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. 

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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 website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardening, plants, pest control, soil composition, seasonal and moon c...
Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Steve</span> Tue, 03/31/2026 - 11:55
Hold your breath until you pass out. Works every time.
<span>Shannon J.</span> Mon, 03/30/2026 - 15:16
There's a freaky trick I learned online recently: When you get hiccups, tell yourself they're not real. You have to believe it. It's worked every time for me. After the first hiccup, I say in my mind "you're not real" and another never comes.
<span>Linda Page</span> Mon, 03/30/2026 - 15:00
At the end of my second year of studying Medicine, I attended a lecture by one of the medical school's physicians who got hiccups during the lecture! She stuck her index fingers in her ears as deeply she could and with as much pressure she could, as if she did not want to hear us snickering at her predicament. She gradually eased the pressure in both ears and as soon as her fingers are free again, her hiccups were gone! It seems she put a lot of pressure on the nerve where hiccups travel cutting off the nerve path worked to take away her hiccups. Try it! I have and it really works for me!
<span>L R</span> Mon, 03/30/2026 - 12:12
Tru Lemon. It's unsweetened lemon crystals, and it's very tart. You find it with the drink mixes in the store. A tiny amount on the tongue stops the hiccups. Or a few chunks of Nerds candy. It's also sour.
<span>Becky</span> Mon, 03/30/2026 - 10:53
I take large gulps of water and that usually cures hiccups. If water isn’t nearby I take a deep breath, hold it, and pound on my chest with my fist. However, water works better.
<span>Fran Stith</span> Mon, 03/30/2026 - 10:52
Eat a dill pickle or drink the pickle juice to get rid of hiccups
<span>Julie Rhees</span> Fri, 02/05/2021 - 09:31
I usually hold the person's ears shut and have them drink a glass of water. Works everytime. Or if I'm alone, drink water through a straw while holding my ears shut.
<span>Mrs. Gingerich</span> Sat, 09/05/2020 - 14:18
As a teacher, sometimes my students would get hiccups. I would always tell them that if they hiccupped one more time, I'd tell them a story. They never got to hear that story!!! They would even try calling me when they weren't at school because they had the hiccups! The story always chased the hiccups away!
<span>Chip</span> Tue, 08/25/2020 - 14:56
i find if i just control my breathing with slow moderate deep breaths works for me...
<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.