Yawning is a common involuntary reflex characterized by opening your mouth wide to take a deep breath and then exhaling rapidly
. It typically lasts between 4 and 7 seconds
. Yawning is a complex muscular movement that fully dilates your entire airway as surrounding muscles powerfully stretch or tense, most significantly around your throat
. While the precise reasons for yawning are not fully understood, some common triggers and theories include:
- Tiredness Yawning is often associated with sleepiness or fatigue and occurs both after waking up and before bedtime
. It can be a sign that the body is preparing for sleep
- Boredom Yawning may occur when a person is doing boring or tedious tasks
. If your environment is not stimulating, you’ll feel drowsy
- Brain temperature regulation Yawning may help to cool down an overheating brain, and some studies have found that people yawn more in the summer than in the winter
- Change in elevation Yawning can help equalize the pressure in your ears when you are in an airplane or driving at different elevations
- Empathy and social connection Yawning can be contagious, and psychologists say that you’re more likely to yawn when you see someone else do it if you’re more empathetic
- Communication of feelings Yawning may communicate how you feel, whether you’re tired, bored, or under mild stress. It may also be an empathetic and social skill where we show that we connect with others
- Change of state Yawning may simply be a way for the body to change the state of awareness it is in, such as when transitioning from a high level of alertness to a lower one
