Why do people hiccough?

Question

I want a medical reason, if you know.

Answer 1

Hiccoughs or hiccups are caused by:
1. eating too fast resulting in swallowing a lot of air
2. anything that irritates the diaphragm (too much alcohol, too much fatty food)

If you want the mechanism of a hiccup, it is an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm.. The sudden rush of air into the lungs causes the larynx (where your vocal chords are located) to close, creating the noise. Hiccups usually go away on their own but there are many remedies to shorten their duration.