• Question: how do we get hiccups and why?

    Asked by yassie to Adam, Catherine, Karen, Leila, Nazim on 15 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Adam Stevens

      Adam Stevens answered on 15 Mar 2012:

      Hiccups are an involuntary movement of your diaphragm (the muscle that you use to breathe) so you get a sudden inrush/outrush of air, making a sound like a hiccup. We don’t really know why it happens.

    • Photo: Leila Battison

      Leila Battison answered on 15 Mar 2012:

      Sometimes you get random spasms in the muscles in your body. Have you ever been sitting still and your arm starts to twitch, or your eye? Hiccups are just like that, but with your main breathing muscle, your diaphragm. It’s not dangerous, but we don’t really know why it happens.

      Did you know that some scientists think you can get rid of hiccups by putting your finger up your bum?! I think I’d rather have hiccups!

    • Photo: Karen Masters

      Karen Masters answered on 18 Mar 2012:

      I don’t know.

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