Tell me why I get the hiccups 9781633626119, 9781633627017, 9781633627918, 9781633628816, 1633627012, 1633626113

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Te l l M e W h y

I Get the Hiccups Nancy Robinson Masters

Published in the United States of America by Cherry Lake Publishing Ann Arbor, Michigan www.cherrylakepublishing.com Content Adviser: Charisse Gencyuz, M.D., Clinical Instructor, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Reading Adviser: Marla Conn, ReadAbility, Inc Photo Credits: © Cherry-Merry/Shutterstock Images, cover, 1; © Mr.Nikon/Shutterstock Images, cover, 1; © Pornthep Khetrum/Shutterstock Images, cover, 1; © Elena P./Shutterstock Images, 5; © udaix/Shutterstock Images, 7; © Eraxion/CanStock Photo, 9; © maxim ibragimov/Shutterstock Images, 11; © Chris from Paris/ Shutterstock Images, 13; © Efired/Shutterstock Images, 15; © wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock Images, 17; © Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock Images, 19; © racorn/Shutterstock Images, 21 Copyright ©2016 by Cherry Lake Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Masters, Nancy Robinson, author. I get the hiccups / Nancy Robinson Masters. pages cm.—(Tell me why) Summary: “Young children are naturally curious about themselves. I Get the Hiccups offers answers to their most compelling questions about hiccups and how to stop them. Age-appropriate explanations and appealing photos encourage readers to continue their quest for knowledge. Additional text features and search tools, including a glossary and an index, help students locate information and learn new words:—Provided by publisher. Audience: Age 6–10. Audience: Grades K to 3. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-63362-611-9 (hardcover)—ISBN 978-1-63362-701-7 (pbk.)—ISBN 978-1-63362-791-8 (pdf) —ISBN 978-1-63362-881-6 (ebook) 1. Hiccups—Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series: Tell me why (Cherry Lake Publishing) QP372.M37 2016 612.2—dc23 2015005651 Cherry Lake Publishing would like to acknowledge the work of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Please visit www.p21.org for more information. Printed in the United States of America Corporate Graphics

Table of Contents Hic! Hic!.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 What Is a Hiccup?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 What Causes Hiccups?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 How Do You Cure Hiccups?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Think About It!.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Glossary.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Find Out More.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 About the Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Hic! Hic! Caleb hurried to the principal’s office. It was his turn to read the announcements to the entire school. Suddenly, funny sounds came out of his mouth. Hic! Hic! He had hiccups!

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en you Hiccups can happen wh

are nervous or excited.

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? p u c c i H a s I t a h W A hiccup is a sudden spasm of the diaphragm muscle. The diaphragm muscle is a large, thin sheet of stretchy tissue. It separates your lungs and heart from your stomach. A diaphragm muscle spasm causes the vocal cords in your throat to slam shut. This makes the “hic” sound that comes out of your mouth. It takes less than a second for this to happen.

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Lo o k ! Look at this drawing of the inside of your body. Where is the diaphragm muscle?

ngs from your stomach.

tes your heart and lu tk e diaphragm separa Th

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The diaphragm also moves during normal breathing, but more steadily. When you inhale, or breathe in, it moves downward. This gives your lungs room to expand. When you exhale, or breathe out, it moves upward again as the air leaves your lungs.

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e in or out.

each time you breath Your diaphragm moves

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? s p u c c i H s e s u a What C The diaphragm muscle is part of your respiratory system. The respiratory system is made up of organs you use to breathe. The phrenic nerve controls the diaphragm muscle. This nerve goes from your brain to your stomach. It is like a long electrical cord. It signals the diaphragm to help move air into and out of your lungs.

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! Ask Questions Visit the school nurse. Ask him or her to help you find information on how to avoid hiccups.

en you tk vering your mouth wh Co

g to do. hiccup is the polite thin

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Irritants can cause the phrenic nerve to send faulty signals to the diaphragm. These faulty signals result in spasms. The most common irritant is eating too much. Eating too fast is another. Swallowing air is a major irritant! Even feeling excited or scared can cause the diaphragm to spasm. When this happens, you may hiccup once or several times in a row.

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ccups.

g too fast can cause hi

eatin Swallowing too much or

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? s p u c c i H e r u C u How Do Yo Hiccups happen to almost everyone. Scientists believe boys have hiccups more often than girls. Some animals also hiccup. Caleb knew his hiccups would stop in a few minutes. But this morning, he could not wait. He held his breath and slowly counted to 10. This home remedy to cure hiccups usually worked.

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e remedy for hiccups.

Ea

ut butter is one hom ting a spoonful of pean

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There are other home remedies people use to stop hiccups. Quickly drinking three gulps of water is one. Biting on a lemon is another. Blowing into a paper sack is a popular remedy. So is eating a spoonful of sugar. Others believe that scaring someone will cure that person of the hiccups! Scientists have studied hiccups for thousands of years. They still do not know why these home remedies cure hiccups. Or why they don’t.

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Make a GUESS! What do you think is the best way to stop hiccups? Which one would you choose to do?

eir kling them may stop th tic by h ug la ne eo m so tkaking M eathe again. hragm, and they can br ap di eir th ts se re It s. hiccup

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Caleb’s hiccups were not a serious health problem. Persistent hiccups are another story. Persistent hiccups last for more than a day. They may last for years! These non-stop hiccups interrupt breathing and sleeping. They can keep people from having fun with their friends. Very few people have persistent hiccups. Those who do should go to the doctor for a checkup. They will need medical help to stop hiccupping.

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unt to Hold your breath and co cure for hiccups.

pular 10! This is the most po

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Caleb was glad his hiccups lasted only a few seconds. He read the morning announcements without a hic! Later, Caleb found out that March 16 is National Hiccup Day. He will be sure to add that fact to the school announcements for that day! No one knows what year National Hiccup Day started, but people will be hiccuping for many more years to come.

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about aphragm. Each lung is di ur yo e ov ab e ar s ng Your lu

the size of your hand. 21

Think About It!

world a d e p u c ic h e rn o b s O Charles ping. p to s t u o h it w s e m ti n record 430 millio ve with li to e b it ld u o w lt u c How diffi persistent hiccups? iend. Did fr a h it w n fu g in v a h Think about got the th o b u o y h c u m o s h g you ever lau appened? h is th k in th u o y o d y hiccups? Wh as loud as s p u c ic h n e k ic h c ’t n Why are the size of t u o b a k in h T ? s p u c horse hic o online with G . m g ra h p ia d s l’ a im each an an to find out. ri a n ri te e v a it is v r o an adult

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Glossary diaphragm (DYE-uh-fram) the wall of muscle in your lower chest that draws air into and pushes air out of your lungs home remedy (HOME REM-ih-dee) a natural way of curing a health problem without going to a doctor irritants (IR-ih-tunts) things that cause soreness, sensitivity, or other discomfort to the body organs (OR-guhnz) body parts that do special jobs persistent hiccups (pur-SIST-unt HIKuhps) hiccups that last more than a day

phrenic nerve (FREH-nik NURV) one of the threads that sends messages between your brain and body, in this case the one that controls the diaphragm muscle respiratory system (RES-pur-uh-tor-ee SIS-tuhm) the group of organs used for breathing spasm (SPAZ-uhm) a sudden tightening of a muscle that cannot be controlled vocal cords (VOH-kuhl KORDZ) tissues in the throat that make sounds when air passes over them

Find Out More Book: Allyn, Daisy. What Happens When I Hiccup? Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2014.

Web Sites: KidsHealth: Lungs http://kidshealth.org/kid/closet/movies/RSmovie.html?tracking=59983_C Watch the diaphragm muscle in action. Women’s and Children’s Health Network—Kids’ Health: Hiccups and How to Get Rid of Them! www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=152&id=2412 Read more about hiccups and cures.

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Index air, swallowing, 12

irritants, 12

breath, holding, 14, 19

National Hiccup Day, 20 nervousness, 5, 12

diaphragm, 6–9, 10, 12, 21 eating, 12, 13 excitement, 5, 12 hiccups   causes, 10–13   cure for, 14–21   persistent, 18, 22   what they are, 6–9 home remedies, 14–16

persistent hiccups, 18, 22 phrenic nerve, 10, 12 respiratory system, 10 spasm, 6, 12 vocal cords, 6

About the Author Nancy Robinson Masters is the author of more than 50 books. She and her husband, Bill, are airplane pilots. They live in the Elmdale community near Abilene, Texas. Nancy sometimes has hiccups when she is writing or flying.

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