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How to Get Rid of Hiccups Instantly: The Sugar Cure & Other Remedies

young girl hiccuping, how to halt the hiccups
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Read on for a surefire remedy for getting rid of hiccups that can strike a person anytime, anywhere. If you’ve ever wondered how to get rid of hiccups fast, this simple cure may surprise you.

It’s hard to forget the embarrassment of being attacked by hiccups in a library. From that moment, I vowed to share my no-fail, portable hiccup antidote with everyone I met.

Best Cure for Hiccups

Some hiccups just can’t be stopped by breathing into a paper bag, drinking water fast while holding your nose, or having someone suddenly scare you. 

Fortunately, you can find the ultimate cure for hiccups in a simple bowl of sugar. This remedy has always won many anti-hiccup battles with immediate results:

How to Get Rid of Hiccups Using Sugar

  1. Place one teaspoon of sugar on your tongue.
  2. Gently massage it against the roof of your mouth.
  3. Let it dissolve for several seconds.
  4. Relief usually occurs within moments.
  5. Repeat just once if necessary.

Another nice thing about this cure, aside from how quickly it works, is that it’s portable. You can carry a small, inexpensive packet of sugar almost anywhere to treat hiccups.

Other Home Remedies for Hiccups

If you’d rather avoid sugar, here are some other options folks have suggested:

  • Massage ice cubes against the roof of your mouth.
  • Eat a spoonful of peanut butter.
  • Breathe deeply into a small pillow filled with fragrant pine needles and think peaceful thoughts.
  • Rub one earlobe between your thumb and forefinger.
  • Bite your thumbs and then blow on them.
  • Swallow a spoonful of vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, or something spicy hot.

Do you know of another reliable cure for the hiccups?  Please share it below!

What Causes Hiccups

Hiccups are spasms of the diaphragm that can be brought on by gulping down your food or carbonated beverages, eating or drinking too much or too quickly, or experiencing strong emotions.

(Usually, hiccups last only a few minutes. If they last for days, see your doctor.)

Although hiccups tend to make a person more tense, it’s really important to try to calm yourself to help them go away. Visualizing the most tranquil place you know of or somewhere from your childhood may help you to relax. Our thoughts often have a powerful effect on our bodies.

Combining the healing power of your mind with your hiccup cure of choice, you can rejoice with, “H’up h’up away… hip hip hooray!”

Natural Remedies

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the digital home of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. She leads digital editorial strategy and publishing across a wide range of Almanac sub...

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Jon</span> Tue, 08/25/2020 - 11:58
Try Cinnamon. Just place a tiny pinch of cinnamon powder under your tongue. Cinnamon is an anti-spasmodic, in other words, it relaxes the muscle -- in this case, the diaphragm.
<span>Lorie C</span> Mon, 08/24/2020 - 01:12
I have always gotten hiccups that last and last. I tried every remedy I could to no avail, until I was told to put my first two fingers over my pulse at the wrist and breathe in time with it. It works every time and I no longer get the hiccups for hours and hours.
<span>Liz</span> Sun, 08/23/2020 - 11:13
I found years ago that you can stop the diaphragm spasm by simply sipping water but it’s all about the timing! Raise a glass of water to your mouth and without removing it inhale normally, sip, exhale, sip, inhale, sip and repeat until you feel the tightness go away. Do it slow and methodical so as not to let a hiccup sneak through ! I find It may take a couple of try’s and about 10 swallows before you get it right but it has even worked for my grandkids!
<span>Sandy</span> Sat, 08/22/2020 - 16:38
Green olives will cure them every time for me. I usually take 2 or 3, and hiccups are gone instantly. I suspect it has something to do with the salt content, but I don't really know for sure. I only know it never has failed for me.
<span>Kathleen Carroll</span> Sat, 08/22/2020 - 13:09
. . . is the only thing that will get rid of my hiccups! How nice to see this remedy vindicated, as most people look at like I'm crazy when I suggest it.
<span>Cynthia Coronado</span> Sat, 08/22/2020 - 11:50
Pressing on your closed eyelids gives almost immediate relief! I walked into a small bookstore one day and the clerk had loud hiccups that had been driving her crazy for an hour. I told her to press her eyelids and went about my shopping. I realized when I went back to the counter, she hadn’t had a single hiccup after she did that. I experience the same thing every time.
<span>M G</span> Sat, 08/22/2020 - 11:32
As a teacher when a child comes to me asking to go get a drink for hiccups Ijust keep looking into their eyes, not answering. After a short staring session, the hiccups usually disappear and the mystified child walks away and gets back to work.
<span>Helen</span> Sat, 08/22/2020 - 09:30
The solution already mentioned of drinking water out of the wrong side of a glass works every time.
<span>Sharon Brown</span> Mon, 03/30/2026 - 07:53
Yup. This is the only thing that works for me.
<span>Rononpi</span> Sat, 08/22/2020 - 08:46
I have found that drinking a few ounces of cold ginger ale works almost immediately. Don't gulp it or sip it, just drink it like you normally would.