Hiccups help babies survive

Scientists may have solved the mystery of why we hiccup — it helps babies to learn how their bodies work.

Researchers observed that each time a newborn baby hiccupped, a flurry of brain activity followed.

Scientists may have solved the mystery of why we hiccup — it helps babies to learn how their bodies work.

Researchers observed that each time a newborn baby hiccupped, a flurry of brain activity followed. It seemed networks of neurons were being test-fired, helping the infant build a mental map of their body.

Hiccups happen when the diaphragm contracts involuntarily. Why this happens has puzzled scientists.

The brain needs to have a sense of where the diaphragm is and what it does. By sending sensory signals to a baby’s brain, hiccups seem to help achieve this.

Hiccups begin in the ninth week of pregnancy. Babies born prematurely are particularly prone to them and spend about 15 minutes a day hiccuping.

The Times