Why does a person yawn. What can constant yawning tell you?

Basically, you want to yawn in the evening, when the usual time to go to bed comes up. Such yawning is natural and surprises no one. But sometimes it suddenly starts at the height of the working day, and it is so intense that it cannot be stopped. Scientists are interested in why a person often yawns and what is the physiological significance of this process.

Why is yawning necessary?

When a person yawns, they open their mouth wide and take 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 stuffy room or other situations where you feel short of breath or have difficulty breathing. But observations have shown that yawning happens 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 catch yourself yawning not only when you want to sleep, you should not leave this moment unattended.

Physiological

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

• with severe stress or prolonged nervous strain - this allows him to relax a little;
• with avitaminosis - violated metabolic processes, often a person feels chronic fatigue and yawns all the time;
• for a shake - for example, after monotonous work or a long wait to get rid of fatigue;
• when relaxing - a deep breath contributes to the complete relaxation of the whole body;
• when the ears are stuffed up - this equalizes the air pressure on both sides eardrum;
• when overheating - often yawning attacks in a hot climate, 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 conditions:

More than usual, people yawn during treatment oncological diseases chemistry course or radiotherapy, taking potent medicines. anxiety symptoms are accompanying yawning lethargy, drowsiness, frequent headache or dizziness, panic attacks.

These 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. Moms begin to worry and try to find out from the pediatrician what such yawning can be a symptom of. But it's all to blame facial structure a child who still has very narrow nasal passages.

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

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

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

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

Mirror

A very interesting process is the so-called "mirror yawn". If there are several people in the room at the same time, and one of them starts to yawn sweetly, then it happens literally “ chain reaction” - 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.

Mirror responsiveness ostensibly programmed in us genetically. Thus, the leader synchronized the actions of the group and then gave the appropriate commands.

Is it possible to control

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

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

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

If yawning is provoked by lack of sleep, then a cup of coffee will be a temporary remedy against it. But you should not drink too much of it, otherwise it will be difficult to fall asleep later. long day, and the next morning everything will repeat itself.

Prevention

Even if yawning is associated with chronic diseases, there are quite a few simple ways prevent her uncontrolled seizures:

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 often yawn are kinder and more sociable by nature, they quickly show sympathy and come to the aid of others. So take this into account when choosing new friends.

Despite the variety of symptoms and sensations, VVD is a book with the same plot. Only we, the patients, are different, therefore all manifestations of vegetative-vascular dystonia are individual for each patient.

Constant yawning and lack of air can be attributed to fatigue and lack of sleep, or find the most terrifying reasons in the patient's imagination. But often, VSDers are surprised when they find out that they are actually yawning ... out of fear.

"Respiratory" dystonia

FROM unpleasant feeling suffocation and frequent desire a deep yawn is faced by every VVDshnik. And if some patients don't give it too much important, then others literally become isolated on respiratory problems. Therefore, VSD associated with problematic breathing was called dystonia with respiratory syndrome.

Attention! respiratory syndrome does not lead to lethal outcome, but an overestimated fear about this can bring a person to. And then the circle will close with an iron link. The more fear, the more difficult it will be to breathe.

It is not uncommon for ASD people to suspect they have asthma, heart or lung problems, the more they attach themselves to fear for their lives. As a result, the vegetative rebellion is becoming stronger and stronger in the subconscious. To understand the "logic" of constant yawning and get rid of it forever unpleasant symptom, you must first understand: the cause of this state is not organic, but spiritual, however, as always.

Why do VSDs yawn?

When a person is in a stressful situation - for the VSD this is a “standard” way of life - the brain begins to autonomously change the functions of breathing, changing its depth and rhythm, adjusting it to a “danger situation”, which is not really there. Stress breathing, as a rule, is frequent and superficial, which means that muscles and tissues do not receive enough oxygen. Hence the eternally cold extremities of the VSDs, who sit in warm rooms and drink hot tea. And how much there is not enough air during a panic attack! I want to literally swallow it with my mouth, but it seems to be getting smaller and smaller.

Surprisingly, there is actually more than enough air in our lungs. The lungs are literally filled with oxygen, and this is very bad. Everything in nature must have its balance, including the ratio of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. When an excess of oxygen displaces carbon dioxide, and a healthy proportion is disturbed, a person feels suffocated: respiratory system doesn't work as it should. And the more it frightens the patient, the more often he begins to breathe, and the less carbon dioxide remains.

This is so frightening vicious circle. That is why some especially frightened hypochondriacs faint when the carbon dioxide content becomes completely critical. This often happens with panic attacks. The patient begins to feel acute suffocation, but everyone around only convinces him not to be so nervous. Of course, the lucky ones without VVD will never understand the mental anguish experienced by true dystonic people. Meanwhile, the respiratory type of dystonia continues to torment the patient, even when panic attack ended.

Decreased tone vascular network of our entire body, and the heart is not able to provide the lungs with the necessary amount of blood, because the heart itself does not have enough resources for full-fledged work. Begins oxygen starvation in tissues, which can lead to their ischemic lesion. Then the autonomous part of the brain responsible for the work of the heart and blood vessels sounds the alarm and forces the person to “correct the situation”.

Strong yawning and lack of air, as a rule, are inseparable companions. Slow, deep yawns restore respiratory functions, ensuring the normal supply of oxygen to the lungs and the normalization of its ratio with carbon dioxide. Therefore, there is no need to be embarrassed to yawn: this is how the normal functioning of the body is restored, tissues are saturated with oxygen and their ischemic damage is prevented.

Should yawning be treated?

Going to the doctor and telling him “I constantly yawn, help me” is a somewhat dubious gamble for the VSDshnik. The patient heard advice to change his lifestyle and go to bed early hundreds of times, and not only from doctors. Therefore, VSDshnikov, as a rule, remain alone with their respiratory symptom and periodically bully themselves with medical articles about asthma and pulmonary clots.

When we breathe easily, we do not even notice this process. This is normal because breathing is a reflex act that is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Nature intended it so for good reason. Thanks to this, we can breathe even in an unconscious state. This ability in some cases saves our lives. But if even the slightest difficulty appears with breathing, we feel it immediately. Why does constant yawning and lack of air, and what to do about it? Here's what the doctors told us.

Dangerous symptoms

Sometimes shortness of breath occurs for physiological reasons, which are quite easily eliminated. But if you constantly want to yawn and take a deep breath, then this may be a symptom of a serious illness. It is even worse when, against this background, shortness of breath (dyspnea) often occurs, appearing even with minimal physical activity. This is already a cause for concern and a visit to the doctor.

You should immediately go to the hospital if difficulty breathing is accompanied by:

• pain in the retrosternal region;
• change in the color of the skin;
• nausea and dizziness;
• severe bouts of coughing;
• an increase in body temperature;
• swelling and cramps of the limbs;
• feeling of fear and inner tension.

These symptoms usually clearly signal pathologies in the body, which must be identified and eliminated as soon as possible.

Causes of lack of air

All the reasons why a person can turn to a doctor with a complaint: “I can’t breathe completely and constantly yawn” can be divided into psychological, physiological and pathological. Conditionally - because everything in our body is closely interconnected, and the failure of one system entails a violation normal operation other organs.

So, long-term stress, which is attributed to psychological reasons, may provoke hormonal imbalance and cardiovascular problems.

Physiological

The most harmless are the physiological causes that can cause difficulty breathing:

It is difficult to breathe in the heat, especially when severely dehydrated. The blood becomes thicker, and it is harder for the heart to push it through the vessels. As a result, the body does not receive enough oxygen. The person begins to yawn and try to breathe deeper.

Medical

Shortness of breath, yawning and regularly felt shortness of breath can provoke serious illness. And often these signs are one of the first symptoms that allow diagnosing the disease at an early stage.

Therefore, if you constantly find it difficult to breathe, be sure to go to the doctor. Among possible diagnoses the most common are the following:

As you can see, most diseases are not just serious - they pose a threat to the patient's life. Therefore, if you often feel short of breath, it is better not to delay a visit to the doctor.

Psychogenic

And again, one cannot help but recall stress, which is today one of the main causes of the development of many diseases.

Yawning under stress unconditioned reflex that is instilled in us by nature. If you watch animals, you will notice that when they are nervous, they constantly yawn. And in this sense, we are no different from them.

Under stress, a spasm of capillaries occurs, and the heart begins to beat faster through the release of adrenaline. Because of this, it increases blood pressure. A deep breath and yawning perform a compensatory function in this case and protect the brain from destruction.

With a strong fright, there is often a muscle spasm, due to which it becomes impossible to take a full breath. No wonder there is an expression "breathless".

What to do

If you find yourself in a situation in which there is frequent yawning and lack of breath, do not try to panic - this will only exacerbate the problem. The first thing to do is to provide an additional supply of oxygen: open a window or window, if possible, go outside.

Try to loosen clothing as much as possible that interferes full breath: remove a tie, unbutton a collar, corset or bra. In order not to feel dizzy, it is better to take a seated or lying position. Now you need to take a very deep breath through the nose and an elongated exhalation through the mouth.

After a few such breaths, the condition usually improves markedly. If this did not happen, and the above listed were added to the lack of air dangerous symptoms- call an ambulance immediately.

Before the arrival of health workers, do not take medications on your own unless they are prescribed by your doctor - they can distort clinical picture and make it difficult to diagnose.

Diagnostics

Emergency physicians usually quickly determine the cause of severe breathing difficulty and the need for hospitalization. If there are no serious concerns, and the attack is caused by physiological causes or severe stress and no longer repeats, then you can sleep peacefully.

But if you suspect heart or lung disease, it is better to undergo an examination, which may include:

• general analysis of blood and urine;
• radiograph of the lungs;
• electrocardiogram;
• Ultrasound of the heart;
• bronchoscopy;
• computer tomogram.

What types of research are needed in your case, the doctor will determine at the initial examination.

If lack of air and constant yawning are caused by stress, then you may need to consult a psychologist or neurologist who will tell you how to remove nervous tension or prescribe medications: sedatives or antidepressants.

Treatment and prevention

When a patient comes to the doctor with a complaint: “I can’t breathe completely, I’m yawning, what should I do?”, First of all, he collects a detailed history. This eliminates the physiological causes of oxygen deficiency.

In the case of overweight, the treatment is obvious - the patient should be referred to a nutritionist. Without controlled weight loss, the problem cannot be solved.

If the results of the examination revealed acute or chronic diseases hearts or respiratory tract, treatment is prescribed according to the protocol. It already requires taking medications and, possibly, physiotherapy procedures.

Good prevention and even a method of treatment is breathing exercises. But at broncho-pulmonary diseases it can be done only with the permission of the attending physician. Incorrectly selected or performed exercises in this case can provoke an attack severe cough and worsening general condition.

It is very important to keep yourself in good physical form. Even with heart disease, there are special sets of exercises that help you recover faster and return to normal way life. Aerobic exercises are especially useful - they train the heart and develop the lungs.

Active games on fresh air(badminton, tennis, basketball, etc.), cycling, walking at a fast pace, swimming - will not only help get rid of shortness of breath and provide additional oxygen, but also tighten your muscles, making you slimmer. And then even high in the mountains you will feel great and enjoy the journey, and not suffer from constant shortness of breath and yawning.

Everyone, 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. Usually we say that we are bored or. However, constant yawning can be caused by many reasons - from simple to serious, indicating the presence of a disease.

Yawning is frequent: causes

Yawning is physiological process, which is due to a number of reasons. These include:

• lack of sleep;
• fatigue;
• travel across time zones;
• change in daily routine.

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

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

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

Why is yawning contagious?

Everyone, probably, noticed that it is worth yawning to one person, as everyone present begins to repeat after him, and therefore they consider yawning a contagious process. Many experts have tried to answer the question why this is happening, but no one can say for sure. There are only guesses.

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

It has been proven by scientists that when you see a yawn, the areas responsible for empathy with a person turn on in the brain. That is, only sympathetic people imitate those who yawn. The evidence is that children under 5 never repeat yawns, as they have not yet learned to empathize with others, as well as people with autism.

Constant strong yawning: causes

There are many reasons for constant yawning:

1. Lack of oxygen to the brain. A signal of lack of oxygen is given to it, since hyperventilation of the lungs is necessary at this time. Therefore, a person yawns, capturing more air, and saturates the lungs with oxygen;
2. « Overheating of the brain". It occurs when outside heat air, and when yawning, ventilation of the lungs is again performed;
3. Transition from braking phase to active. In order to wake up better, start the metabolic mechanism, the work of the heart rhythm and the whole organism as a whole, a yawn is made.

Most often, constant yawning occurs with fatigue, work at night.

The child often yawns - what are the reasons?

Usually, most parents do not pay much attention to the baby's yawning. Most often, it is concluded that the child did not sleep well. But if yawning is repeated too often, then you should not leave it unattended.

In children, there are mainly 2 causes of frequent yawning:

1. The first one is related to disruption nervous system;
2. The second - with a lack of oxygen.

It is urgent to contact a neurologist and follow his recommendations. If the pathology is not detected, then you need to ventilate the room where the baby is staying more, increase the walking time 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. You can determine this by the following signs:

• open mouth;
• noises are heard during breathing;
• dry cough occurs at times.

It is worth visiting a Laura or a neurologist to find out the reasons. But before visiting the doctor, you can try to air the child's room before going to bed. If everything is normal with health, yawning will stop.

Why do adults yawn in their sleep?

It also happens that a person involuntarily yawns in a dream. This can also be due to several reasons:

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

During sleep, it is undesirable to bend your back, since the diaphragm cannot perform in sufficient their functions, it is desirable to lie with a straight back.

Why do people yawn during prayer?

Some people start yawning while attending church and reading prayers. Some believe that this is how a person relaxes, others find the reason for the lack 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 is working hard, you need to concentrate so as not to forget the words.
2. Very often, a praying person has to stay in one position for a long time: kneel or stand. There is a slowdown in breathing and work nerve endings, and there is a lack of oxygen.
3. If prayer in the temple is held in public, a yawn also occurs with excitement.

How to control yawning?

In order to reduce yawning, you can resort to the following actions:

• take an active breath through the nose and exhale through the mouth;
• if there is a feeling of imminent yawning, it is advisable to drink some cool water;
• when they notice frequent urges to yawn, it is necessary to open the window, ventilate the room well, it is desirable to slightly lower the temperature;
• cucumbers, watermelon can help, as they contain more liquid;
• it is recommended to put a moistened and chilled 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, as usually this happens due to illness. Therefore, it is advisable to consult a specialist. Don't ignore your body's signals!

Although a lot of research has been devoted to studying the causes of yawning, scientists still cannot agree on what its main purpose is. For a long time yawning was thought to result from reduced content oxygen in the blood: using deep breath the body takes a breath of oxygen. However, scientists eventually refuted this theory: it turned out that if you give a yawning person more oxygen or ventilate stuffy room He won't stop yawning.

Reason for yawning. Version 2: brain cooling

According to another theory, a person yawns to cool the brain. Experiments conducted by American scientists showed that subjects who were applied to the forehead cold compress, yawned less when watching videos of yawning people than subjects with warm compress or without it (about the contagiousness of yawning - a little lower). Those participants in the experiment who were asked to breathe only through their nose also yawned less often: with such breathing, cooler blood enters the brain than with mouth breathing.

Reason for yawning. Version 3: warm up

Who else?

Not only people yawn, but also other mammals, birds and even fish. For example, baboons yawn to show threat, while exposing their fangs. In addition, male baboons always yawn at the sound of thunder (scientists have not yet figured out why). Male fighting fish also yawn to demonstrate threat - they yawn when they see another fish or look in the mirror and are often accompanied by an aggressive attack. Other fish can also yawn, usually when the water is too hot or there is a lack of oxygen. Emperor and Adélie penguins yawn during their courtship ritual. And snakes yawn to straighten their jaws and straighten their trachea after swallowing large prey.

Another purpose of yawning is to stretch and relax tired or tight muscles. First of all, these are the muscles of the pharynx and tongue, but also the muscles of the whole body: that is why a person often stretches simultaneously with yawning. Such a warm-up for the muscles, combined with a cooling of the brain, helps to invigorate the body and bring it into a state of readiness for action. Therefore, yawning often occurs when people are nervous before some important event: students yawn before exams, skydivers before a jump, and artists before a performance. For the same reason, people yawn when they want to sleep or when they are bored: yawning helps invigorate a sleepy brain and numb muscles.

Reason for yawning. Version 4: Ear Help

It is also useful to yawn while flying on an airplane. This helps to get rid of the stuffy ear sensation that occurs during takeoff or landing due to the pressure difference on either side of the eardrum. Since the pharynx is connected to the middle ear cavity through special channels, yawning helps equalize the pressure in the ears.

Reason for yawning. Version 5: mirror neurons

four legged friends

Yawning can be transmitted not only from person to person, but also from person to dog. So, scientists from Sweden and the UK have shown that dogs yawn at the sight of yawning people, and the tendency to such mirror behavior depends on the age of the dog: animals under seven months old are resistant to infection by yawning. At the same time, dogs are not deceived - if a person does not really yawn, but simply opens his mouth, depicting a yawn, the dog will not yawn in response. Scientists have also shown that dogs become more relaxed and sleepy when they see a yawning person - that is, they copy not only human behavior, but also physiological state underlying it.

Yawning is highly contagious. People begin to yawn not only when they see others yawning, but also when watching videos or photos of people yawning. Moreover, often it is enough for a person to read or think about yawning in order to start yawning himself. However, not everyone has the ability to mirror yawn: studies of children with autism have shown that, unlike healthy children, they do not become infected with yawning when watching videos of other people yawning. Also, children under the age of five, who are not yet able to empathize with others, are not prone to mirror yawning. What explains the relationship between susceptibility to infection by yawning and the capacity for empathy?

The contagiousness of yawning is based on the so-called mirror neurons. These neurons, located in the cerebral cortex of humans, other primates, and some birds, have a kind of empathy: they fire when a person observes the actions that someone else is doing. Mirror neurons determine the ability to imitate (for example, when learning new languages) and to empathize: thanks to them, we do not just notice emotional condition another person, but actually experiencing it ourselves. Mirror yawning is one example of such imitative behavior. According to scientists, imitative yawning arose in the evolution of primates to coordinate the actions of social groups. When one of the group members yawned at the sight of danger, his state was transmitted to everyone else, and the group came into a state of readiness for action.

Reason for yawning. Version 6: a sign of closeness

In 2011, Italian scientists showed that the contagiousness of yawning serves as a measure of people's emotional closeness. In experiments, mirror yawning most often occurred in close relatives and friends of the yawner. Distant acquaintances were less likely to become infected by yawning, and very rarely did mirror behavior occur in people unfamiliar with the yawning person. At the same time, gender and nationality did not affect the tendency to yawn infection.

Reason for yawning. Version 7: a symptom of the disease

Prolonged frequent yawning may be a sign various diseases- for example, violations of thermoregulation of the body, problems with sleep, high blood pressure, thrombosis of the arteries or damage to the brain stem, where the respiratory center is located. In addition, too frequent yawning can be caused by increased anxiety or depression - while in the blood there is an increased level of cortisol, the stress hormone. Therefore, if you are overcome by constant yawning, you should consult a doctor - check your heart, blood vessels and pressure. And for starters, you can try to get a good night's sleep and stop being nervous.