Why do they say, "God bless you", when you hiccup?

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This is an opinion from a colleague who is an expert in anatomy and physiology. He says, "People say God bless you, because when you hiccup, you die a millisecond, and then survived it" A hiccup involves the medulla oblongata, which is a part of the brain responsible in part of cardiac function. When you hiccup this function ceases for a millisecond and the heart stops (dying) and then beats again after the hiccup. So there you are folks, in lay man's terms, this is the reason why they say "God bless you", when you hiccup. Do you know of any other reason? Feel free to contribute so we all can learn. Thanks.