• Question: why do we hic up

    Asked by ledw to Christina, Colin, Jess, Samaneh, Steve on 18 Jun 2013. This question was also asked by spacenut1982.
    • Photo: Steven Gardner

      Steven Gardner answered on 18 Jun 2013:

      You breathe by contracting muscles that make up a layer called your diaphragm (spelled right first time, woot!). The diaphragm pulls open your lungs and air rushes in to fill the space. During hiccups, the muscles of the diaphragm start spasming. A spasm is where a muscle twitches involuntarily. This twitching causes you lungs quickly and briefly draw in air, which makes a noise in your throat.

    • Photo: Christina Pagel

      Christina Pagel answered on 18 Jun 2013:

      and no one really knows why we hiccup! but alcohol, fizzy drinks or being bloated can all trigger attacks… one man got an attack of hiccups lasting 68 years!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Osborne_%28hiccups%29

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