Causes associated with yawning and health problems of excessive yawning

Yawning can be described as an inadvertent action of opening the mouth wide, blobbing the jaw and then breathing air inside, which fills up the lungs, inducing the lungs to enlarge, abdominal muscles to contract and the diaphragm to move down. Everyone yawns. Research signifies that even unborn babies yawn in their mother's womb. Most people reckon that yawning occurs when we feel tired, sluggish or bored. But what is the actual reason behind this?

Causes:
• The research indicates that one of the major reasons is an increase in the carbon dioxide levels or reduced oxygen levels in the blood. It is the body's reflex action to assure there is sufficient oxygen in the lungs, which is hence passed onto the bloodstream.

• When a person has not slept properly or is tired, it causes the temperature of the brain to rise. When a person yawns, the body gets cooled, the brain temperature gets stabilized and the muscles and joints are flexed.

• If you yawn too much at work, the reason could be boredom or tiredness.

• The mirror neurons that are found in the brain are responsible for it. In accord to mirror neurons, when a person sees another person yawn, he copies the same action.

• When chemicals in the brain, such as dopamine, serotonin, and glutamine which influence the emotions, appetite, and moods of a person, get raised, it can induce a person to yawn as well.

• Sometimes, yawning exorbitantly may signify a sleep disorder. This is since you do not get the required rest it may make you feel tired and fatigued, and this can cause a yawn.

Can excessive yawning be considered as a health problem?

Constant yawning can signify an underlying disease or disorder. The research has shown that if it is attended by other presages such as shortness of breath, increased heart rate, anxiety, chronic headaches, etc. it could be due to life-threatening conditions such as a brain tumor, heart disease, epilepsy, etc. In these conditions, the vagus nerve induces a decrease in the heart rate and the blood pressure. The oxygen levels in blood drop, making a person to yawn more than normal.

Excessive yawning, in most cases, can be maintained by leading a healthy lifestyle. Sleeping for at least seven to eight hours, will keep the body active and bridle this problem. Amending one's breathing pattern i.e. taking deep, long breaths so that there is enough oxygen in the body is another way to cease this.

It is a perfectly normal condition if one feels tired and drowsy at the end of the day. However, if you constantly feel tired and tend to yawn exorbitantly even after making the above lifestyle changes for no obvious reasons, look for medical help at the earliest to rule out any serious health issues.