There is no person in the world who has never yawned. Even the unborn fetus in the womb yawns.

What is yawning?

Experts in the field of anatomy and medicine describe yawning as a reflexive breathing act, which is accompanied by a deep inhalation and a short exhalation. During yawning, the mouth, pharynx and glottis are open, so at such a moment the body receives a large amount of oxygen.

What are its reasons?

Why does a person yawn? There are many explanations for what could cause this phenomenon. However, not all of them are fully studied and scientifically substantiated.

Scientists highlight following reasons occurrence of yawning:

1. Maintaining the balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the human body.
2. Protection nervous system. Yawning can occur during some exciting event or during a conversation. IN in this case it acts as a sedative that helps the body cope with stress.
3. Lack of minerals and vitamins in the body.
4. The body needs an energy boost. During yawning, the body is enriched with oxygen, which has a beneficial effect on blood circulation and can be considered as a kind of stimulus for activating energy reserves.
5. Relaxation. Very often a person begins to yawn when he wants to sleep. In this case, the mechanism of action of yawning is as follows: it allows the body to relax and better prepare for sleep.

1. Yawning initiates the opening of the communicating channels of the throat and ears, thereby relieving the feeling of congestion due to temporary pressure dissonance.
2. Regulation of brain temperature. Often a person yawns during extreme heat, when the brain needs additional cooling due to the intake of air.

Why is yawning contagious?

In places with large crowds of people, you can often observe the response of people around you to the fact that someone yawned. It manifests itself in the fact that a few seconds after one person yawns, everyone who observed this phenomenon begins to yawn one after another. According to experts, there may be two reasons for this phenomenon.

Nonverbal reflex

The "nonverbal reflex" theory suggests that yawning is passed from one person to another due to "primitive memory." Our ancestors, who lived under a primitive communal system, did not communicate using the speech apparatus. Therefore, when people went to bed at the same time, the leader’s yawn was regarded as a “signal” to sleep for the entire tribe. And they were obliged to support him with an appropriate response.

Empathy

The fact that in a large group only a few people become “infected” by yawning when another person yawns may indicate their tendency toward empathy. Studies conducted in America, England and Japan have proven that those who have a more developed area of ​​the brain responsible for empathy preferentially “pick up” yawns.

Why do my eyes water when I yawn?

Many people have probably noticed that when you yawn, your eyes water. This is easily explained by human physiology. During yawning, the eyes close, which leads to compression of the lacrimal sac and contraction of blood vessels in the tear ducts.

Therefore, tears do not always have time to get into the nasopharynx and pour out of the eyes.

Why do some people yawn during prayer?

Often people begin to involuntarily yawn during prayer. Believers explain this reaction by the presence of an evil eye or damage in the yawning person.

However, if this is quite normal physiological phenomenon try to rate with scientific point view - the conclusions will look like this:

• Most often people yawn in the morning or evening time- Church services usually take place at this time. During this period, the body has not yet fully engaged in work and tries to enrich the brain with oxygen through yawning. Or it’s time to get ready for bed, that is, it’s time to relax.
• If a person prays in front of others and says the prayer out loud, then yawning can begin simply from elementary excitement.

How to deal with yawning?

If yawning occurs periodically, then there is no reason to worry. However, if a person yawns frequently and continuously, such a phenomenon can serve as a signal that the body senses oxygen starvation, is on the verge of exhaustion or is experiencing some kind of malfunction.

In this case, following these simple recommendations can help you overcome yawning:

Exercise "deep breaths"

At certain intervals (for example, after 1 hour), it will be useful to take 5-6 deep, slow breaths. When an inappropriate yawn is approaching, you need to take a deep breath through your mouth and exhale through your nose, or wet your lips with water (first the upper one, then the lower one).

The duration of sleep varies for each person: for some, full recovery It is enough to sleep 8-10 hours a day, and for some people even 6 hours is enough. It is very important to determine your amount of time and get enough sleep regularly.

Also, if possible, try to rest during the day. In the daytime, a rest of 20 minutes will help the body relax and gain strength, while it will not allow you to switch to full sleep.

Straight back

To keep your spine healthy and prevent yawning, you should constantly monitor your posture. With a bent back, the diaphragm does not work “to its fullest,” which can initiate causeless “yawning.”

Sports and healthy lifestyle

During sports, the body is saturated with oxygen, which allows a person to remain alert throughout the day. In addition to training, it would be highly advisable to avoid bad habits and take walks in the fresh air as often as possible.

Proper nutrition

A nutritious diet and eating in moderation can also prevent the occurrence of yawning. It is advisable to include in meals only those foods that belong to healthy eating(exclude fast food, excessively high-calorie sweets, food waste).

In addition, you should try to drink 1.5-2 liters of purified water per day.

Medications

Also, reducing the intake of a variety of foods to the required minimum will help eliminate the appearance of causeless yawning. medicinal drugs, especially antihistamines.

Mostly you want to yawn in the evening, when it’s time to go to bed. Such yawning is natural and does not surprise anyone. But sometimes it suddenly starts in the middle of the working day, and is so intense that it cannot be stopped. Scientists are interested in why people yawn often and what it feels like physiological significance this process.

Why is yawning necessary?

When a person yawns, he opens his mouth wide and takes a very deep breath. Thus, hyperventilation of the lungs occurs, and the body receives the maximum amount of oxygen.

It is logical to assume that you want to yawn in a stuffy room or other situations when you feel short of air or have difficulty breathing. But observations have shown that yawning occurs not only in such cases.

Main reasons

After various studies scientists were able to develop a classification of the main causes of yawning. It turned out that they can be not only physiological, but also psychological. And too frequent yawning is even a symptom of some serious diseases.

Therefore, if you find yourself yawning not only when you want to sleep, you should not ignore this moment.

Physiological

The most common physiological causes. We have already noted the lack of oxygen. In addition, a person yawns:

• in case of severe stress or prolonged nervous strain, this allows him to relax a little;
• with vitamin deficiency - impaired metabolic processes, often a person feels chronic fatigue and yawns all the time;
• for a shake-up - for example, after monotonous work or a long wait to get rid of fatigue;
• when relaxing, a deep breath promotes complete relaxation of the whole body;
• when the ears are stuffy - this way the air pressure on both sides of the eardrum is equalized;
• when overheated - yawning often occurs in hot climates when the human brain overheats.

Knowing the physiological reasons that can provoke yawning, it is easier to understand in which cases you should not worry, even if it recurs, and when it is better to consult with specialists.

Pathological

Scientists have proven that frequent uncontrollable yawning not associated with external influences, may be a symptom of one of the following diseases:

People yawn more often than usual during treatment oncological diseases chemistry course or radiation therapy, taking potent medicines. Alarming symptoms are the lethargy, drowsiness, frequent headache or dizziness, panic attacks.

Such conditions can only be identified and treated experienced doctors. Therefore, if you constantly yawn without visible reasons- Be sure to get tested.

Types of yawning

In a dream

Separately, I would like to say about such a phenomenon as yawning in a dream. It is especially common in newborns and children under three years of age. Mothers begin to worry and try to find out from the pediatrician what this yawning could be a symptom of. But here the facial structure of the child, who still has very narrow nasal passages, is to blame.

When the room is too hot or the air is very dry, crusts form in the nose and less oxygen comes in when breathing. The baby compensates for this deficiency by yawning. If you ventilate the room well and carefully clean the nose, the child will continue to sleep peacefully.

Older children and adults may yawn without waking up for other reasons:

• uncomfortable body position in which the chest is compressed;
• strong nervous tension during the day;
• violation cerebral circulation(precursor of stroke);
• difficulty breathing due to snoring and respiratory diseases;
• compression of the larynx in a lying position with large excess weight.

It turns out that yawning is a universal mechanism that performs several functions at once: protective, signaling, regulatory.

Mirror

A very interesting process is the so-called “mirror yawning”. If there are several people in the room at the same time, and one of them begins to yawn sweetly, then a literally “chain reaction” occurs - this is transmitted to everyone around.

Scientists have never been able to find a satisfactory explanation for why yawning is contagious. One theory says that this is one of the types of atavism that we inherited from our ancestors.

The mirror response is supposedly programmed in us genetically. In this way, the leader synchronized the group's actions and then issued the appropriate commands.

Is it possible to control

Evening yawning doesn't bother anyone. But if her attack takes her by surprise in the middle of the working day, it is inconvenient and indecent. Doctors decided to find out how to control yawning and whether there is effective means to combat this undesirable phenomenon?

Most people try to suppress a yawn by clenching their jaws tightly. But usually this does not help, since it does not allow you to get the additional portion of oxygen that the body now needs.

To quickly stop yawning, it is better to try the following:

If yawning is caused by lack of sleep, then a cup of coffee will be a temporary remedy. But you shouldn’t drink it too much, otherwise it will be difficult to fall asleep after have a long day, and the next morning everything will happen again.

Prevention

Even if yawning is associated with chronic diseases, there are quite simple ways prevent her uncontrollable attacks:

And finally one more interesting fact, which was noted by British psychologists studying yawning. The more emotional and sociable a person is, the more often he mirrors a yawn.

Those who yawn frequently are kinder and more sociable by nature, they are quicker to show empathy and come to the aid of others. So take this into account when choosing new friends.

Every person, regardless of age, yawns. At this time, he opens his mouth wide, fills his lungs with air for a long time, sometimes makes a sound and exhales quickly. We usually say that we are bored or sleepy. However, constant yawning can be caused by many reasons - from simple to serious, indicating the presence of a disease.

Frequent yawning: reasons

Yawning is a physiological process that is caused by a number of reasons. These include:

• lack of sleep;
• fatigue;
• traveling across time zones;
• changing the daily routine.

However, frequent yawning should alert you, as it may be an indicator of serious illness. It can be:

• cardiovascular diseases;
• multiple sclerosis;
• epilepsy;
• hypothyroidism;
• electrolyte imbalance;
• insufficient liver function.

Constant nervousness can also lead to frequent yawning. The reason may be if a person is in a state of anxiety, depression, or stress.

Why is yawning contagious?

Everyone has probably noticed that as soon as one person yawns, everyone present begins to repeat after him, which is why they consider yawning a contagious process. Many experts have tried to answer the question of why this happens, but no one can say for sure. This is just speculation.

Interesting: Sometimes it is enough to see a yawning person in a photograph, and a yawn appears involuntarily.

Scientists have proven that when you see a yawn, the areas in the brain that are responsible for empathy for a person are activated. That is, only responsive people imitate yawners. The proof is that children under 5 years of age never repeat a yawn, since they have not yet learned to empathize with others, as well as people suffering from autism.

Constant severe yawning: reasons

There are many reasons for constant yawning:

1. Lack of oxygen to the brain. A signal of lack of oxygen is sent to it, since at this time hyperventilation of the lungs is necessary. Therefore, a person yawns, taking in more air with his mouth, and saturates the lungs with oxygen;
2. « Overheating of the brain" It occurs when on the street heat air, and when yawning, ventilation of the lungs again takes place;
3. Transition from the braking phase to the active phase. In order to wake up better, start the metabolic mechanism, the rhythm of the heart and the whole body as a whole, a yawn is made.

Most often, constant yawning occurs when you are tired or working at night.

The child yawns often - what are the reasons?

Usually, most parents do not pay much attention to their baby's yawning. Most often, the conclusion is that the child did not get enough sleep. But if yawning is repeated too often, then you should not ignore it.

In children there are mainly 2 reasons frequent yawning:

1. The first is associated with disruption of the nervous system;
2. The second is due to lack of oxygen.

It is necessary to urgently contact a neurologist and follow his recommendations. If no pathology is detected, it means that you need to ventilate the room where the baby is more, increase the time of walks and maintain constant temperature so that the child does not overheat and does not experience a lack of oxygen.

Why does a child yawn in his sleep?

Basically, yawning during sleep occurs due to lack of oxygen. This can be determined by the following signs:

• mouth slightly open;
• noises are heard during breathing;
• A dry cough occurs from time to time.

It is worth visiting an ENT specialist or neurologist to find out the reasons. But before visiting a doctor, you can try to ventilate your child’s room before going to bed. If everything is fine with your health, the yawning will stop.

Why does an adult yawn in his sleep?

It also happens that a person involuntarily yawns in his sleep. This may also be due to several reasons:

1. Health disorders (migraine, changes in hormonal levels, as well as in the syndrome chronic fatigue).
2. Lack of vitamins and microelements in the body.
3. If a person is taking antihistamines.

During sleep, it is undesirable to bend your back, since the diaphragm cannot sufficiently perform its functions; it is advisable to lie with a straight back.

Why does a person yawn during prayer?

Some people begin to yawn when visiting church and reading prayers. Some believe that this is how a person relaxes, others find the reason in the insufficient amount of air due to burning candles, because they burn oxygen.

To eliminate the causes, it is advisable to adhere to a number of rules.

1. When reading a prayer at home, you need to ventilate the room, and then the yawning will stop. Moreover, if the prayer is long, the brain works hard, you need to concentrate so as not to forget the words.
2. Very often a person who prays has to for a long time be in one position: standing on your knees or feet. Breathing and nerve endings slow down, which results in a lack of oxygen.
3. If prayer in a temple takes place in public, yawning also occurs with excitement.

How to control yawning?

In order to reduce yawning, you can resort to next steps:

• take active breaths through your nose and exhale through your mouth;
• if you feel a sudden yawning, it is advisable to drink some cool water;
• when they notice frequent urge to yawn, you need to open the window, ventilate the room well, it is advisable to lower the temperature a little;
• Cucumbers and watermelon can help, as they contain more liquid;
• It is recommended to place a dampened and cooled towel on your head.

Video: Why do people yawn?

In the following video, a representative of the Slivki Show channel will try to find the reasons that provoke yawns in people:

Frequent and severe yawning during the day and at night should alert you, as this usually occurs due to illness. Therefore, it is advisable to contact a specialist. Don't ignore your body's signals!

Every time before or after sleep, as well as after tiring work, we open our mouths wide and let more air into our lungs. This is so familiar to us that few people ask the simplest question: why does a person yawn? A closer look reveals a rather complex problem.

Researchers put forward several possible reasons that explain this phenomenon:

1. An increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood, resulting in there is a need in the body to receive large dose oxygen for a short time. However, sometimes the result is that the amount of gas is even reduced;
2. Increasing concentration and strengthening the state of wakefulness. Thus, it was noticed that paratroopers need to hunker down before jumping out of the plane;
3. This is one of the ways the body controls brain temperature. As researchers from the University at Albany proved in 2007, this cools the vital organ;
4. Impact of special chemical substances(neurotransmitters) that determine mood, appetite, emotions, etc. These include dopamine, serotonin, glutamic acid and nitric oxide. As soon as their concentration increases, a strong desire to yawn arises. Conversely, the presence of opioid neurotransmitters (endorphins) significantly reduces the desire to open the mouth;
5. Some illnesses, such as diabetes, stroke or adrenal dysfunction, have a certain effect.

Why do tears flow when you yawn?

Some experience involuntary tearing during yawning. The simplest knowledge of physiology is sufficient to explain this fact:

• A healthy eye secretes a relatively large amount of tear fluid every day (about 1 ml);
• As a rule, wetting of the organs of vision occurs with some frequency. But various factors can provoke it out of turn;
• Some of them are associated with diseases. So, rhinitis (or chronic runny nose) leads to lacrimation;

In other cases, the release of tears may be inadvertently caused independently. Thus, with a wide opening of the mouth, a contraction of the cervical and facial muscles. And the latter are in direct contact with eye muscles. That's why tears flow when you yawn well. However, this does not apply to everyone. Sometimes the eye glands are so stable that it doesn’t matter.

Reflex behavior in animals

Representatives of the fauna yawn important role for survival:

• As Charles Darwin wrote in his book On the Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, this is one of the techniques for expressing aggression when attacked by predators. Thus, peacocks, opening their mouths, expose their teeth. They do the same Guinea pigs. Often this results in the release of a corresponding odor and growling;
• The Adelie penguin courtes the opposite sex in such an extravagant way. Males open their beaks wide and look up to the sky;
• Snakes thereby rebuild the vital systems of their body from nutrition to breathing. When performing this action, the trachea sharply increases in size;
• Why dogs do this is still not known. These pets have achieved considerable success in copying the movements of their owner, so perhaps they learned to yawn after domestication;
• Fish do this to take in more air when they are starved of oxygen.

Why do people yawn after each other?

This is another great question of modern anthropology:

• This phenomenon has been noticed even in wildlife. Thus, herd animals (for example, wolves) convey a general mood to each other at the time of awakening and going to bed. This is the oldest primitive herd instinct inherent in mammals;
• Psychologist Garrett Norris showed in a series of psychological observations in 2013 positive connection between empathy and the contagiousness of yawning. Children with autism spectrum disorders, unlike their healthy peers, do not react in any way to strangers;
• Italian psychologists came to similar conclusions, showing that the reflex is most likely transmitted from close relatives. Then, as the influence decreases, friends, acquaintances and outsiders follow;
• Direct physiological reason The contagiousness of this condition lies in the mirror neurons of the frontal cortex. These cells play a leading role in the mechanisms of imitation and copying. Thus, they are significantly activated during language acquisition.

Cultural meaning of yawning

In some societies it takes on particularly important meaning:

• Sometimes an open mouth was associated with the departure of the soul from the body and the penetration of evil spirits there. Perhaps this is where the tradition of covering it up when an involuntary yawn originates;
• A negative attitude towards opening the mouth was instilled in ancient medicine. Thus, Polydore Virgil (historian and philosopher of the 15th-16th centuries) wrote that in this case it is necessary to make the sign of the cross. This will, as it were, help avoid infection with the deadly plague that raged in the Middle Ages;
• Over the past few centuries, the stereotype has taken root that relaxing in this way means showing indifference or disrespect. George Washington wrote that during this involuntary act one should cover one's face with a handkerchief or turn one's face to the side;
• In some US states, a particularly loud yawn is regarded as contempt of court (undermining the supremacy and dignity of representatives of the judiciary). Thus, one of the jurors in Los Angeles paid harshly for such an offense in 2005.

How to stop a yawning attack?

We have already seen that this instinct is subject to strong social repression as inappropriate. If he catches us at work or in another public place, we need to know how to save face and not give free rein to primal urges:

• Close your lips and breathe exclusively through the nasal openings. As was proven above, sometimes this reflex is a normal response to oxygen deprivation which can be avoided in a more socially acceptable way;
• Another factor that is of no small importance here is body temperature, or rather, brain temperature. We involuntarily open our jaws in order to cool our “central processor”. But you can achieve the same effect by simply drinking a glass of cool water (or any other liquid), opening the window wide, or applying gauze soaked in cold tap water to your forehead;
• As emergency measure and in the absence of something cold at hand, basic folk techniques: press the tip of your tongue to the upper palate, bite your lip, or take a series of deep breaths.

Even today, the luminaries of world science are not able to clearly explain exactly why a person yawns. Some scientists believe that this is an ancient herd instinct that promotes empathy in a community of animals. Others believe that the reason is only a lack of oxygen. But no one denies the fact that neurotransmitters (substances that transmit impulses between neurons) are involved in this physiological act.

Will you be able to avoid yawning after watching this video?

This video demonstrates the “contagious” effect of yawning, watch this video to the end:

Many people notice that when visiting church, standing at a church service, or reading a prayer at home, a person begins to yawn. And the more he does it, the easier it becomes. Why does this happen? There is an opinion that there is a demon in a person, and that is why this happens. Is it true?

In fact, yawning can occur due to relaxation. While visiting a temple or reading prayers, a person relaxes. At this moment, demons can tempt our flesh, but we should not think that yawning is a sign of demon possession.

Yawning during prayer

If while reading spells or prayers you begin to yawn, and the yawning does not let you go, pay attention to the room in which you are praying. If this happens only in a certain place, then it is quite possible that the room is stuffy and there is nothing to breathe; so due to lack of oxygen you start yawning.

It is also worth paying attention to the time of day and your condition. If this happens early in the morning, in the evening after a hard day at work, or when you are very tired, then perhaps you just want to sleep, and yawning is a completely natural process.

If you start yawning regardless of the time of day or the room you are in, then there is a possibility that you are being influenced dark forces. As is known, devilry very often interferes with a person reading prayers, sending him sneezing, yawning, scabies, etc. To get rid of bad influences, do the following.

During the waning moon, light a blue candle every day in the evening, place it in an uncut glass filled with salt and read the plot 3 times:

“In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I expel from myself, from those around me, furry devils, black demons, evil devils and all the evil spirits of the underworld. I conjure you, unclean ones, not to come near me from now on, not to ruin my prayer. Amen"

While reading, try not to yawn.

Yawning as a sign of the evil eye

There is also an opinion that yawning during prayer is a sign of the evil eye, which must be gotten rid of. You can do this as follows.

Take a mild knife, and lightly pressing it on the skin, draw a cross 33 times in the area of ​​the heart, while reading the spell:

“I remove the evil eye, release it into the clouds, and continue to live without the evil eye. I kill with a knife, I pierce with a knife, I fasten with a cross. Amen.

Why does a person yawn?

The reasons for yawning vary. Let's look at them in more detail:

1. Imbalance of carbon dioxide and oxygen. When a lot of carbon dioxide accumulates in our blood, our body reacts to this by causing a yawn, during which a person receives a large portion of oxygen, which helps maintain balance.
2. Yawning is like an energy drink. In the morning, yawning helps our body become more active. For the same purpose, a person begins to yawn, feeling signs of fatigue. There is a connection between yawning and stretching. If these two processes are carried out simultaneously, then we will not only saturate the blood with oxygen, but also improve blood circulation. After such actions, attention increases, and the person feels more alert.
3. Yawning is a sedative. Before exciting events, many people begin to yawn, which allows them to activate energy and cheer up. It has been observed that yawning “attacks” students before an exam, athletes before a competition, patients before an examination, and artists before a performance. This process tones the body and helps cope with anxiety.
4. Yawning is good for your nose and ears. During it, the channels leading to eustachian tubes And maxillary sinuses, this helps get rid of “congestion” in the ears.
5. Relaxation by yawning. Yawning not only invigorates, but can also relax you. Voluntary yawning is used in some relaxation techniques. You need to lie down, relax as much as possible and open your mouth - very soon the process of yawning will begin, after which you will feel calm and peaceful.
6. Yawning before bed. In the evening, our body prepares for sleep, our heartbeat returns to normal, and a feeling of peace appears. Yawning helps us relax after a busy day. This is why people yawn before going to bed.
7. Yawning to nourish the brain. Scientists say that a person in a state of passivity slows down his breathing, and nerve cells they start to work worse. When yawning, the lack of oxygen is replenished and blood circulation improves. The brain receives the required nutrition, and we are invigorated - both mentally and physically. This is why people yawn when they are bored.
8. Yawning helps reduce mental stress. This is probably the reason we yawn when we watch a boring movie or listen to an uninteresting lecture.
9. Yawning is like mini-gymnastics for the face. By yawning, we improve blood supply to brain cells. This occurs because the muscles in the face, neck, and mouth become tense during this process. Such gymnastics activates the brain.
10. Regulating brain temperature. Some scientists argue that yawning acts as a temperature regulator for the brain. When a person is hot, he yawns more often, thus receiving a portion of cool and fresh air, thanks to this the brain “cools” and begins to function normally.

Yawning: interesting facts

• a person yawns on average for about 6 seconds;
• Autistic children usually do not yawn in response;
• the frequency of yawning is the same in men and women;
• men cover their mouths less often when yawning;
• People who yawn too often should see a doctor, as it may be a sign of certain medical conditions.

You've probably noticed that yawning is contagious. If you watch a person yawn, you will soon start yawning yourself. Scientists say that this happens because we subconsciously empathize with other people, and that's why it happens.

Why does a person yawn, the meaning of yawning and signs