Reason for yawning

The Sleep Foundation editorial team is dedicated to providing content that meets the highest standards for accuracy and objectivity. Our editors and medical experts rigorously evaluate every article and guide to ensure the information is factual, up-to-date, and free of bias. The Sleep Foundation fact-checking guidelines are as follows: • We only cite reputable sources when researching our guides and articles. These include peer-reviewed journals, government reports, academic and medical associations, and interviews with credentialed medical experts and practitioners. • All scientific data and information must be backed up by at least one reputable source. Each guide and article includes a comprehensive bibliography with full citations and links to the original sources. • Some guides and articles feature links to other relevant Sleep Foundation pages. These internal links are intended to improve ease of navigation across the site, and are never used as original sources for scientific data or information. • A member of our medical expert team provides a final review of the content and sources cited for every guide, article, and product review concerning medical- and health-related topics. Inaccurate or unverifiable information will be removed prior to publication. • Plagiarism is never tolerated. Writers and editors caught stealing content or improperly citing sources are immediately terminated, and we will work to rectify the situation with the original publisher(s) • Alth...

Q. I'm 40, and for the past few years I've been starting to yawn whenever I get an intense aerobic workout. Should I be worried about yawning during exercise? A. We usually think of yawning as a sign of sleepiness or boredom, but experts say that isn't the whole story. True, we tend to yawn toward bedtime as we get sleepy, but we also yawn in the morning when we wake up. Athletes yawn before they compete — not a time associated with boredom or sleepiness. And we yawn in response to seeing someone else yawn, even if we're not sleepy or bored. Yawning is a semi-voluntary action — partly a reflex — that's under the control of several neurotransmitters in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. All vertebrates yawn, and in humans, yawning starts as early as 12 weeks after conception. We know that yawning distributes surfactant, a biochemical that coats tiny air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs, helping to keep them open. So yawning in fetuses may help prepare them for life outside of the womb. One novel theory is that yawning cools the brain, helping keep it at the right temperature for optimal function. In an old study in the journal Evolutionary Psychology, researchers reported that subjects who cooled their brains by breathing through their noses or holding cold packs to their foreheads — proven brain-cooling strategies — were less likely to yawn when shown videos of other people yawning. There's no definitive explanation for yawning during exercise. Perhaps your alveoli ne...

Although many people think that yawning results from boredom or tiredness, yawing has long remained a mystery to scientists. It is certainly true that people do yawn more at bedtime or after they’ve woken up and they do yawn when they’re However, yawning isn’t that simple. If it was, how could you explain that some paratroopers yawn before their first jump, as do some violinists before they go on stage and Olympic athletes before their event ( These are hardly situations in which people are likely to be bored. Many people believe that yawning gets more oxygen into the body or expels more carbon dioxide. The theory is now thought to be seriously flawed, if not plain wrong. The truth is no one really knows the real root cause of a yawn. Some good guesses have been made, though, and it’s likely that some combination of them is true. First let’s look at the physiological, before we get onto the psychological. Yawning cools the brain Currently, the best supported physiological reason for yawning is that it might help cool the brain down ( Our brains work best within a narrow temperature range and yawning increases blood flow to the brain which acts like a radiator to move heat away from it. The evidence comes from a study by American researchers along with colleagues from the University of Vienna ( To try and solve the mystery, they began observing people’s spontaneous yawns in both hot and cold climates. They decided on Vienna in Austria and Tucson, Arizona in the US. Using th...

Are you yawning all the time? Yawning is an involuntary process that is usually triggered when you are tired. Some yawns are short and fast, but some are long and drawn out. Some people will have other bodily reactions when they yawn, such as watery eyes, tearing up, a nose that runs, the need to stretch their body, and audible sighs or noises. Constant yawning can definitely be troublesome, especially if you can’t find any reason for it. Most people yawn excessively when they are very tired or fatigued, or when they are staying up later than they usually do. But when yawning happens for no apparent reason, it can be cause for worry. Why Do I Yawn All the Time? Excessive yawning, or yawning that leads to personal or professional problems because it happens so frequently, can be caused by many problems. Here are a few of the more common reasons why you might be yawning all the time: • Being very fatigued, drowsy or tired • Sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, that leads to restless sleep • Disorders that can cause you to be inappropriately tired or sleepy, such as narcolepsy • Some medications, such as those that are used to treat depression or anxiety, might have side effects that include making you very tired Keep in mind that sometimes, it can be a sign of a serious underlying condition. Medical conditions that cause a vasovagal reaction can lead to excessive yawning, such as multiple sclerosis, liver failure, progressive supra nuclear palsy, epilepsy, a brain tumor, en...

Who doesn’t yawn? You might find yourself yawning on waking up, at work or before you go to bed. Very rightly, people associate yawning with exhaustion and boredom. Yawning is very beneficial for health – it cools the brain, improves blood circulation and relieves stress. But, if you find yourself yawning often, it might not be so innocuous. It could signify some underlying health complication. Table of Contents 1 • • • • • • • • • Causes of regular yawning Before we learn about excessive yawning , first we need to understand what yawning is. The purpose of yawning is not fully understood yet, but we do know several triggers that can make us yawn under normal conditions. Here are a few: Altitude change – A change in altitude (such as flying in an aircraft, mountain climbing) can cause you to yawn automatically. Some people also intentionally yawn in these conditions as a means of equalising ear pressure. Empathetic yawning – We also tend to yawn when we see other people yawning. This is especially true if you are close and have empathy for the person yawning. Funnily enough, even reading about yawning can cause people to yawn (did you just yawn while reading this?). Boredom – Feelings of boredom, tiredness and sleepiness are some of the most common triggers for yawning, it may be the conditions you are most familiar with. Possible biological reasons – A few biological conditions have also been proposed (but not proven yet. Deep breathing with an open mouth is known to mi...

Mark A. W. Andrews, associate professor of physiology and director of the Independent Study program at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, provides the following explanation. Although not fully understood, yawning appears to be not only a sign of tiredness but also a much more general sign of changing conditions within the body. Studies have shown that we yawn when we are fatigued, as well as when we are awakening, and during other times when the state of alertness is changing. You are correct in thinking that yawns are catching. Seeing, hearing or thinking about yawning can trigger the event, but there is little understanding of why it is contagious. A number of theories regarding the genesis of yawning have been presented over the years. Some evidence suggests that yawning is a means of communicating changing environmental or internal body conditions to others. If so, then its contagious nature is most likely a means of communication within groups of animals, possibly as a means to synchronize behavior. If this is the case, yawning in humans is most likely vestigial and an evolutionarily ancient mechanism that has lost its significance. Yawning is a stereotypical reflex characterized by a single deep inhalation (with the mouth open) and stretching of muscles of the jaw and trunk. It occurs in many animals, including humans, and involves interactions between the unconscious brain and the body, though the mechanism remains unclear. As for the etiology of yawning...

If excessive sweating has no underlying medical cause, it's called primary hyperhidrosis. It happens when excess sweating is not triggered by a rise in temperature or physical activity. Primary hyperhidrosis may be at least partly hereditary. If the excess sweating is due to an underlying medical condition, it's called secondary hyperhidrosis. • AskMayoExpert. Hyperhidrosis. Mayo Clinic; 2019. • Kang S, et al., eds. Hyperhidrosis and anhidrosis. In: Fitzpatrick's Dermatology. 9th ed. McGraw Hill; 2019. https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com. Accessed June 16, 2020. • Heart attack. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/heart-attack. Accessed June 16, 2020.

Of all the mundane things I do all day, yawning is my favorite. I don’t know why, but I always find myself in a state of utter contentment after a good, deep yawn. However, most people think of yawning as an expression of boredom or tiredness. But are you aware of what yawning is in a spiritual context? In this blog, we’ll explore various meanings of what yawning means spiritually. Read on! 1) Your spirit is feeling uncertainty Have you ever been to a veterinary clinic? Have you seen dogs’ relentless yawning while they’re lined up at the vet? According to Norwegian behaviorist Turid Rugaas, dogs yawn to calm themselves when they are feeling stressed or experiencing discomfort. In the same way, Essentially, what yawning means spiritually may be your way to express what you are truly feeling inside. Whatever you express through your physical actions reflects your spiritual state—in this case, an emotional state filled with doubt or worry. If you are experiencing emotional troubles such as uncertainty, it’s essential to keep a spiritual connection with nature or the natural world. One good example is shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing,” in Japan, which is the 2) Your spirit needs care When you yawn, it could be because you’re tired from the day’s activities, you haven’t had enough sleep, or you’re bored. What yawning means spiritually, however, is not far from the physical reasons why. Yawning could mean that your spirit needs time to repair itself and rest. Your soul may be ti...

Q. I'm 40, and for the past few years I've been starting to yawn whenever I get an intense aerobic workout. Should I be worried about yawning during exercise? A. We usually think of yawning as a sign of sleepiness or boredom, but experts say that isn't the whole story. True, we tend to yawn toward bedtime as we get sleepy, but we also yawn in the morning when we wake up. Athletes yawn before they compete — not a time associated with boredom or sleepiness. And we yawn in response to seeing someone else yawn, even if we're not sleepy or bored. Yawning is a semi-voluntary action — partly a reflex — that's under the control of several neurotransmitters in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. All vertebrates yawn, and in humans, yawning starts as early as 12 weeks after conception. We know that yawning distributes surfactant, a biochemical that coats tiny air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs, helping to keep them open. So yawning in fetuses may help prepare them for life outside of the womb. One novel theory is that yawning cools the brain, helping keep it at the right temperature for optimal function. In an old study in the journal Evolutionary Psychology, researchers reported that subjects who cooled their brains by breathing through their noses or holding cold packs to their foreheads — proven brain-cooling strategies — were less likely to yawn when shown videos of other people yawning. There's no definitive explanation for yawning during exercise. Perhaps your alveoli ne...

If excessive sweating has no underlying medical cause, it's called primary hyperhidrosis. It happens when excess sweating is not triggered by a rise in temperature or physical activity. Primary hyperhidrosis may be at least partly hereditary. If the excess sweating is due to an underlying medical condition, it's called secondary hyperhidrosis. • AskMayoExpert. Hyperhidrosis. Mayo Clinic; 2019. • Kang S, et al., eds. Hyperhidrosis and anhidrosis. In: Fitzpatrick's Dermatology. 9th ed. McGraw Hill; 2019. https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com. Accessed June 16, 2020. • Heart attack. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/heart-attack. Accessed June 16, 2020.