In this short TED-Ed video, John Cameron explains exactly what’s going on in your body when you find yourself with a case of the hiccups, and summarizes a few theories regarding the seemingly pointless phenomenon’s origins - some scientists think it might help nursing babies keep milk out of their lungs (only mammals hiccup), while others think hiccups got their start millions of years ago, before animals even made the transition from water to land.
The longest recorded case of hiccups lasted for 68 years … and was caused by a falling hog. While that level of severity is extremely uncommon, most of us are no stranger to an occasional case of the hiccups. But what causes these ‘hics’ in the first place? John Cameron takes us into the diaphragm to find out.
Believe it or not, it is possible to learn how to simply stop them by concentrating on it. It took me a few years, but it never takes me more than a half-dozen to shut them off.
ReplyDeleteThe key is timing. They are very regular and predictable. If you can manage to avoid just one (concentrate on relaxing the muscles involved), that usually breaks the cycle. Stop three in a row, and they're gone.