Why do you yawn: a simple gesture, many interpretations
You've surely asked yourself: why do you yawn? As you will see, the causes can be many but the most frequent reasons are not just sleep and boredom. Other reasons why we yawn even with a certain frequency can be found in the anxiety and stress that affect our life and lead us to yawn more and more. Watch the video and discover all the exercises to find calm and inner well-being!
Probable causes of why you yawn: boredom, hunger, fatigue, sleep
Yawning consists of a deep inhalation of oxygen from the wide open mouth in an almost forced way, sometimes with simultaneous closing of the eyes. Yawning is part of the actions related to breathing. In fact, yawning, one breathes in deeply air through the mouth, and then exhales it. The average duration of a yawn is about 6 seconds, with various movements of the face in order to allow good oxygenation of the brain thanks to the air breathed. You yawn involuntarily, except when you consciously try to oxygenate your lungs more. The yawn is indicative of certain signals sent to us by our body, which we must take into account. It is an involuntary reflex, which occurs already in the womb.Usually the yawn is combined with boredom, but other theories argue that it is caused by a very high level of fatigue perceived by the organism, which warns the subject of the need to rest, not necessarily sleeping, but also just relaxing for a while, to regain strength. It is linked to a greater need to oxygenate one's body, with a greater amount of air than that collected with normal breathing in response to an excess of carbon dioxide. Many experts in the field believe that yawning improves physical efficiency or keeps the brain temperature constant, preventing it from rising too much, or regulating the body temperature, to the benefit of the well-being and health of the whole organism. Other theories believe it is a reflex triggered by the same neurotransmitters, including serotonin, which influence emotions, mood and appetite by acting in the brain. Yawning can also be a request for nourishment by the body, which, in a moment of severe fatigue, must recover energy through food. Sometimes even during a conversation someone may feel like yawning and, in order not to offend the other person, stops the yawn by swallowing it. However, it also has a link with sleep; in fact, you yawn early in the morning, when you are still sleepy, or a few hours before falling asleep in the evening. Boredom, fatigue, sleep and hunger lower the attention span.
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Why is yawning contagious?
Therefore, there can be various causes that cause yawning, which among other things is usually a contagious action, with an uncontrolled and almost automatic response. The reason for this contagiousness is often asked. In-depth studies believe that contagiousness depends on the presence in the brain of a receptor located in the cortex, which sets in motion the yawning mechanism, seeing another person do it. The contagiousness increases the more one tries to repress the emulation impulse, becoming in fact, the muscles of the face are stressed even more by the attempt to restrain themselves. Even animals yawn. The theory that they yawn from hunger does not seem entirely correct; in fact, some scholars believe that it is above all a way to release emotional tension. Dogs, then, yawn even when they are calm and relaxed with their At times, however, it could be a sign of excitement and alert for sensing danger.
A cheetah yawns when it is about to attack a prey, to make a reserve of oxygen in view of the physical effort it is preparing to do; the hippo to frighten the enemy with its mighty teeth. In animals, yawning can serve as a warning sign. For example, for Darwin, baboons yawn to show off their big canines and frighten their enemies. According to some experts, even the yawning of animals is contagious, as has been found for chimpanzees, dogs, cats, birds and reptiles and even between animals of different species. There are many similarities between the reactions of animals and those of humans. With regard to contagious yawning (oscillation), it should also be considered that the "contagion" in individuals who have problems with empathy, for example autistics, is minor or absent, reduced or absent. The brain areas connected with the emotional sphere partially join those involved in the response to yawning, with the involvement of so-called mirror neurons. This is how some neurons discovered in macaques are defined and are activated when the animal performs an action and when it observes another that performs the same act. Also in humans there are similar neurons, which affect various areas of the brain, including that of language, suitable for understanding the actions of others and learning through imitation. A particular hypothesis is that primitive men may have communicated with each other with a yawn, before doing so through words. Furthermore, these Paleolithic men may have used it as a signal of aggression, showing their teeth and their mouths wide open to scare any enemies.
Deepening of the various theories on "why you yawn".
In the yawning phase, there is a contraction of the tensor tympanic muscle of the middle ear. The yawning in both humans and animals is associated with a spontaneous stretching action of the back, neck, shoulders and arms. medical language the yawn is called oscitatio from the Latin verb oscito, to open the mouth; the English term is oscitation. Instead, the simultaneous action of yawning and stretching, stretching is called pandiculation. The yawn can help us stay awake, if there is any "is a necessity, and to regenerate muscle tone. You yawn before going to bed, even during or after lunch, shortly after waking up in the morning. On average, you yawn about 5 or 6 times in a day. It can also be a sign." of non-verbal communication, which transmits apathy and fatigue to others or, according to others, an unconscious reflex of imitation, basic in human learning, such as when learning a new language. lio can provoke it and should never be blocked, because if the body requires it, it means that it feels the need for this wide and deep inhalation with an open mouth, a muscle contraction almost always involuntary, which however allows you to inhale a lot of air and implement the exchange respiratory between the body and the environment. A compelling reason could be that it concerns the regulation of the temperature of the brain. Inhaling a lot of air would allow the temperature of the brain to be lowered with a cooling effect, when it is too high. The yawn would therefore have a thermoregulatory function, as the deep inhalation of fresh air into the body would allow the brain to cool down. Like when, if you believe that the body is too hot, you can compensate for the effect by drinking cold, non-iced water and consuming fruit or ice cream.
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The yawn: curiosity, benefits and advice
Yawning could also be a way of moving numb muscles and joints back into action after being inactive for a long time, while filling the lungs with air. Medicines, especially antihistamines, anxiolytics, and antidepressants, can also cause more yawns in a day, given their side effect of sleepiness. Yawning too frequently can also be a signal from the body to convey that the lifestyle you are leading is too sedentary and that there is a need for more movement and regular physical activity. To avoid yawning in inappropriate moments, causing embarrassment in ourselves and in others, for example during conferences, business meetings, lessons or other rather sedentary activities, it may be useful to breathe deeply from the nostrils to better oxygenate the body. If frequent yawning is caused by lack of sleep, it is good to create more favorable conditions for rest, improving its quality, with daily physical exercise, eliminating or limiting coffee and alcohol, sleeping in a quiet, unlit environment, at most. with some very soft light, warm and far from the bed. Physical movement is good for the whole body, removes the sense of boredom and relieves stress, as well as breaking the monotony of the daily routine. The yawn is a stretching that awakens the totality of our being and releases some tension from the body. but not only. it lasts on average, about six seconds, activates the circulation and relaxes the muscles. It can also help detoxify the blood of toxins, helping to give the body an additional supply of oxygen. In addition, it relieves pain, as this increase in oxygen in the blood relaxes, distracts the rational mind, frees the capacity for creativity, perception and intuition, and relaxation stimulates the pleasure sensors. The body, saving energy, produces analgesic substances, those that relieve pain. In the morning, many recommend trying to take a deep breath with your mouth wide open for fresh air, keeping your eyes closed. This short-lasting action can have a liberating effect from accumulated anxieties and stress and release a feeling of well-being, with significant health benefits.
