Yawning is a natural physiological phenomenon that occurs when you do not get enough sleep or when your body is tired. It is known that yawning is caused by factors such as lack of sleep and fatigue, but other factors can also cause yawning. In particular, continuous or excessive yawning is known to be closely related to certain diseases. Now, let’s take a closer look at the various reasons for yawning.
Various reasons for yawning
As mentioned earlier, the main cause of yawning is lack of sleep. Sleep helps our body to rest, so when we don’t get enough sleep, our brain temperature rises. And in order to cool the elevated brain temperature, it is said that the air introduced through the yawn plays a role in lowering the brain temperature.
In addition, as fatigue builds up, the amount of oxygen delivered to the brain decreases and the amount of carbon dioxide increases. At this time, our body yawns by opening and closing the mouth wide in order to inhale oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. By yawning in this way, the sinuses are greatly expanded and a large amount of oxygen is supplied into the body, thus balancing oxygen and carbon dioxide.
They also yawn to maintain body temperature. When the blood flowing to the brain becomes too hot, our body yawns, inhaling cold air and exhaling hot air, thereby maintaining a constant body temperature. In addition, it is said that people yawn when they see or hear someone yawning. This contagious yawning is said to be due to empathy and empathy. It is said that the more developed the frontal lobe of the brain responsible for emotions, the higher the frequency of infection by yawning. It is known that empathic yawns are much more likely to imitate yawning in close emotional relationships such as family and friends.
In addition, it is said that yawning may occur due to lack of oxygen even if you stay in a closed space with poor ventilation for a long time or if there are many people in a small space. If the above-mentioned reason for yawning is generally close to a natural physiological phenomenon, caution is needed because yawning too often may be a sign of health problems or disease.
Suspected disease when frequent yawning occurs
1. cerebral infarction
It is said that frequent yawning can occur when there is an abnormality in a specific part of the brain due to the occurrence of cerebrovascular diseases such as cerebral infarction. A cerebral infarction is a disease caused by blockage of blood vessels in the brain, which prevents nerve cells from performing their original function. When the blood vessels in the brain are blocked, the blood cannot flow smoothly and it causes damage to the brain cells. And it is said that such damage to the brain cells leads to a decrease in brain activity, and the lack of oxygen to the brain leads to frequent yawning.
2. Cardiovascular disease
Excessive yawning is also associated with heart-related diseases such as myocardial infarction and angina pectoris. It is said that when a myocardial infarction, a disease in which cells or tissues of the heart muscle become necrotic, occurs due to a rapid decrease in oxygen and nutrients in the whole or part of the heart, the parasympathetic nerve is stimulated and the yawn continues. In addition, angina pectoris, a disease that occurs when the cardiovascular system is narrowed by various factors such as arteriosclerosis and blood clots and ischemia occurs in the heart muscle, also reduces the amount of blood flowing throughout the body, and this action affects the blood supply to the brain. This is known to cause a lot of yawning.
3. Hypothyroidism
The thyroid gland is located in the front and center of the neck and refers to the endocrine organ that produces and secretes thyroid hormone and calcitonin. Hypothyroidism, which is caused by insufficient production of thyroid hormones in the thyroid gland, causes problems with normal metabolic functions, causing chronic fatigue and continuously yawning.
In addition, anemia, in which the blood does not supply sufficient oxygen necessary for the metabolism of human tissues, causes tissue hypoxia. It is also known that if you do not get enough sleep due to snoring or sleep apnea during sleep, fatigue builds up and causes yawning.
