Tag: Diaphragm spasms

According to the Cleveland Clinic, hiccups are an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm muscle that occurs when nerves controlling it become irritated. While many people believe a simple connection exists, the relationship between dehydration and hiccups is more indirect and complex than a direct cause-and-effect link.

According to medical experts, rapid temperature changes in the stomach can irritate the diaphragm and cause involuntary contractions. This provides a physiological basis for the old belief that drinking cold milk causes hiccups, though it is not a direct, inevitable cause. Instead, it's one of several potential triggers that can disturb the nerves controlling the diaphragm, leading to a hiccup reflex.

Hiccups affect most people at some point, with episodes typically lasting only a few minutes before resolving on their own. While most benign, certain foods can offer a simple, non-invasive way to interrupt the involuntary diaphragm spasms that cause them.