What is the Purpose of Hiccuping?

We’re all familiar with (hic) the mildly uncomfortable sensation (hic) that is hiccups (hic). Perhaps you swallowed a bit too much air at once, downed your lunch with incredible speed or took a swig of something overly carbonated or alcoholic. Maybe you laughed at a phenomenal joke for way too long — or maybe you simply became over-excited for no reason at all. The fact is, any one of these things (and a great many more) can set off a round of hiccups. And while most attacks occur sp