diaphragm
The diaphragm, the large muscle between your lungs and abdomen, also plays an important role in breathing. When you breathe out, your diaphragm pushes upward, forcing the air out of your lungs. When you breathe in, your diaphragm moves downward, and your rib muscles pull up and away from your lungs, which allows them to expand.
Usually these muscles work perfectly together, but sometimes, your diaphragm starts to move downwards before all of the air has been released from your lungs. When this happens, a little bit of air escapes through your vocal cords and causes you to make a weird "hic" sound. Can you guess what we call these?! Hiccups! |