by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
Pretty well everyone gets hiccups from time to time. This is normal. Usually the hiccups go away in a few minutes. However, sometimes the hiccups persist for hours or days or weeks, and rarely, months or years.
When you hiccup, your diaphragm and nearby muscles contract, causing you to briefly gulp air. Within 35 milliseconds, the glottis at the top of your windpipe slams shut, producing the characteristic “hic”.
Hiccups are caused by a stimulus (normally an irritation) to either the vagus or phrenic nerves. When this happens, your brain sends a message via the phrenic nerve to hiccup.
The most common cause of long-term hiccups is damage or irritation to the vagus or phrenic nerves that serve the diaphragm. Incidentally, the vagus nerve also supplies nerve function to your eardrums. That is why anything that irritates your eardrum can also cause extended hiccups.
It could be something as innocuous as a hair touching your eardrum or an insect deep in your ear canal. For example, a 27-year-old man complained to his doctor that he’d been hiccupping for four days. The doctor looked into his ear and saw a hair tickling his eardrum. As soon as the doctor removed the hair, his hiccupping stopped.
Furthermore, anything that touches your eardrum can cause it to “flutter” as it rapidly retracts from contact with any foreign object and then relaxes again—which brings it in contact with the object again. This produces a fluttering kind of tinnitus. It feels somewhat similar to having a live insect flapping his wings in your ear canal.
This fluttering tinnitus can also result from a piece of wax touching your eardrum. So, if you were cleaning out your ears with a Q-tip and subsequently noticed a fluttering feeling in your ear or ended up with hiccups that won’t go away, going to your doctor and having your ear canals cleaned out may be the simple solution to either of these problems.
I am SO HAPPY to read this as I sit in a hospital waiting room with my daughter, waiting for her to get an upper GI. She has had hiccups since April, it is now 9/29/2016. She ALSO has very tiny ear canals and was complaining of a tickle in her ear. I tried to look in her ear but saw LOTS of wax. We have a 4pm dr appointment today to have her primary dr check/clean her ears. Thank you!! Please contact me if you want any further info as I would love to be able to help others with chronic hiccups. They are terrible, especially when you are 15 and required to be silent in class.
Yes we need help my husband has been hiccuping for 6 years
Can your eardrum actually hiccup?
Mine had hiccups
for days.
Hi Debra:
Probably only your diaphragm actually hiccups–but your ear drum can spasm which could feel somewhat similar to a hiccup.
Cordially,
Neil
Could you please contact me and discuss the findings? My daughter is having hiccups that happen 8-12 times a time and I’ve went through 4 doctors.
I also am very relieved to have found this article regarding ear wax and long term hicupps. i recently had a series of hicupps that lasted for several days. ai was shoked to read that thy can last for months or years. but in reading this artidle and your comment ai waa relieve further because you confirmed my thoughts thst the hicupps could be an outom of heavy or concentrated ear wax iritating the vagus nerve. awhen ai last visited my priamay he could not find anything wrong with my throat, ai am not a smokr, but there was a larg amount of earwax. i had an ear wash done and although I was also given a muscle relaxant. but the hicupps but now their back so now I need to determne what is causibg the iritation, but there is hope.
can damage from listening to music too loud cause chronic hiccups?
Hi There:
Good question. I’ve never heard of it happening. If it does happen I’d think it very rare or likely someone would have asked me this question before now.
Cordially,
Neil
I perforated my eardrum 5 days ago. My hiccups started 2 days ago. Is this common after an eardrum has been blown? If so, will my hiccups not go away until my eardrum has healed?
Hi Page:
I’ve not heard of hiccups being a result of a perforated eardrum.
Cordially,
Neil
I have had excessive hiccups for over a week. Dr. found hair on eardrum and removed it by shooting warm water deep into canal. The hair is out, my hiccups ceased for about 15 minutes but they returned and are causing extreme spasms in my diaphragm . In the process of removing the hair, the warm waterpressure kind of hurt and I still feel a tiny amount of pain in the canal or on the eardrum. If a hair resting on the eardrum can cause hiccups, can an irritated and beaten-up eardrum still cause hiccups??
Hi Michael:
I’m no expert on this, but I wouldn’t rule it out. Have you had a doctor check your ears canals again to be sure that nothing else is touching your eardrum and that all looks normal?
Cordially,
Neil
Hi I am getting little flutters of hic ups I been put on new medication since the ibhad little flutters
Would bruxism interfere with vagus nerves for putting too much pressure in the jaw very close to the ears? And cause hiccups
Hi Kell:
I’ve never heard of that happening, but then, I’m not an expert on this at all. Do you see a connection between your bruxism and hiccups?
Cordially,
Neil
What does it mean when you can hear the wings of a thousand insects?
Hi Shelly:
Normally it means you have tinnitus. That describes one of the many different tinnitus sounds.
Cordially,
Neil
Hai ear infection also causes hiccups? Please help me
Hi Kannan:
I don’t know whether an ear infection could cause hiccups. I’ve never heard of it so far.
Cordially,
Neil
Can you damage your vagus nerve by choking on food or getting it lodged in your throat?
Hi Courtney:
I don’t really think so, but that is a question to ask your doctor.
Cordially,
Neil
I’ve been having terrible ringing and sometimes pounding in my ears. Consistently for about 6 days now, previously short bouts of it for years. And sometimes when I open my mouth my ears sounds like there are air bubbles popping. It (pounding) gets very loud when it’s very quiet. Now I feel like hearing in one ear is getting bad. Im not sick, I have “clean ears”, no wax problem. Should I be concerned about it never going away or possible permanent hearing loss. I’m 31 years old.
Hi Krys:
Any time you think you have a hearing loss (or more hearing loss), it is a good idea to go to an audiologist and have a complete audiological evaluation. That way you’ll know whether you have a true hearing loss, what kind it is (conductive or sensorineural), how bad it is, and things like that. This gives you a baseline for later if your hearing changes.
Tinnitus can be the result of hearing loss–so if you have hearing loss, it may have precipitated the louder ringing or pounding.
Is the pounding in unison with your heartbeat? See whether it is or not. If so, this is a special kind of tinnitus called pulsatile tinnitus, typically caused by disturbances in blood flow near your ear(s).
Personally, I’d want to see an audiologist so I’d know what is going on with my ears, then check out the tinnitus. There is no need to go through life with loud ringing or pounding in your ears.
Cordially,
Neil
Hey Neil,
I have a similar Issue, I have tinnitus (Went to the audiologist), there was no sign of trouble in the ear canal, and I have this since almost 6 weeks now. Can this be caused by Vegus nerve?
I also had an MRI, no issues out there too
Hi Prateek:
It could be your Vagus nerve, but it could also be caused by something else. Talk to your doctor about it.
Cordially,
Neil
For the last week when I burp or hiccup I have noticed what should like small jingle bell. At first I thought it was the chirping from my fire alarm battery, but I noticed it also in the other part of my house. I have never experienced this before but have had some violent coughing episodes of late. Any help?
Hi Willa:
I’ve not run across that before. It almost sounds like “Nodding Chime Tinnitus” which I wrote about at http://hearinglosshelp.com/blog/nodding-chime-tinnitus/ and the comments below, and an update at http://hearinglosshelp.com/blog/nodding-chime-tinnitus-revisited/ and the comments below.
How long does the “jingle bells” last–just momentarily? Or does it go one for a time?
Cordially,
Neil
My daughter has had hiccups everyday for a year. They started after her ear doctor took out her ear tubes. Doctors have tried several different medicines, nothing is working. She doesn’t know when she’s gonna hiccup, they just burst out, says they hurt and omg they are so loud. It has been so stressful for her. Help
Hi Tisha:
Anything that irritates the eardrum can potentially cause hiccups–and having the tubes removed would temporarily at least irritate her eardrums. So to me, that would likely be the cause of her hiccups. I’d recommend that she go back to the ear doctor and make sure her eardrums are healing properly and are not infected/inflamed/nothing touching them/etc. Hopefully, this is the cause of her hiccups, but it could also be unrelated to her ears.
Cordially,
Neil
FYI a hickup measured at my mouth was 147db SPL(Z,A didn’t matter) and at my ear it was 121db.
Primary frequency’s for my voice were 250, 500,1k, 4k, and 16k.
A prolonged course of hickups has to lead to hearing loss, heck just 15min is dangers if you hickup every few seconds.
My dose meter clipped to a hat said I was done after 17min with 97% exposure.
This is even worse with eustachian tube problems because you end up putting negative pressure in your middle ear and in turn oval and round windows.
And let’s not forget if you other none issues that let sound conduct easier.
Hi Quad:
That’s pretty loud for sure. But I’ve never heard of anyone losing hearing due to having the hiccups. I think the reason is that you are forgetting about your acoustic reflex that automatically dampens loud sounds. Your body knows the hiccup is coming and the reflex kicks in to reduce the sound reaching your oval window.
Cordially,
Neil
My freind had his hic ups 3 days
Hi, my daughter has had the hiccups since April. We went to the doctor and he prescribed her omeprazole. They haven’t been working. She also has recurring ear infections and in the past had a cholesteatoma (it went away with prescription ear drops). I was wondering if perhaps they were connected and that the ear infections were causing the hiccups? Should I take her to the doctor again? Thank you for your help!
My son has gas hiccups for 2 days. He has tubes placed in his ears a week ago. Could to two be related?
Hi Melissa:
The tubes could have irritated the eardrum which in turn, stimulated a branch of the vagus nerve and this activated the phrenic nerve that resulted in hiccups. So it is entirely possible that the two are related.
Cordially,
Neil
My husband has hipcuped for 9 years now i am going to request him to see an ENT thanks
Why do i get hiccups everytime i rub my ears.itnormally doesnt leave me with lasting hiccups but say im drying myself after a shower and i rub my ears at the same time i get hiccups.
Hi Jamie:
Stimulating the neurons in one branch of one nerve can sometimes stimulate some neurons in another branch of the same nerve so touching/rubbing your ear can activate neurons in another place–say your eardrum, and that in turn can trigger the hiccups. That is why stimulating your vagus nerve (which controls your diaphragm and other organs that cause hiccups among many other things) can help modulate your tinnitus which is an entirely different thing from controlling your diaphragm.
It’s just how things sometimes work in various people.
Cordially,
Neil
I. started having hiccups pretty steady since I began wearing hearing aids a year ago. But the aids don’t touch my ear drums, so I’m a tad confused. My hiccups don’t last a long time, but happen anytime. Upon waking up, at night….
Hi Ricky:
Do your hiccups only occur when you are wearing your hearing aids, or at other times as well? If at other times, why do you suspect your hearing aids?
If it is due to your hearing aids irritating your ears in some way, trying different hearing aid style may make the difference. For example, if you are wearing in-the-ear hearing aids, you can’t do much with them, but if you changed to behind the ear aids, then you have a couple of options–you could have dome earmolds or custom made earmolds. You may find one or the other don’t bother your ears.
You may also find that deep-seated aids or ear molds aggravate your ears, but ones that do not go as deep into your ear canals are perfectly fine. So you need to do a bit of experimenting and see exactly what is setting off your hiccups–assuming it is your hearing aids.
Cordially,
Neil
My left ear suddenly went deaf. It stayed that way for several hours. Suddenly I hiccupped & the hearing just as suddenly came back. What was going on in my ear?
Hi David:
Probably your Eustachian tube was blocked and the hiccuping unblocked it. That’s one possibility. When you say “went deaf” what do you mean–you couldn’t hear a sound? or you just couldn’t hear as well as before? What I said above applies to the latter, not the former.
Cordially,
Neil
I could hear nothing. to Test it I put headphones on and there was nothing in my left ear. Totally deaf.
Hi David:
Did you turn the volume wide open and still couldn’t hear a thing? Strange.
Cordially,
Neil
I put it wide open and could only hear a very, very faint sound.
Hi David:
At first I thought it may be an Eustachian tube problem and the hiccup opened the Eustachian tube, equalized the air pressure and your hearing returned. But in my experience, blocked Eustachian tubes don’t cause almost total deafness.
I’ve not come across this problem before so I’m just thinking out loud. I wonder if you had a tiny blood clot that blocked blood flow to your inner ear, and the hiccup knocked it free. And once blood began flowing again, your hearing came back. That could be a reason why it only happened in one ear.
Had you had the Covid jab recently? One side effect is the formation of numerous small blood clots. If so, that could explain it.
Cordially,
Neil
Yes, I had a booster jab earlier in the week.
Hi David:
Lacking anything else, I wouldn’t be surprised if the jab was the basic cause.
Cordially,
Neil
Thanks so much for your help with this. I think the cause has been solved. By the way I have thought a great deal, the last couple of years particularly, about the words of 2 Timothy and the other verses you quote at the bottom of the page. It seems signs of the times are everywhere.
Hi David:
I put those verses there because so many Christians are worrying needlessly about the end times instead of rejoicing that the Lord is coming soon. It is meant to give us peace of mind in spite of all the trials and tribulations that are going on in the world today.
Cordially,
Neil
O come, divine Messiah!
The world in silence waits the day
When hope shall sing its triumph
And sadness flee away
Dear Savior, haste
Come, come to earth
Dispel the night and show your face
And bid us hail the dawn of grace
Hello Neil
I got a question, today I went to shoot my firearm and I had my ear plugs in longer than usual and later when I got home I started to get the hiccups after using a nicotine vape pen and would get this small pop noise kinda above my left ear not exactly inside, it only happens when I hiccup and I was wondering if the ear plugs or vape pen caused it. thanks
Hi Hasus:
I doubt it was the ear plugs–although if your ear plugs went in too far and irritated your eardrum, they could have caused the hiccups. I don’t know about the vape pen. And of course, it could have been from something else altogether.
Cordially,
Neil
I have issues with ear wax getting compacted in my ear. Yesterday, i used special ear cleaning tools to try to get the clog out, but it wasn’t working so I flushed them with warm water and a bit of vinegar using an elephant ear water bottle. The clog came out and it was HUGE, but all day long now today I have hiccups on and off. They almost always start when I stand up out of bed. After learning the connection between ears and hiccups, I am wondering if something I did yesterday while cleaning my ears is the cause of my hiccups as this has never happened to me before. How long could this last and could this be the reason for the hiccups?
Hi Drea:
I’m wondering if something is still in your ear canal that is touching your ear drum at times causing the hiccups. It could be a bit of wax or a hair. If your hiccups are not over yet, I’d try syringing your ear canals out again as see if that works. Just remember–constant low pressure, not sudden high pressure so you don’t damage your ears is the secret.
Cordially,
Neil
Hello Dr. I had a Covid jab and 1 week later I lost my hearing and buzzing in my ear. Will it ever get better, it’s been over a year and my left year is still hissing sounds and it’s so irritating?
Hi Sarah:
If your hearing has not come back in the past year, it’s almost certainly to prove to be permanent.
The hissing sound is tinnitus. Since tinnitus almost always accompanies hearing loss, as long as you have the hearing loss, you’ll probably have the tinnitus permanently too. However, there are things you can do to bring your tinnitus under control so it doesn’t bother you.
One thing is to wear a hearing aid in your left ear if it will help you hear better. When wearing a hearing aid, many people find that their tinnitus fades into the background as the ear is now hearing real sounds. However, when they take it off at night, their tinnitus often comes back.
However, the long term solution is to habituate to your tinnitus so that a) it no longer bothers you even though you still hear it, and b) you habituate to the volume of your tinnitus so it becomes a fainter background sound, and hours may go by without your even being aware you have tinnitus.
Basically, the way you do this is to ignore your tinnitus and focus on the loves of your life. When you focus on your tinnitus, it tells your brain that this must be an important sound (or else why would you focus on it). So treat your tinnitus as a totally unimportant background sound you can safely ignore, then ignore it by focusing on those things that are important to you.
If you focus on your tinnitus you are thinking of your tinnitus as a threat to your well-being, and your limbic system HAS to bring all threats to your well-being to your conscious attention so you can take action to neutralize this threat. Thus you never habituate to your tinnitus and it will always bother you.
However, if you think of your tinnitus as a totally unimportant, useless background sound that is safe to ignore, (and then ignore it by focusing on other things) your brain will habituate to it and it won’t be a problem anymore.
Cordially,
Neil