University College London scientists have revealed why we have hiccups and why annoying habit is so important, especially for babies.
HICCUP: AN IMPORTANT REFLEX
In a new study, he revealed that hiccups are crucial for brain development in babies, which triggers electrical activity in the brain that helps children regulate their breathing.
Dr. Kimberley Whitehead, lead author of the study, said:
“THE REASONS WHY WE HAVE THIS SPASMODIC CONTRACTION ARE NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR, BUT THERE MAY BE A REASON FOR DEVELOPMENT, SINCE FETUSES AND NEWBORNS HAVE IT SO OFTEN.”
Premature babies (who are born more than three weeks before the date of delivery) are particularly prone to hiccups, since they spend approximately 1% of their time, about 15 minutes a day, with hiccups.
RESEARCH RESULTS / OBSERVATION
The present study included 13 newborns in a neonatology ward who had a hiccups attack.
The babies were premature, with a gestational age range of 30 to 42 weeks (equivalent), so their development could reflect what is typical in the last trimester of pregnancy.
Their brain activity was recorded with EEG electrodes (electroencephalography) placed on the scalp, while the motion sensors in the infants’ torsions provided a linked record of when they had hiccups.
In addition, the researchers found that muscle contractions of the diaphragm because of this movement causes a pronounced response in the cerebral cortex: two large brainwaves followed by a third.
Since the third brain wave is similar to that caused by noise, the brain of a newborn baby can link the ‘hypo’ sound.
Kimberley Whitehead said: “Our findings have led us to wonder if hiccups in adults, which seems to be primarily a nuisance, may in fact be due to a vestigial reflex, left over from childhood when it had an important function.”
The most frequent triggers of hiccups that last less than 48 hours are:
- Drink carbonated drinks
- Drink too much alcohol
- Eat a lot
- Agitation or emotional stress
- Abrupt changes in temperature
- Swallow air when chewing gum or sucking candy