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Have you ever wondered what causes you to yawn too much? Excessive yawning could occur due to a wide range of reasons. The following write-up lists the causes as well as remedies for the same.
Yawning can be defined as an involuntary action of opening the mouth wide, dropping the jaw and then inhaling air inside, which fills up the lungs, causing the lungs to expand, abdominal muscles to contract and the diaphragm to move down. All of us yawn. Research shows that even unborn babies yawn in their mother's womb. Most people believe that yawning occurs when we feel tired, bored or sluggish. But what is the actual reason behind this? Is it due to boredom or fatigue or is it due to some underlying health problem? Let's find out.
Causes of Excessive Yawning
» Scientific research shows that one of the main reasons is an increase in the carbon dioxide levels or decreased oxygen levels in the blood. Yawning is the body's reflex action to ensure there is adequate oxygen in the lungs, which is consequently passed onto the bloodstream.
» Another opinion is that it helps in maintaining the temperature of the brain. When a person is tired or has not slept properly, it causes the temperature of the brain to increase. When a person yawns, the body gets cooled, the muscles and joints are flexed, and the brain temperature gets stabilized too.
» If you yawn too much at work, the reason could be tiredness or boredom. According to a social theory, in ancient times, people used to yawn to show their teeth to others in order to intimidate them. It was their way of being alert. The same thing has been forwarded since generations and now people yawn when they are bored or tired and want to be attentive or are looking for a change in their activities.
» Another explanation is that the mirror neurons that are found in the brain are responsible for it. Due to these mirror neurons, when a person sees another person yawn, he imitates the same action.
» When chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin, glutamine and dopamine, which affect the emotions, moods and appetite of a person, get stimulated, it can cause a person to yawn as well.
» Sometimes, yawning excessively may indicate a sleep disorder. This is because if you do not get the required rest it may make you feel tired and fatigued, and this can trigger a yawn.
Is Excessive Yawning a Health Problem?
Persistent yawning can indicate an underlying disease or disorder. Recent research has shown that if it is accompanied by other symptoms such as shortness of breath, anxiety, increased heart rate, chronic headaches, etc. it could be due to life-threatening conditions such as a heart disease, brain tumor, epilepsy, etc. In these conditions, the vagus nerve causes a decrease in the heart rate and the blood pressure. Due to this, the oxygen levels in blood drop, causing a person to yawn more than normal.
Excessive yawning, in most cases, can be controlled by leading a healthy lifestyle. Sleeping on time and for at least seven to eight hours, will keep the body active and curb this problem. Improving one's breathing pattern i.e. taking long, deep breaths so that there is enough oxygen in the body is another way to stop this.
Yawning is a perfectly normal condition if one feels tired and drowsy at the end of the day. However, if you always feel tired and tend to yawn excessively even after making the above lifestyle changes for no apparent reasons, seek medical help at the earliest to rule out any serious, underlying health issues.
By Aastha Dogra
Last Updated: 3/21/2012
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/yawning-too-much.html
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