Yawning feels good, it aerates the mind. ~
So it does. For some reason we find it hard to resist the urge to yawn once it begins in the back of our palates. The involuntary process forces our mouths open wider than if we were trying to wedge a Burger King Quad Stacker into our pie holes. And we do it a lot, maybe 20 times a day. Best case, we seem to feel more alert, or perhaps we observe we’re overdue for bedtime. Worst case, everyone in the room (meeting?) thinks we’re bored or inattentive. Or sleep-deprived because of an all-nighter.
But why do we yawn? Can we control these impulses? Do we want to?
Causes of Yawning
According to the Medical University of South Carolina, even they don’t know everything there is to know about causation. However, some causes are widely are accepted:
- Voluntary. When we’re on a plane and we want to stabilize pressure within our craniums, we yawn. Sometimes our bodies force it, in case we don’t diagnose the problem quickly.
- Empathy. Quite often when we see someone else yawning, we yawn. The likelihood of this happening is subject to two variables. If you’re highly empathetic, you’ll yawn more than others. Also, if you are close (relationship-wise) to the person who is yawning, you are more likely to yawn in response. I yawn even when I see one of my cats yawning, but they are, after all, family members.
- Boredom. No, wait. Actually, it may be related to survival. Perhaps your subconscious perceives a decreasing level of alertness and is attempting to jar you into paying attention. Helpful in meetings, too, especially if you aren’t the top dog in said meeting. But there’s more to this bullet point. At least one source, Early Life Ultrasound Centre, suggests that yawning might be the stimulus to jog the brain in a fetus to get moving and develop properly. Yes, unborn babies do yawn. Who knew?
There are a few unproven theories, too. One theory speculates as to whether yawning cools off the brain. Not buying this one, and yes, I know I’m not a scientist. In my defense, you don’t see athletes yawning in the middle of a game, so I don’t know where that came from.
Another theory is that yawning is the body’s effort to reduce carbon dioxide and increase the oxygen level. This is unproven, BUT, isn’t that how we become more alert? I mean, in a physiological sense? Again, I’m not a scientist.
Lastly, some wonder whether excessive yawning indicates the presence of a medical condition.* This is also unproven. In any case, it would be a mistake to rely on any one symptom to diagnose anything. You could be tearing up because of conjunctivitis or your leaky eyeballs could the result of binging all afternoon on Call the Midwife.
That said, if you are yawning more than once per minute and it isn’t a late-night phenomenon, you might want to consult a medical professional. This is from a retail site called Dreams, and no, I don’t know the author’s credentials.
Cures
What can you do about it? The Dreams‘ article does have some suggestions.
- Cool it. Turn the thermostat down or open a window. This reminds me of my history teacher in high school. One kid actually did fall asleep and fell out of his chair. For the remainder of the winter, she kept the windows up so we couldn’t get that comfortable. It worked. I don’t recall anyone yawning, much less falling asleep.
- Drink or eat something cold. Incidentally, drinking anything will make you stop crying, too. Can’t cry and drink at the same time. Well, I can’t.
- Make yourself the focus in a group. Apparently, it’s harder to yawn if someone is watching you. That hasn’t been my experience, but it’s worth a shot.
Note: These ideas assume there’s no indication of medical conditions that require attention.
On to the finish
At this point, I have to ask you, “Why do you want to kill a perfectly good yawn?” I understand that you don’t want to be perceived as disinterested in a meeting or in conversation with friends. Otherwise, I’ve got nothing. Your body often talks to you, and it’s good to listen. In fact, studies have shown that when you attempt to avoid a yawn, your body tries to bully you into it by sending even more frequent signals to yawn. This is according to TIME in the Health section.
As I said in a blog last fall, our brains are complicated and the wiring is not always malleable. It isn’t as though we want one of our most critical organs to just shut up. Maybe, knowing this, I won’t always assume that someone else who’s yawning is bored or inattentive. And when I have the occasional aggravation of multiple yawns in a short period of time, I’ll just feel the love from my brain. I’ll look at it as a reminder of what an empathetic human I am. Or perhaps I’ll see it as a heads up that I’m a little too comfortable, and I need to become more aware (or attentive?) to my surroundings.
You?
🫢