muscle or it may be both. Even so, I have found that simple breath holds that do not fully flatten and stretch the diaphragm do not work as the diaphragm will still spasm in the middle of a breath hold. All three factors seem to work together well.
With this technique, firstly your diaphragm is stretched out while your overall chest relaxes. Secondly there is a change in signalling from the brain to the diaphragm due to the increased CO2 from the breath hold. Thirdly, the increased oxygenation that follows from the relaxed, steady deep breathing of step 3 stabilises your diaphragm into a normal breathing rhythm.
Step 1
Fill your lungs as full as you can. When you think they are completely full try to take in a bit more.
If you can still hiccup while holding your breath you have not filled your lungs enough. When they are completely full, your diaphragm (muscle between lungs and abdomen that spasms to cause hiccups) will be fully stretched flat.
Step 2
While not letting the air in your lungs escape, relax your chest as much as possible and hold your breath as long as possible. If you hiccup during this time try to get more air into your lungs.
Step 3
When you can’t hold your breath any longer consciously begin taking relaxed, regular and slow deep breaths for at least 4 breaths. Immediately after this for a short time your breath will naturally be deeper and slower than it was at the start, without having to think about it.
Your hiccups should be gone. If not, repeat again taking special care to completely fill your lungs, relax while holding and deepening your breaths at the end. If these things are not done sufficiently the method will not work.
I have personally used the method successfully for the occasional bout of hiccups for many years now and have taught it to others. Some people struggle with the technique as simply holding your breath is not enough. It is especially difficult to achieve when you have been drinking but not impossible, especially after you have practiced it a few times.