Life Hack: How to stop hiccups and what you can do to prevent them completely

Often painful and never funny for those experiencing them, hiccups are a common occurrence for many of us. Here are some ways to dispel them and advice on when to contact your GP

Fizzy drinks can cause hiccups. Here's what to do if you can't stop hiccuping

Charles Osborne holds the Guinness World Record for having the longest attack of hiccups, hiccupping continuously from 1922 to 1990 — a total of 68 years. Personally, my hiccups never last longer than perhaps an hour in extreme cases (and always on the longer side if it's at a quiet moment or if I have an audience — I put that down to Murphy's Law). Mine are generally caused when I wash down from food too quickly with a fizzy drink, immediately triggering a bout of hiccups.

Hiccups may sound funny but they are often painful for those experiencing them. The Mayo Clinic describes them as “involuntary contractions of the diaphragm — the muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen and plays an important role in breathing. Each contraction is followed by a sudden closure of your vocal cords, which produces the characteristic ‘hic’ sound.”