Why do people often yawn: the reasons

Yawning is an unconscious breathing act, a deep, long breath and a quick exhalation. The mouth is open, and the process of yawning is accompanied by a characteristic sound. At first glance, yawning seems to be a natural process for the body, but in some cases an excessively frequent yawning can become a symptom of the disease. There are several hypotheses that answer the question of why people yawn often. Doctors are studying why this process is necessary for the body, but to the final conclusions they never came.

Why do people yawn?

Consider the most common hypotheses that explain why people often yawn and how this affects the general condition of the body.

• Yawning is like helping the body with a lack of oxygen in the brain tissues. During a deeper sigh, more oxygen enters the bloodstream than with normal breathing. Saturation of the body with oxygen leads to accelerated blood flow and metabolism, why the person's health improves and the whole body comes into tonus. Therefore, in different situations, when the oxygen balance is disturbed, the person yawns and becomes cheerful. For example, yawning after sleep or a 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, on the forehead of which lay a cold compress, were less yawned compared to people with a warm compress or without it.

Useful yawning properties

• The help to the stuffed ears. Why do you yawn often when the plane changes altitude? Yawning helps to remove the stuffiness of the ears, which appears due to a sharp difference in pressure.
• Warm up for muscles . During yawning, a person usually involuntarily stretches and kneads a frozen body. Thus, yawning prepares a person for active action. So, the students yawn, preparing for the exam, and the 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 stiff muscles.

• Protection of the nervous system. During a serious conversation or an exciting situation, a person may ask himself: "Why do I yawn often?" This reaction will be a kind of soothing for the body, which will help to cope with stress.
• Relaxing effect . If a person wants to sleep, then yawning will help the body to relax and prepare for bed.

Yawning as a sign of disease

Frequent and prolonged yawning is a symptom of an unhealthy state of the body. This can be one of the signs of problems with sleep, high blood pressure, depression or a state of severe anxiety. Therefore, in cases where yawning overcomes a person constantly, it is better to consult a doctor - to check your pressure, the condition of the vessels and heart. And first you need to try to be less nervous, it is better to get enough sleep and fill the supply of vitamins and minerals in the body.

Mirror property of yawning

Yawning is a phenomenon that can be "infected". Why do you yawn often when you see people with an open mouth in life or on television? In the cortex of our brain there are mirror neurons, which are the cause of the stickiness of yawning. It is enough for a person to read about a yawn or think about it, and then he immediately starts yawning. But not all people are affected by this "illness". Children with autism can calmly watch the provocative video and not yawn. And children under five years are not capable of a mirror yawn, since they do not yet know how to empathize with other people's emotions.

Frequent yawning of the hosts is passed on to the dogs, and they also completely copy the physiological condition of the host, 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 the yawn will necessarily copy.

Yawning as a manifestation of emotional intimacy

Frequent yawning comes from relatives and close friends yawning. And far-away acquaintances and strangers almost do not show mirror signs. Proximity is the only factor that scientists were able to identify, because both sex and nationality do not affect the person's need to yawn in response.

Yawning as a way to communicate

Scientists believe that even during the evolution of primates as an imitative action, yawning began to be used. The reasons were very different. So, at the sight of danger, one of the group members yawned, and his condition was passed on to the rest and brought them into combat readiness. And in order to convey to people the signal that it is time to go to bed, the leader yawned, and the tribe supported him with a corresponding reaction.

Methods to combat yawning

Periodic occurrence of yawning is natural for an organism, but if a person constantly asks the question "Why do I yawn often?", This can mean that some kind of malfunction has occurred in the body. Simple recommendations help to defeat the yawn:

1. Healthy sleep . It is necessary to determine how much sleep a person will need to restore the body. Also, with severe fatigue during the day, you can afford a small 20-minute rest. This will help the body to relax, but will not allow you to switch to a full-fledged sleep.
2. Smooth posture . A bent back can cause frequent yawning. The reasons for this effect are that the hunched state does not allow the diaphragm to work fully and causes its involuntary contractions. While equal posture will reduce the desire to yawn.
3. Fresh air and sports. A person is saturated with oxygen during exercise, and this allows him to remain alert throughout the day. An even better option is to spend more time on the street, taking walks or arranging light workouts in the fresh air.
4. Power . A high-grade food will help to bring the organism in order and to save from frequent yawning without a reason. You need to try to take vitamins, remove unhealthy food from your diet and drink more fluids.

Popular questions about yawning:

• Why do your eyes water when yawning? Yawning, the man closes his eyes, causing the tear sack to be squeezed, and the vessels in the tear ducts are reduced. Because of this, tears flow outward, since they did not manage to get into the nasopharynx.
• Why yawn small 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 walking with him in the fresh air.

• Why do people in the church yawn often? This is a normal phenomenon, explained by the physiology of man. 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 in the room is usually stuffy, and the light is muffled, causing the blood flow to slow down and there is a 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 on the contrary - the yawning has overcome the interlocutor because of active work of the brain. He listened so carefully and thoughtfully to the story that he had been disturbed by oxygen exchange, that's the body and made up his strength with the help of yawn.

A simple process of yawning has important functions for the proper functioning of the whole organism. It is worth paying attention if yawning has become unusually frequent and prolonged, and help the body to recover.