Emotional Reasons for Hiccups: Your Guide

Your boss is running you ragged. You’ve got a million copies to make, emails to send off and customers to call. You barely had enough time to scarf down your lunch, which is why you’re suffering from hiccups right now.

Well, that might be the reason why you have them. The speed at which you eat your food is only one thing that can cause hiccups.

High amounts of pressure and anxiety can make them happen too. There are many emotional reasons for hiccups.

Check out this guide to learn more about what causes hiccups and how you can put a stop to them.

Anxiety

Feeling nervous every now and again is one thing. Being a constant nervous wreck is another. If you feel like you’re always on edge, there’s a chance that you have some form of anxiety disorder.

It’s a common condition that can affect your entire body. It’s difficult to sleep at night when your mind won’t stop racing. It can get to the point where you’re in a constant state of fatigue.

You’ll find it difficult to focus at work and have horrible headaches. You can break into a sudden burst of hiccups that last all day.

Chronic hiccups that occur off and on for months or years are less common, but they do happen from time to time.

Most anxiety-based hiccups fade away when you lay down to sleep at night. If they don’t, there’s a good chance that your hiccups aren’t caused by your emotions.

Sudden Intense Emotions

Hiccups don’t only rear their ugly head when you’re under distress. They can happen when you experience intense emotions at all.

You can have hiccups when you get some exciting news, or if something makes you angry. Disgust, happiness, and fear are also common triggers.

Women experience these types of hiccups more often than men do and they don’t tend to last too long.

Stress

Many people use the terms stress and anxiety interchangeably, but they’re a bit different. Anxiety tends to be a chronic condition that doesn’t go away. You’ll feel worried for seemingly no reason at all.

Stress is always triggered by some kind of event, like losing a job or a loved one. Unlike anxiety, stress can also be a good thing. It can motivate you to get things done.

One thing that these two conditions do have in common is that they can lead to hiccups and other physical symptoms. Nine times out of ten, your stress hiccups will disappear after you calm down and remove yourself from the stressful situation.

Malingering

You can pretend that you have hiccups. Many people do it to get attention or to get out of something that they don’t want to do.

Those with personality and other mood disorders can have sudden hiccup fits. Hiccups that are triggered by financial and social stress also fall into this category.

The general rule of thumb is, if you have no idea why you’re hiccuping, it’s most likely malingering.

Somatization

Somatization is a classification of people that experience intense physical issues when faced with stress. Some examples are throwing up when under high amounts of anxiety, shortness of breath, chronic headaches, and hiccups.

We will say that hiccups are a rare symptom of somatization. If you get them, they shouldn’t last.

Other Reasons for Hiccups

Hiccups triggered by stress aren’t common. So much so that most people don’t even notice when their emotions cause them.

There are so many other reasons why you might be experiencing hiccups. If you eat too fast or too much at once, you might find yourself with them.

Chugging carbonated drinks, smoking, chewing gum, temperature changes, and spicy foods can make them happen as well.

You might hiccup a bit more frequently if you have bronchitis, diabetes, heartburn, acid reflux, shingles, heart issues, or asthma.

Stopping Your Hiccups

If you’re tired of hiccups, you’ll be happy to know that there are several ways for you to kick them to the curb. If you have a paper bag handy, you can breathe into it.

If you don’t have a paper bag, hold your breath for a few seconds. you can also bring your knees up to your chest and lean forward for half a minute.

If you can handle biting into a lemon, that will get rid of your hiccups, as will eating a teaspoon of sugar or drinking cold water.

When Should You Consider Going to a Doctor?

There comes a time when you may need to make a doctor’s appointment to get relief from your hiccups. Call your family physician if you’re finding it difficult to breathe.

If your hiccups are making it hard for you to eat and sleep, professional help might be needed. You should also talk to your doctor if your hiccups last longer than 48 hours.

That’s it for us. For more on the science behind hiccups, you can go here to learn more now.

Understanding the Common Emotional Reasons for Hiccups

Turns out there are a lot of emotional reasons for hiccups. It’s much more common to get them after drinking soda or eating too fast, but stress can trigger them.

The good news is that hiccups caused by emotions don’t last too long, and there are ways for you to get rid of them. If they don’t go away after a certain amount of time, talk to your doctor.

For more tips that will help you manage your hiccups visit the Health section of our blog.