Some of the stories about hiccups, sneezes and yawns are strange. One hiccup lasted about 68 years.

Start with the diaphragm, a muscle under your lungs that helps you breathe. In a hiccup, the diaphragm jerks, or spasms, and you cannot stop it. Air rushes in fast, and then the vocal cords snap shut. That is what makes the "hic" sound.

Hiccups most often come from a stretched, full stomach. Eating or drinking too much or too fast can start them. Fizzy drinks and getting very excited can start them, too.

Charles Osborne of Iowa hiccuped nonstop for about 68 years, from 1922 to 1990. As of November 2026, it is the longest attack of hiccups confirmed by Guinness World Records. His hiccups began in 1922 after an accident while he was handling a hog on a farm.

A bout of hiccups usually stops within minutes. If hiccups last longer than 48 hours, which is two days, a grown-up should take the person to a doctor.

People try many home tricks for hiccups, such as holding their breath, sipping ice-cold water or swallowing a little sugar. These are things people try, not proven cures.

A sneeze starts when something irritates the lining of the nose or throat. Sensory nerves send the alarm. Then comes a sudden burst of air out of your nose and mouth. It helps clear dust and dirt out of your nose. A sneeze is a reflex, which means your body does it on its own. You cannot decide when it happens.

A sneeze can send up to 40,000 tiny droplets out of the nose and mouth. Sneezes and coughs can spread germs, such as the germs that cause a cold. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue, or sneeze into your elbow if you have no tissue. Then wash your hands with soap and water.

Some people sneeze when they step from a dim place into bright light. This is called the photic sneeze reflex.

A yawn is a deep breath in with the mouth wide open, often with the eyes closing and a stretch of the body. People often yawn when they are tired or bored. Nobody knows for certain why we yawn. Babies yawn before they are born, and cats, dogs, birds and fish yawn too. Yawns are catching: even hearing about one can make you yawn. Did you yawn just now?

Words to know

• diaphragm: breathing muscle
• spasms: sudden jerks
• reflex: automatic action
• germs: tiny sickness-spreaders

The short version

A hiccup happens when the diaphragm jerks and the vocal cords snap shut, which makes the "hic" sound. A sneeze is a reflex that clears dust and dirt out of the nose. Most hiccups stop within minutes, and nobody knows for certain why we yawn.

Quick facts

• A hiccup happens when your diaphragm jerks, or spasms, and you cannot stop it.
• A bout of hiccups usually stops within minutes.
• If hiccups last longer than 48 hours, a grown-up should take the person to a doctor.
• A sneeze can send up to 40,000 tiny droplets out of the nose and mouth.
• Nobody knows for certain why we yawn.