In medical terms, yawning is a complex reflex phenomenon, and everyone, even animals, knows it very well. This process occurs by opening oral cavity and taking in a lot of air. The pharynx and glottis also open and the Eustachian tube expands.

There are several causes of yawning. But people don't always yawn. For example, if a person is focused and concentrated on work or is on clean air, and in good shape, then such a person will not yawn. There are so-called trigger mechanisms for this complex and reflexive process:

- Drowsiness.

- Feeling bored.

- Feeling hungry.

- Fatigue.

- Stress.

- Mental fatigue.

— Low concentration of oxygen in the room.

- Long absence of physical activity.

- Having someone yawning nearby.

Let's find out why a person yawns, what are the reasons for this, what to do if a person yawns, and why a person yawns in general.

Why does a person yawn?

Why does a person yawn and what does it depend on? Scientists have not yet found exact answers to these questions. But currently there are more than 20 functions of yawning, we will talk about 8 functions. As science says, yawning is a reaction of the human brain to a lack of oxygen (oxygen starvation). Oxygen starvation can be caused by various diseases, slow blood circulation and unventilated rooms.

1. Significant is ventilation of the lungs, that is, air is removed from the lungs during strong inhalations and exhalations. Usually a person with severe physical work, or when running, he won’t yawn, because he breathes deeply and often.

2. Brain cooling. Doctors believe that main reason Yawning controls brain temperature. If the brain cools, then a person’s cognitive function. Thus, yawning after long mental work can be explained.

3. Blood oxygen saturation. Often a person begins to yawn in stuffy and unventilated rooms where there is little air.

4. Frequent yawning is observed if a person suffers from heart failure.

5. Yawning can be triggered by taking medications, or vice versa, reducing the frequency of yawning. Among other things, it has been determined that yawning is “contagious.” One person can yawn several times and thus provoke an unconscious reaction - yawning - in everyone around him.

6. American researchers have hypothesized that yawning is caused by overheating of the brain, or that a person yawns in order to restore the working ability of the brain.

7. Medicine says that the process of yawning is quite banal. There is simply a significant amount of carbon dioxide in the body, and with deep sighs a lot of oxygen enters, which is why yawning occurs.

8. It is believed that a yawning person wants to sleep, but this is not true at all. A child yawns while still in the womb. If a person Bad mood, then he will yawn more often than in a good mood.

Why does a person need to yawn? Yawning has set purposes, like all other processes that occur in the human body. But if such complex and reflex processes as: coughing, vomiting, sneezing are obvious, then with yawning it’s not so simple. Much controversy arises about the main objectives of this process.

Reasons for yawning

The process of yawning is clearly visible in history and literature lessons at school. Why? Because in these lessons, no special actions, except that we listen. This process also appears with severe lack of sleep, or when at night, instead of good sleep, you have to sit over books and prepare for exams.

People who perform monotonous, monotonous and boring work are more susceptible to yawning. Psychologists have calculated that a person can yawn about thirty times in one hour. Thus, the person is invigorated and prevents falling asleep. Some countries conducted an experiment in factories called the “Yawning Pause.” First, the worker must imitate a yawn reflex, and then everything happens for real. People, looking at one another, all began to yawn. After such a pause, they began to work again. And experts, in turn, said that the work had become much more efficient.

In addition to the reasons listed above, there are also neuroses, fatigue and boredom. For example, a person who is sitting in line and waiting for a reception or an important meeting involuntarily takes a deep breath, thus provoking a yawn. So the panic slowly passes and the body recovers. People involved in sports and sports games, can also yawn, in this way they restore their breathing and cheer up. It is generally common for a person to yawn, because it is useful and necessary, and you do not need to think that you have any deviations.

We have already gotten used to the fact that we yawn every day. Among close people, this fact does not cause any bad reaction. But in the company of people, you have to restrain your emotions, since yawning can look like an insult. To combat this process, you need to understand why we yawn and why. But the answer is quite simple, the brain gives a signal to yawn when it accumulates large number carbon dioxide in the blood. This is caused by slow breathing, concentration and so on.

What to do if a person yawns?

There are several ways to combat yawning:

— The first one is quite complex, but very effective. You need to learn to breathe deeply. This will require a lot of training.

- The second one is quite funny way. You need to lick your lips when you feel a yawn coming on. It is this gymnastics that will eliminate the desire to yawn.

“We can also advise you to just get enough sleep every night.” Modern man does too much in his life, often neglecting sleep. But lack of sleep just leads to yawning. Such simple methods will always help you control yawning.

Interesting facts:

- The duration of a yawn is 5 seconds.

— When yawning, men cover their mouths less often than women.

- In addition to humans, monkeys are prone to yawning, and in them it also passes from one individual to another.

- You can eliminate yawning in a simple way. You need to get up from the chair/sofa, roll your shoulders, take a deep breath, and you can start working again.

If you find an error, typo or other problem, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter. You will also be able to attach a comment to this issue.

Yawning is an uncontrollable reflex of the human body, representing a deep, long, slow inhalation and rapid exhalation.

U healthy people yawning occurs when you are overtired, lack of sleep or drowsy, when you are in stuffy room.

When yawning, the blood is enriched with oxygen, the speed of blood flow in the vessels of the brain increases, the blood supply to the brain improves, and more nutrients to brain cells, and thus are eliminated faster harmful substances and carbon dioxide.

Yawning helps relieve fatigue mental stress, refresh the air in the lungs, cool the brain.

Causes of yawning. Note that the reasons that cause yawning are still not fully understood. The main causes of yawning include:

- prolonged yawning may be a symptom oxygen starvation brain If the brain senses a lack of oxygen, it sends a signal to the body, which strives to quickly replenish the lack of oxygen. And this is done through yawning.

- as an imitative action (in the form of a mirror neuron reaction).

- as a symptom of other painful conditions (diseases). Frequent yawning, physical weakness and drowsiness indicate chronic fatigue or emotional stress. Also, the process of yawning is caused by a violation cerebral circulation, vegetative-vascular dystonia, multiple sclerosis.

During yawning, the collapsed alveoli in the lungs are straightened and their surface area increases. With a long, deep breath and a fairly rapid exhalation, oxygen quickly reaches the brain. Often, with a strong yawn, a person stretches his whole body - this is also a consequence of the instinctive desire to eliminate local blood stagnation and even out the improper distribution of blood. The main systems of the body take part in yawning: muscular, vascular, skeletal, respiratory, nervous. Tension of the muscles of the oral cavity, face, and neck helps to increase the speed of blood flow in the vessels of the head.

When a person wakes up in the morning, he also yawns. The reasons for frequent yawning in the morning are as follows: after waking up, human brain cells are in a state of residual inhibition. Prolonged inactivity leads to a slowdown in blood flow and the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the blood. That's why we want to yawn in the morning. You need to get out of bed as quickly as possible and start moving, you can do gymnastics. Exercise increase the tone of the body, improve blood supply to the heart, lungs, brain and helps to quickly transition to active wakefulness.

Yawning is often associated with lack of sleep and boredom, but in fact, when yawning, the extra air enriches the blood, making a person more alert - yawning helps the brain wake up!

Experts advise not to restrain yourself when you want to yawn, because this reflex helps relieve fatigue, mental stress, stress, and renew the air in your lungs.

When yawning respiratory tract open wide and the muscles relax. Yawning activates blood circulation, clears the mind, supplies brain and body cells with energy, and promotes the activity of the lacrimal glands. Dry eyes are hydrated and feel much better. The muscles of the temples, face, neck, back of the head, shoulders, abdomen and diaphragm relax. Your mood improves.

When yawning, the jaw muscles tense up the most, and they have a direct impact on vision. Yawning is very useful for those who suffer from bruxism (grinding their teeth in their sleep).

It is known that yawning is contagious: as soon as one person starts yawning, everyone around him picks it up. The fact is that yawning easily occurs as an imitative reflex. This reflex makes us not only yawn, but also smile if someone laughs nearby.

Experts have concluded that the contagious property of yawning is just an effect of imitation. Studies have shown that only those people who are able to empathize with others adopt yawning.

According to the findings of American scientists, thin people who are prone to introspection are more susceptible to yawning.

If a person yawns during the day, this mainly happens to those who work while sitting, this means that it is necessary to open the window or window and take a few deep breaths.

Also, according to the findings of medical scientists, the reason for frequent yawning may be that in the warm season people yawn much less often than in the cold season. It turns out that the human brain overheats, and the body tries to cool it by yawning, since in the summer the air environment warm, then people yawn less at this time of year. The researchers of this experiment suggest that their discovery could help in the treatment of diseases such as multiple sclerosis, which in most cases is accompanied by yawning. There is a high probability that one of possible options the development of multiple sclerosis may be just high temperature the brain, which in turn begins to function incorrectly.

How to get rid of yawning?

- take deep breaths.

- ventilate the room, take a walk fresh air, on the street. If you find yourself yawning on the street, you can take off your hat and open your clothes.

- Apply cold water to your forehead or wet your face with cold water.

- execute breathing exercises: Inhale and exhale sharply several times, then take calm inhalations and exhalations, then take sharp inhalations again.

— do a couple of active movements: jogging, squats.

— take a short rest: go to bed and try to sleep. This advice is suitable for pregnant women who are often tormented by yawning. A short nap will help restore strength and eliminate yawning.

Yawning is natural physiological process, inherent in absolutely every person and many animals. Moreover, this process cannot be controlled; the body itself decides when it needs to capture a large portion of oxygen received during yawning. On average, a person can yawn several times a day. But when it happens too often, many people start to worry. Why does a person yawn often and is it worth sounding the alarm about this? Let's look into these issues.

What is yawning

Yawning is an uncontrolled reflex act of breathing in which the mouth and pharynx open wide with a deep, long inhalation and short exhalation. During one yawn, the body receives several times more oxygen than during normal quiet breathing.

Why does our body need this?

There is no absolutely exact answer to this question, because, firstly, the process has not been fully studied by scientists, and secondly, all that has been found out is that we yawn various reasons. Mainly like this:

• To maintain the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body when it is not normal.
• To “invigorate” the brain (receiving a large portion of oxygen, the brain is toned).
• To calm the nervous system (during excitement, oxygen is burned faster and additional air supply provides support to the nervous system).

These are just the most basic reasons why a person often yawns in certain situations.

Natural Causes of Yawning

If yawning occurs for any of the reasons listed below, then there is no pathology in this.

• Feeling sleepy.
• Fatigue, weariness.
• Stuffiness in the room.
• Heat (indoors or outdoors).
• Low atmospheric pressure, weather change (especially when it’s cloudy).
• Abrupt change of time zones.
• Nervousness, stress.
• Mirroring (scientists call mirror yawning the phenomenon when a person begins to do this while looking at other yawners, and it doesn’t matter whether they are people, animals, or even just pictures).

Pathological causes

Sometimes yawning can indicate some disease or disorder within our body. Causes of excessive yawning can be:

• Cardiovascular system disorders.
• Brain tumors of various types.
• Epilepsy.
• Low blood pressure.
• Thrombophlebitis.
• Venous insufficiency.
• Pre-stroke or pre-infarction condition.
• Severe liver diseases.
• Neuroses.
• Some thyroid diseases.
• Multiple sclerosis.

Why does a person often yawn with such ailments? All these diseases, one way or another, are associated with blood vessels, veins, and arteries. When the blood thickens, the veins narrow or become clogged with blood clots, the arteries lose their tone, the speed of blood circulation decreases - the organs, especially the brain, begin to lack oxygen. After all, the main carrier of this valuable element for life is our blood. Feeling a lack of oxygen, the body rushes to replenish it with intense yawning.
How not to confuse a natural process with a disease?

To know when to sound the alarm and when to ignore a yawn, you need to analyze the situation. If you yawn in a stuffy room, going out into the air will stop the symptom. The same is true with sleep or stress - after a good rest and relaxation, yawning will not bother you for a long time.
Be alert when frequent, intense yawning persists for days or even weeks on end, no matter what environment you're in. In this case, it is better to visit a doctor so as not to miss possible start any diseases.

Every person, regardless of age, yawns. At this time, he opens his mouth wide, fills his lungs with air for a long time, sometimes makes a sound and exhales quickly. We usually say that we are bored or... However, constant yawning can be caused by many reasons - from simple to serious, indicating the presence of a disease.

Frequent yawning: reasons

Yawning is a physiological process that is caused by a number of reasons. These include:

• lack of sleep;
• fatigue;
• traveling across time zones;
• changing the daily routine.

However frequent yawning should alert you, as it may be an indicator of serious illness. These could be:

• cardiovascular diseases;
• multiple sclerosis;
• epilepsy;
• hypothyroidism;
• electrolyte imbalance;
• insufficient liver function.

Constant nervousness can also lead to frequent yawning. The reason may be if a person is in a state of anxiety, depression, or stress.

Why is yawning contagious?

Everyone has probably noticed that as soon as one person yawns, everyone present begins to repeat after him, which is why they consider yawning a contagious process. Many experts have tried to answer the question of why this happens, but no one can say for sure. This is just speculation.

Interesting: Sometimes it is enough to see a yawning person in a photograph, and a yawn appears involuntarily.

Scientists have proven that when you see a yawn, the areas in the brain that are responsible for empathy for a person are activated. That is, only responsive people imitate yawners. The proof is that children under 5 years of age never repeat a yawn, since they have not yet learned to empathize with others, as well as people suffering from autism.

Constant severe yawning: reasons

There are many reasons for constant yawning:

1. Lack of oxygen to the brain. A signal of lack of oxygen is sent to it, since at this time hyperventilation of the lungs is necessary. Therefore, a person yawns, taking in more air with his mouth, and saturates the lungs with oxygen;
2. « Overheating of the brain" It occurs when the air temperature is high outside, and when yawning, ventilation of the lungs again takes place;
3. Transition from the braking phase to the active phase. To wake up better, start the metabolic mechanism, the rhythm of the heart and the whole body as a whole, a yawn is made.

Most often, constant yawning occurs when you are tired or working at night.

The child yawns often - what are the reasons?

Usually, most parents do not pay much attention to their baby's yawning. Most often, the conclusion is that the child did not get enough sleep. But if yawning is repeated too often, then you should not ignore it.

In children, there are mainly 2 causes of frequent yawning:

1. The first is related to disruption nervous system;
2. The second is due to lack of oxygen.

It is necessary to urgently contact a neurologist and follow his recommendations. If no pathology is detected, it means that you need to ventilate the room where the baby is more, increase the time of walks and maintain constant temperature so that the child does not overheat and does not experience a lack of oxygen.

Why does a child yawn in his sleep?

Basically, yawning during sleep occurs due to lack of oxygen. This can be determined by the following signs:

• mouth slightly open;
• noises are heard during breathing;
• A dry cough occurs from time to time.

It is worth visiting an ENT specialist or neurologist to find out the reasons. But before visiting a doctor, you can try to ventilate your child’s room before going to bed. If everything is fine with your health, the yawning will stop.

Why does an adult yawn in his sleep?

It also happens that a person involuntarily yawns in his sleep. This may also be due to several reasons:

1. Health problems (migraine, changes in hormonal background, as well as with the syndrome chronic fatigue).
2. Lack of vitamins and microelements in the body.
3. If a person is taking antihistamines.

During sleep, it is undesirable to bend your back, since the diaphragm cannot sufficiently perform its functions; it is advisable to lie with a straight back.

Why does a person yawn during prayer?

Some people begin to yawn when visiting church and reading prayers. Some believe that this is how a person relaxes, others find the reason in insufficient quantities air due to burning candles, they burn oxygen.

To eliminate the causes, it is advisable to adhere to a number of rules.

1. When reading a prayer at home, you need to ventilate the room, and then the yawning will stop. Moreover, if the prayer is long, the brain works hard, you need to concentrate so as not to forget the words.
2. Very often a person who prays has to for a long time be in one position: standing on your knees or feet. Breathing and nerve endings slow down, which results in a lack of oxygen.
3. If prayer in a temple takes place in public, yawning also occurs with excitement.

How to control yawning?

In order to reduce yawning, you can resort to next steps:

• take active breaths through your nose and exhale through your mouth;
• If you feel like you are about to yawn, it is advisable to drink a little cool water;
• when they notice frequent urge to yawn, you need to open the window, ventilate the room well, it is advisable to lower the temperature a little;
• Cucumbers and watermelon can help, as they contain more liquid;
• It is recommended to place a dampened and cooled towel on your head.

Video: Why do people yawn?

In the following video, a representative of the Slivki Show channel will try to find the reasons that provoke yawns in people:

Frequent and severe yawning during the day and at night should alert you, as this usually occurs due to illness. Therefore, it is advisable to contact a specialist. Don't ignore your body's signals!

Most of us are familiar with such a funny phenomenon as yawning. Basically, this is an involuntary reaction of the body to fatigue, overwork, and boredom. Yawning is an absolutely normal process necessary for our body. A person is able to yawn already at 11-12 weeks of intrauterine development. But sometimes frequent yawning may not be as harmless as it seems at first glance. In some cases, the reasons for yawning may lie in serious illnesses. In this article we will tell you what frequent yawning means in a person, in which cases the process is truly harmless, and in which it may indicate health problems.

Why can a person yawn frequently?

Yawning is a breathing act consisting of a slow, strong inhalation and a sharp exhalation. Before yawning, we draw a considerable amount of air into our lungs, thereby saturating the body. required quantity oxygen. Taking a deep breath improves your nutrition internal organs and tissues, we supply the bloodstream with a greater volume of oxygen than during normal quiet breathing.

A person begins to yawn - blood flow increases, metabolism accelerates, and the body becomes toned. People begin to yawn when their oxygen balance is disturbed; frequent yawning helps to become more energetic, think better and spend time more actively. This yawning is typical after a long rest or monotonous processes. Sometimes a person yawns even in his sleep if there is not enough oxygen in the room where he sleeps. Yawning occurs when alternating fast and slow phase sleep.

There is an opinion that among ancient people, yawning was a way of communication, a signal to action. When danger was detected, one of the tribe members yawned, this state was mirrored by the rest of the members and forced them to collectively yawn in order to prepare their bodies for physical activity. At the same time, the leader of the group yawned to give the “subordinates” the command to go to sleep.

Thus, yawning is important process in the human body, which has been embedded in us since ancient times, a person sometimes yawns deeply and very often even when talking with others and if he is overexcited. And the desire to yawn sweetly, arising from overwork, lack of sleep, telephone conversation, should not be alarming. But the causes of frequent yawning are not always harmless. The causes of an attack of yawning can be physiological, psychological and emotional.

Physiological causes of frequent yawning

This type of reason includes banal fatigue and lack of sleep, changes in sleep and wakefulness, long travel when time zones change, as well as hyperventilation syndrome. A person yawns when he simply wants to sleep. More "original" physiological reason may lie in a sleep disorder called narcolepsy. Some medical supplies have in number side effects frequent yawning. Various diseases also relate to the causes of excessive yawning. Lack of air is not always the cause of this phenomenon. Frequent yawning is a sign of what disease; we will answer this question below.

Psycho-emotional reasons

Very frequent yawning can often be a symptom of a disorder mental state. When feeling restless, anxious, or having attacks of fear, a person often yawns because he needs increased ventilation of the lungs. There is a feeling of lack of air for normal breathing, the body transmits a call to action to the brain to receive an increased dose of oxygen. Thus, frequent yawning and a feeling of lack of air are sometimes associated.

This may include mirror property yawning. Surely, almost everyone has experienced the process of being “infected” by yawning. A man sees a yawning real life, in a photo or on a screen, and a “chain” reaction begins. Therefore, you should not be surprised if while reading this article you involuntarily yawned several times. An interesting fact is that not all people are susceptible to the mirror reaction to yawning; some manage to “resist.”

Causes of frequent yawning in humans, hidden in diseases

So what is the reason for frequent yawning? A number of diseases can have prolonged yawning as their symptom.

Regular, prolonged yawning may be caused by dangerous violations, occurring in the body. Sometimes, frequent yawning is a sign of serious illnesses, such as:

• epilepsy
• autoimmune diseases
• hypothyroidism
• multiple sclerosis
• depression
• cardiovascular diseases
• chronic bronchitis
• vegetative-vascular dystonia.

It is VSD that can cause frequent yawning caused by lack of air. If shortness of breath and frequent yawning are accompanied by a feeling of tightness in the chest, anxiety, dry cough and sore throat, fear of stuffy and cramped spaces and other phobias, panic attacks etc., there is a high probability of developing vegetative-vascular dystonia. Frequent and deep yawning may be accompanied by pain in the heart. It is necessary to consult a specialist to clarify the diagnosis and treatment methods.

If the reason for frequent yawning in adults lies in VSD, you need to learn to be less nervous, establish a sleep schedule, and use healthy food With essential vitamins and microelements. It will be useful to make special ones.

Sometimes when a person yawns, there is not enough air, his lungs do not open completely. Incomplete inhalation when yawning is a phenomenon typical of adolescents and is considered normal. If this type of yawning occurs in an adult, the lungs need to be checked. In women, frequent yawning with incomplete expansion of the lungs can serve as a symptom cancer mammary glands, so you should undergo fluorography and visit a mammologist. A careless attitude towards a seemingly insignificant symptom can lead to dire consequences.

Frequent yawning in children: reasons

The phenomenon of frequent yawning in children is also known. Small children are not able to empathize with emotions, so “mirror” yawning is not typical for them. It is also unusual for autistic people to yawn. And if an adult does not yawn in response, then most likely he has problems with the ability to empathize.

What does frequent yawning in children mean? The baby probably has disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system. A child, like an adult, may experience nervous tension, stress, anxiety. In this case, it is best to take the child to an appointment with a neurologist.

In children, sometimes frequent yawning is a sign of lack of oxygen. It is necessary to spend as much time as possible outdoors with the child, review his diet, and establish sleep and rest patterns.