Hiccup Remedies
Hiccups are awful. People will stop at nothing to stop the nuisance. So much that CNN talked to doctors about various at-home hiccup remedies.
Hiccups are sudden spasms of the diaphragm muscle near the stomach. They send a message to your brain to close a flap in your throat again and again. Stopping them ideally involves the diaphragm, the vagus nerve, and the phrenic nerve. Here are some of the remedies people suggest.
1. Holding or Taking a Breath. Forcing any kind of unnatural breathing can be beneficial because it's activating the diaphragm AND the phrenic nerve. In a way, this "tricks" your body, and makes it "forget" about the spasm.
2. Drinking Water. The remedies involving drinking in different ways can be effective because swallowing triggers the vagus nerve. And adding something a little complicated while drinking . . . like standing on one leg or drinking from the wrong side of the glass . . . can also distract your brain from the hiccups.
3. Downing a Spoonful. Eating a spoonful of sugar or peanut butter could also work . . . because those things don't go down easy, they require suction, which stimulates the swallowing muscles and the vagus nerve. Suction can also explain why plugging your ears might also work.
4. Sucking on a Lemon. Citrus and acidic or sour things also activate the vagus nerve.
5. Scaring Someone or Thinking About Cows. These seem too silly to be backed by science, but they can. Being scared is another trigger for the vagus nerve . . . and even though cows have nothing to do with hiccups, it puts your concentration somewhere else.
That combination of concentration and distraction can help "reset the brain to stop the hiccups."
List credit:CNN
More Cereal
Cereal is a popular topic. An online poll recently asked people to name the best cereal to dry, aka no milk. Over 150,000 people voted, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch was named the best "dry cereal" to eat without milk. Honey Nut Cheerios was next, and then Cookie Crisp.
We Love Breakfast for Dinner
Breakfast foods are delicious so why wouldn't you want to eat them for dinner? In a new survey, 31% of people said they'd give up dinner to have a second breakfast instead. As many as 65% said that breakfast foods taste better for dinner. Then another 65% also admitted to making dinner leftovers into their next-day breakfast. The breakfast foods that top the list include eggs, omelets, and pancakes. The top breakfast side dishes are coffee, sausage, bacon, milk, orange juice, fruit, and toast.
Give Trivia a Try
If you're burnt out on Wordle, Netflix is launching "Trivia Quest" on April 1st. It's a daily interactive trivia series with 24 episodes. Each one will feature 24 questions, 12 standard and 12 hard. The categories are science, history, entertainment, sports, art, and geography.
Best Boxed Mac and Cheese Ranked
Mac and cheese might have been one of the first meals you learned to make. It's delicious and versatile. Even the most simple boxed mac and cheeses can please a picky palate. Someone took the liberty of ranking a few of the boxed brands on the market. Here's the list if you want to take a look and judge for yourself.
1. Walmart Great Value . . . He says, "It's my hands-down winner, regardless of price point . . . but if you add in the fact that a box costs mere cents, I'll have a hard time ever buying anything else." Price per box: $0.34. Not a typo.
2. Velveeta . . . "There will always be Velveeta haters . . . but in my opinion, this stuff is just indescribably delicious." Price: $3.59.
3. Kraft Deluxe . . . "A rich, creamy sauce that packs in a whole lot of flavor makes this 'deluxe' version of Kraft's classic mac worth every penny." Price: $3.59.
4. Annie's Original . . . "Sometimes the classics really do reign supreme." Price: $3.19.
5. Trader Joe's . . . "Is it perfect? No. But it's certainly a solid choice, especially at its very budget-friendly price point." Price: $0.99.
6. Annie's Grassfed . . . "I had high hopes for the 'grass-fed' version of the classic Annie's I've always loved, so I'm sad to report that not a SINGLE element here was exciting." Price: $3.29.
7. Kraft Original . . . "For nostalgic reasons, I'll never quit you, Kraft . . . but yikes, was your mac-and-cheese always this basic?" Price: $1.00.
8. Whole Foods 365 . . . "The price may be more or less right, especially for an organic option . . . but the flavor couldn't have been more WRONG." Price: $1.49.
9. Banza . . . This is a gluten-free brand where the pasta is made out of CHICKPEAS. He said, "When it's served in a deeply flavorful sauce, that bean-y taste can be more or less masked. Since their cheese sauce was subpar at best, all that chickpea flavor was the first thing to hit my taste buds." Price: $3.99.
(List credit: BuzzFeed.com.)
The 7 Day Itch
You might keep your bags packed to escape to vacation bliss at a moments notice. Other folks will endure day after day of hard work before taking some time off. A new poll shows that the average person is ready for a vacation after 7 stressful work days, meaning seven since your last vacation, not necessarily in a row. The top five ways you know it's time for a vacation are:
- You're stressed
- You're sick of work
- Your significant other is stressed
- You've got a little extra money saved up
- Your KIDS want a vacation
Can You Solve The Puzzle?
If you saw Wheel Of Fortune last night, you might have yelled the answer at the T.V. while the contestants struggled to end the game. The category was "Phrase", and the answer was "Another Feather in Your Cap". Although almost all the letters were filled in, it still took the three contestants a combined 9 turns to solve it. One woman made 3 wrong tries, guessing the last word as "Hat", "Lap", and "Map". Another guy asked for two wrong letters, a "G" and a "D", before going bankrupt. The third guy hit "Bankrupt" and "Lose a Turn" but was finally able to solve it with his third chance. Check out the video here.
Do You Hide Your Toaster?
The argument weather or not to put your toaster away or leave it on the counter had social media fussing and discussing. Some people prefer to leave their toaster out on the counter. That way it's ready to go whenever there's toast to be made. Then the other group would rather it be cleared away after use and stored in a hidden-away place, freeing up the counter. As long as your toaster is safely cooled down, unplugging it and packing it away is fine. If you have the space and want to leave it out, it might save you a hassle next time you're ready for toast.
World Compliment Day
Compliments are a great way to show solidarity, cooperation, friendliness, and goodwill. When traits like individualism and hard work are culturally valued, being rewarded for your personal performance through the acknowledgment of others can be a very effective motivator. As it says on the World Compliment Day website: “If on March 1st every person pays at least three people in his/her environment or (social) network a genuine and sincere compliment we will definitely create the Most Positive Day in the World!”
National Pancake Day
What would Fat Tuesday be without National Pancake Day? Here's a little backstory, pancakes on Mardi Gras are a thing because they help people get rid of all the butter, eggs, and milk in their fridge before Ash Wednesday, which is the start of Lent. If you don't need to clean out your refrigerator you can still participate in the fun. As always, you can get a free short stack at IHOP today. They just encourage you to donate a few bucks to charity instead of paying.