Is yawning too much normal?

General
1

I was reading a research article about yawning today. I found many fascinating facts with respect to it, and while reading, I yawned frequently, which left me startled. It piqued my curiosity even more to dive deep.

Yawning alerts against boredom, tiredness, and fatigue; cools the brain; signals lack of oxygen; prevents lung collapse; and equalizes ear pressure at high altitudes—all these functions are well known to everyone.

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Yawning is a complex physiological pattern with various mechanisms and functions. It was stimulated particularly by two regions:

  1. Hypothalamus—neurons around the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) area of the hypothalamus play a significant role in the initiation of yawning.

  2. Brainstem—The reticular formation is the chain of neurons that regulates sleep and wakefulness.

Many excitatory, inhibitory neurotransmitters and hormones are involved in yawning, such as dopamine, oxytocin, glutamate, serotonin, acetylcholine, ACTH, and opioid peptides.

Now I will share with you some new research studies and amazing facts about yawning-

:check_mark: A research study claims it helps flush waste material from the brain’s CSF to help cleanse it; various neurodegenerative disorders have been linked with the accumulation of waste in CSF.

:check_mark: Brain size—bigger brains yawn longer.

:check_mark: Contagious—when we read or listen and see a loved one yawning, it transfers to us immediately after them; it symbolizes social bonds and empathy.

:check_mark: Mother to fetus—Fetuses start yawning after 11 weeks and can catch yawns from their mother.

If yawning occurs frequently within 15 minutes, excluding factors like boredom, fatigue, etc., it may indicate the following disorders:

  • Neurological: migraine, Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, etc.
  • Cardiac: vasovagal reaction.
  • Sleep disorders: apnea, narcolepsy.
  • Poor blood flow
  • Hypothyroidism

What do you have additional information about yawning?

MBH/PS

4 Likes
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I remember watching myth busters on discovery, where they were decoding the myth ‘yawn is contagious’ and yes, from that little experiment they did find out that yawns are contagious.

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I never realized yawning had such complex neurological and physiological connections. The fact that it can be linked to empathy, brain function, and even certain health conditions makes it much more fascinating than it seems.

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Yrs! Many articles and studies have claimed it is contagious even from mother to fetus, also.

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Absolutely!

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It’s a brilliant reminder of how complex a seemingly simple reflex is.

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7

So true. I yawned 3 times while reading this post. :slight_smile: Nicely presented

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8

Insightful article.Even I yawned while reading this article.:smiling_face_with_tear: It is interesting how yawning spreads across people just by its mention.

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9

Very interesting and informative topic.I didn’t know yawning involved so many neurological and physiological mechanisms.

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Thanks for your kind words.

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Yes, it is contagious.

12

Yes, it’s a health check and balance system of our body.