Yawning is an unconscious breathing act, a deep, long breath and a quick exhale. The mouth is open, and the yawning process is accompanied by a characteristic sound. At first glance, yawning seems to be a natural process for the body, but in some cases, unnecessarily frequent yawning can become a symptom of the disease. There are several hypotheses that answer the question of why people often yawn. Doctors are studying why this process is necessary for the body, but they have not come to final conclusions.
Why are people yawning?
Consider the most common hypotheses that explain why people often yawn and how this affects the general condition of the body.
- Yawning as an aid to the body with a lack of oxygen in brain tissue. During a deeper breath, more oxygen enters the bloodstream than with ordinary breathing. Saturation of the body with oxygen leads to accelerated blood flow and metabolism, which makes a person feel better and the whole body comes in tone. Therefore, in various situations, when the oxygen balance is disturbed, a person yawns and becomes more cheerful. For example, yawning after sleep or long monotonous work.
- Yawning to cool the brain. Scientists were able to prove this effect by conducting an experiment in which two groups of people watched videos with yawning actors. Participants with a cold compress on their forehead yawned less than people with or without a warm compress.
Useful properties of yawning
- Help stuffy ears. Why do you often yawn when the plane changes altitude? Yawning helps relieve congestion in the ears, which appears due to a sharp difference in pressure.
- Warm up for the muscles . During yawning, a person usually stretches involuntarily and kneads a frozen body. Thus, yawning prepares a person for action. So, students yawn, preparing for the exam, and artists - before the performance. This also explains the yawning of people when they are bored or want to sleep - yawning helps to cheer up and work with stiff muscles.
- Protection of the nervous system. During a serious conversation or an exciting situation, a person may ask himself: "Why do I often yawn?" Such a reaction will be a kind of sedative for the body, which will help to cope with stress.
- Relaxing effect . If a person wants to sleep, then yawning will help the body relax and prepare for sleep.
Yawning as a sign of illness
Frequent and prolonged yawning is a symptom of an unhealthy state of the body. This may be one of the symptoms of sleep problems, high blood pressure, depression, or a state of extreme anxiety. Therefore, in cases where yawning overcomes a person constantly, it is better to consult a doctor to check your pressure, the state of blood vessels and heart. But first you need to try to get less nervous, better get enough sleep and replenish the supply of vitamins and minerals in the body.
Mirror property of yawning
Yawning is a phenomenon that can be "infected". Why do you often yawn when you see people with an open mouth in life or on a television screen? In the cortex of our brain are mirror neurons, which are the cause of the stickiness of yawns. It is enough for a person to read about yawning or think about it, and then he immediately starts to yawn. But not all people are susceptible to this "disease." Children with autism can safely watch a provocative video and not yawn. And children under five years old are not capable of yawning, as they still do not know how to empathize with other people's emotions.
Frequent yawning by the owners is transmitted to the dogs, and they also completely copy the physiological state of the owner, becoming relaxed and sleepy, like a yawning person. Dogs also see the difference: if the owner simply opens his mouth wide, the dog will not mimic his behavior, and a yawn will necessarily copy.
Yawning as a manifestation of emotional closeness
Frequent yawning occurs in relatives and close friends of the yawn. And distant acquaintances and strangers almost do not show mirror signs. Proximity is the only factor that scientists have been able to single out, because gender and nationality do not affect a personโs need to yawn in response.
Yawning as a way of communication
Scientists believe that even in the time of the evolution of primates, yawning was used as an imitative action. The reasons were very different. So, at the sight of danger, one of the members of the group yawned, and his condition was transmitted to everyone else and brought them into combat readiness. And in order to convey to people the signal that it was time to go to bed, the leader yawned, and the tribe supported him with an appropriate reaction.
Ways to combat yawning
The periodic occurrence of yawning is natural for the body, but if a person constantly asks the question โWhy do I often yawn?โ, This may mean that some malfunctions have occurred in the body. Simple recommendations will help defeat yawning:
- Healthy sleep . It is necessary to determine how much time a person needs to sleep in order for the body to recover. Also, with severe fatigue in the daytime, you can afford a small 20-minute rest. This will help the body relax, but will not allow you to switch to a full sleep.
- Equal posture . A bent back can cause frequent yawning. The reasons for this effect are that a hunched state does not allow the diaphragm to work fully and causes its involuntary contractions. Whereas even posture will reduce the desire to yawn.
- Fresh air and sport. A person is saturated with oxygen during exercise, and this allows him to stay awake throughout the day. An even better option would be to spend more time outdoors, taking walks or doing light workouts in the fresh air.
- Food . Proper nutrition will help to put the body in order and save you from frequent yawning for no reason. You need to try to take vitamins, remove junk food from your diet and drink more fluid.
Popular yawning questions:
- Why are my eyes watering during yawning? Yawning, a man closes his eyes, which causes the lacrimal sac to be compressed, and the vessels in the tear ducts are contracting. Because of this, tears pour out, because they did not have time to get into the nasopharynx.
- Why are yawning little children? Children yawn when they want to sleep; this process calms them. If the baby yawns too often, it is possible that he does not have enough oxygen, and then it is worth more to walk with him in the fresh air.
- Why do people in the church often yawn? This is a normal phenomenon due to human physiology. The service takes place in the morning, when the human body has not yet woken up, and with the help of yawning, it is enriched with oxygen, helping to cheer up. Also, the room is usually stuffy, and the light is dim, which causes the blood flow to slow down and lack of oxygen.
- Why do people yawn often during a conversation? This does not mean that a person is bored or indifferent to the topic of discussion, but rather - yawning overcame the interlocutor due to the active work of the brain. He so carefully and thoughtfully listened to the story that he had an impaired oxygen metabolism, and here the body replenished his strength with a yawn.
The simple yawning process carries important functions for the proper functioning of the whole organism. It is worth paying attention if yawning has become unusually frequent and long, and help the body recover.