Why do we get hiccups?
Hiccups happen when a breathing muscle under your lungs gives a little jump.
Pip’s answer
- Hiccups happen when a breathing muscle under your lungs gives a little jump.
- That jump makes you gulp air quickly, and your throat closes with a hic!
- Eating fast or giggling a lot can sometimes start hiccups.
- Ooh, babies even hiccup before they are born!
For grown-ups
Hiccups are sudden, involuntary contractions of the diaphragm, the muscle below the lungs. Each one makes you breathe in sharply, and the vocal cords snap shut, causing the 'hic' sound. Eating quickly, swallowing air or excitement can trigger them, and they usually stop on their own.
Ask your child: What do people in our family do to stop hiccups?
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