When you yawn, you open your mouth, take a deep breath in, and fill your lungs with air. This happens almost automatically. Even though no one knows for sure why we yawn, most people think it’s because we’re tired. In fact, most people yawn when they are tired or sleepy.
Late in the day, when you’re tired or maybe just bored, it’s normal to yawn. But yawning a lot could be a sign of other health problems.
Read on to find out what could be causing you to yawn a lot and when you should see a doctor for help.
What is Yawn?
When you yawn, you open your mouth, breathe in deeply, and then quickly let out your breath. Researchers don’t know exactly why people yawn, but fatigue and boredom are two common reasons. You might also yawn if you talk about it or see or hear someone else do it.
Some yawns are short, while others last a few seconds and end with an open-mouthed breath. Yawns can be accompanied by watery eyes, stretching, or audible sighs.
What Are The Causes of the Yawning?
People often think that excessive yawning is a sign of being tired or bored, but it could also be a sign of a health problem. Here are some of the most common (and some of the less common) reasons to think about.
There are Some Common Causes
No one knows what makes someone yawn a lot. But it could happen because of the following:
- drowsiness, tiredness, or fatigue
- sleep deprivation, due to insomnia, stress, or shift work
- sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea or narcolepsy
- side effects of medications used to treat depression or anxiety, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), though research shows this type of yawning is not caused by daytime sleepiness
Other Possible Causes of Yawning
Even though it happens less often, excessive yawning could also be a sign of health problems like:
- A heart attack, especially if you are also having other symptoms like chest pain or discomfort, pain in the upper body, feeling lightheaded, and having trouble breathing.
- Epilepsy, especially if the frontal lobe is involved.
- Neurological disorders.
- Multiple sclerosis is a trusted source (MS)
- If you have liver failure, you may feel tired.
- Trusted Source is a brain tumor, but this is uncommon.
Some conditions can cause a vasovagal reaction, which can make you yawn a lot and cause other symptoms as well. During a vasovagal reaction, the heart rate and blood pressure drop by a lot. Known Source. The reaction could be a sign of anything from trouble sleeping to a serious heart problem. Some other causes can be:
- Severe coughing
- Pain
- Being overheated
- Standing up too quickly
- Dehydration
For a doctor to figure out why you yawn a lot, he or she may first ask about any medicines you take and how you sleep. They’ll want to make sure you’re sleeping enough and getting enough rest. This can help them figure out if you’re yawning a lot because you’re tired or because you have a sleep disorder.
If a doctor can rule out sleep problems, they may do diagnostic tests to find another reason why a person might yawn a lot.
One test that might be done is an electroencephalogram or EEG. An EEG measures how the brain’s electricity is moving. It can help find out what’s wrong with the brain in some cases, including Known Sources:
- Epilepsy
- Parasomnias, such as sleepwalking
- Brain injuries
- Stroke
- Dementia
An MRI scan may also be requested by a doctor. This examination, also known as magnetic resonance imaging Doctors can examine and evaluate bodily structures with the help of Trusted Source’s precise photographs of the body created using strong magnets and radio waves.
These pictures are often used to diagnoseTrusted Source conditions that can include:
- Spinal cord and brain disorders, such as tumors and MS
- Heart problems
- Abnormalities in the liver and other major organs
- Injuries or other issues with the joints
How to Treat Excessive Yawning?
A doctor might advise lowering the dosage if the drug is making you yawn a lot. Before changing your medicine, be sure to consult your doctor. Without a doctor’s permission, you should never stop taking your drugs.
A doctor may suggest sleep assistance supplements like melatonin, or other medications, if necessary, as well as strategies for getting more restful sleep if frequent yawning is the result of a sleep disturbance. Among them could be Trusted Sources:
- Maintaining a regular sleep schedule that involves going to bed and waking up at around the same times, exercising frequently (including on weekends), and
- Avoiding exercising just before bed to minimize stress and help you burn energy during the day so you may sleep better at night.
- Avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and heavy meals
- Just before bedtime ensures that your bedroom is dark, cold, and quiet to promote rapid sleep removing electronic devices from the room to reduce distractions and potential sleep disruption
-interfering blue light - The underlying issue must be treated right once if frequent yawning is a sign of a dangerous medical condition, such as epilepsy or liver failure.
The underlying issue must be treated right once if frequent yawning is a sign of a dangerous medical condition, such as epilepsy or liver failure.
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