Are you yawning without reason? This may be a secret message from your body
Yawning is associated with a lack of sleep and fatigue. This simple and usually harmless reflex, however, can indicate serious diseases. If you find yourself yawning often and for no apparent reason, it's better to consult a doctor.
6:30 AM EDT, October 15, 2023
According to the oldest scientific hypotheses, we yawn to provide our bodies with more oxygen. Some researchers believe that this action stimulates the body and increases brain activity. Others argue that the main "function" of yawning is to equalize the pressure in the inner ear, as well as regulate body temperature. It turns out that this reflex can inform us about the development of various diseases.
Excessive and unexplained is a cause for concern
Experts say that yawning more than three times within 15 minutes might be cause for concern. Of course, there's no need to panic - if you're after a sleepless night, a tiresome day at work, suffering from sleep disturbances, or taking sedatives, you may experience continuous yawning.
It's different if this reflex is not justified by any of the above factors. Then it might indicate the development of troublesome diseases.
Yawning is a symptom of many diseases
Frequent yawning can primarily inform about heart diseases and circulatory system disorders. In this case, the aim of yawning is to oxygenate the body, due to blood flow disruptions. The yawning reflex also intensifies in stressful situations and suggests anxiety disorders.
In addition to this, the reflex may indicate a heat stroke, migraine, bronchial asthma, or gastroesophageal reflux.
Do not stop yawning
There's no point in suppressing and stifling yawns, because the body will still strive to perform this reflex. Instead, it's better to try various breathing and relaxation techniques, which will help reduce the frequency of yawning. However, this does not solve the fundamental problem. The key is to identify the cause of the observed symptoms.
Just yawning itself is not a sufficient indicator of diseases like heart disease, reflux, asthma, or other mentioned conditions. Other symptoms must also occur with this reaction. If you experience excessive yawning and also have other worrisome symptoms, please contact your primary care physician and ask for the appropriate tests or referral to a specialist. The earlier you undergo diagnosis, the better.
