Can you yawn while sleeping

Domestic dogs also exhibit contagious yawning. Dog owners, do you feel like your pup is part of the family? Science suggests that our dogs yawn contagiously in response to human yawns. Speak with your physician or seek medical attention promptly.

Want to stop yawning? Looking for some help avoiding those embarrassing yawns that happen at the worst times? Follow these tips, and remember the key is to keep things cool:. Yawning is about cooling things down internally—specifically the brain. Spending time in a warm environment will make you more likely to yawn. Drink some ice water. Worried about yawning in the middle of a meeting? Use a cold compress on your forehead. Scientists have found that cooling the forehead can lower brain temperature and stop excessive yawning.

Take some slow, deep breaths through your nose. When you yawn, you inhale cooler ambient air, which helps lower brain temperature. Breathing through the nose has been shown to reduce yawning.

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Physiologically, deep breaths and open mouths can cool the brain slightly, but the evidence that this is a real cause of yawning is not convincing. A logical but disproven theory on why we yawn is to improve oxygen in the blood or remove carbon dioxide. This seems logical since yawning does bring in more oxygen with a deep breath and the expiration removes more carbon dioxide than the usual breath, but research by putting people in low-oxygen or high- carbon-dioxide environments does not cause yawning.

The short answer is that yawning is normal. It is common and usually is totally benign. However, if there is an increase in yawning that cannot be explained by lack of sleep or some of the other causes mentioned above, then yawning can be a symptom of some disease. The most common medical problems that are associated with increased yawning are sleep deprivation, insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and many medicines that cause sleepiness. There are some other medical diseases that cause yawning including bleeding around the heart, brain tumor, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and even heart attack.

In most people yawning is a normal reflex, although poorly understood. However, if you experience excessive yawning for no apparent reason, it is wise to visit your physician and make sure there is nothing going on that is abnormal. The Bottom Line In most people yawning is a normal reflex, although poorly understood. Yawning is observed throughout almost all stages of life, from fetus to older age.

When you yawn, you open your mouth, deeply inhale through your mouth and nose, and exhale slowly. Sometimes you might stretch your arms and tilt your head back as you yawn. Typically, a yawn lasts between five and 10 seconds. On average, humans yawn five to 10 times a day. However, people who experience excessive yawning tend to yawn many more times each day.

In some case studies, people who yawn excessively reported yawning up to times in a day. Excessive yawning is often associated with factors other than sleepiness or boredom, such as medication use. Excessive yawning can also be a symptom of an underlying disorder. To diagnose excessive yawning, your doctor needs to eliminate possible sleep habits or disorders causing the yawning. If necessary, your doctor may have you take a diagnostic test called an electroencephalography EEG.

An EEG measures brain waves, or the electric activity in your brain. An EEG can help your doctor diagnose neurological disorders that may be triggering your excessive yawning.

Treatment for excessive yawning requires identifying the cause of the yawning. When the underlying cause is treated, the symptom of excessive yawning goes away. For example, when patients reduced or stopped the use of an SSRI, their excessive yawning lessened or went away entirely.

Keep track of other symptoms you experience in addition to the yawning, such as drowsiness or fatigue. Share these with your doctor, so that they have a better understanding of your current health. Together, you and your doctor can determine the cause of your excessive yawning and develop a treatment plan.

Sarah has covered news topics for digital and print publications. She holds a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Nevada. His research and clinical practice focuses on the entire myriad of sleep disorders. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website.

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Updated July 30, Written by Sarah Shoen. Medically Reviewed by Dr. Abhinav Singh. Why Do We Yawn? Normal Yawning Vs. What Is a Yawn? Sign up below for your free gift.