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Science-supported approach to stopping hiccups ⋆ You were never awake for this ⋆ 2 ways to read (or listen)

Learn how and why this method works, what happens in your head while you sleep, and 2 way to consider information.

Zvonimir Fras

• 2 min read
Science-supported approach to stopping hiccups ⋆ You were never awake for this ⋆ 2 ways to read (or listen)
Photo by JJ Ying

I'm trying something new for you this week. I expected it to be challenging. That was an understatement.
I wrote the script. I recorded the video. Twice!

At this point, I was feeling pretty great.
Perfect is the enemy of good enough. Let's get it done!

One major item left on the list - editing.

So I announced my first YouTube video on all my social media.

Little did I know that editing is a never-ending story. The amount of time I've already put into it, you'd think I'm editing a full season of a new Netflix show - not a 6 min video... 😆

I'm almost halfway there so subscribe and turn notifications on to be among the first to see it. 😜

While you're waiting...

Thing 1 - Science supported approach to stopping hiccups

Photo by Almos Bechtold

What to do

  1. Inhale as much as you can through your nose
  2. Before you exhale, try inhaling again (2nd time), even a little bit
  3. Then again, before exhaling, inhale again (3rd time), even if it's a micro inhale
  4. Hold your breath for 15-20 seconds.
  5. Slowly exhale through your mouth

Why it works

Hiccups are phrenic nerve-to-diaphragm spasms. So to stop the hiccups you need to stop the spasming.

This method works by hyper-contracting the phrenic nerve over a short period of time so that it relaxes and alleviates the spasming of the phrenic nerve. What?

(source)

Thing 2 - You were never awake for this

Because this happens in your brain while you sleep 🤯

During sleep, the brain exhibits waves of blood oxygenation (red) followed by waves of cerebrospinal fluid (blue).

Next time you fall asleep:

  1. Your neurons will stop firing
  2. A few seconds later, blood will leave your head
  3. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) will flow in and wash through your brain in rhythmic waves
One explanation may be that when the neurons shut off, they don’t require as much oxygen, so blood leaves the area. As the blood leaves, pressure in the brain drops, and CSF quickly flows in to maintain pressure at a safe level.

Some earlier studies suggest there's a link between this process and age-related memory issues. As people age, their brains often generate fewer of these waves.

Since this process seems to help flush memory-impairing proteins from the brain, fill in the blanks.

Don't skimp on sleep.

(source)

Thing 3 - 2 ways to read (or listen)

Photo by Jamie Street
The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.

- Seneca

My 12-year-old self had similar thoughts about school and play. Somehow I fell into the trap of deferred gratification and planning for the future.

Jokes aside, there's a night and day difference between disregarding the consequences of your actions - and taking action now, that creates the life you want to live.

There are two ways to read something:

  1. To extract value and learn
  2. To find fault and mock (or get angry)

Cheers, Zvonimir