The sports category has moved to a new website.

3 things your body is trying to tell you when you yawn

Yawning is a natural reflex that often occurs involuntarily.

A man yawning

Here are three things your body is trying to tell you when you yawn:

Yawning is contagious. Even thinking about yawning will make you yawn. Reading an article like this might even make you yawn. This means, sometimes when you yawn, your body is telling you "Hey, I just saw someone yawn" or you have been thinking about yawning.

ADVERTISEMENT

Apart from it being contagious, yawning may serve as a means to increase alertness. Yawning has been observed before and after activities that require increased attention or focus, such as during transitions from rest to activity or vice versa.

Thus, if you find yourself yawning during moments of transition or when engaging in mentally demanding tasks, it could be your body's way of preparing and priming your brain for heightened vigilance.

Yawning has also been linked to regulating body temperature. When you yawn, you open your mouth wide and take in a large amount of air. This action helps cool down the brain by introducing cooler air into the nasal passages and sinuses.

ADVERTISEMENT

So far, it has been shown that yawning happens more frequently when ambient temperatures are higher. Therefore, if you find yourself yawning in warm environments or during a bout of fever, it could be your body's way of attempting to regulate your internal temperature.

In addition to the above, yawning is also a way for your body to increase oxygen intake. Basically, people yawn when they are tired, bored or someone else is yawning.

Whether it is your body reacting to someone yawning, or an attempt to regulate body temperature, yawning provides valuable cues about our overall well-being. If you however feel like you are yawning too much and it is affecting your everyday activities, you might want to pay a visit to the doctor.

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: news@pulselive.co.ke

Recommended articles

Umlungu: Colourful history of a word used to describe white people in South Africa

Umlungu: Colourful history of a word used to describe white people in South Africa

Sarah Jakes Roberts stuns in Nigerian fashion brands for ministration in Lagos

Sarah Jakes Roberts stuns in Nigerian fashion brands for ministration in Lagos

5 great ways to look stylish with short hair, inspiration from Kambua

5 great ways to look stylish with short hair, inspiration from Kambua

Here's why buying a car may not solve all your problems

Here's why buying a car may not solve all your problems

4 lifestyle changes you should adopt to reduce risk of heart disease

4 lifestyle changes you should adopt to reduce risk of heart disease

10 simple nighttime beauty habits to practise before bed

10 simple nighttime beauty habits to practise before bed

Why you keep attracting emotionally unavailable men

Why you keep attracting emotionally unavailable men

Living in Nairobi’s slums, you are 35% more likely to get high blood pressure than those in rural areas

Living in Nairobi’s slums, you are 35% more likely to get high blood pressure than those in rural areas

3 things you should do if you plan on going through your partner's phone

3 things you should do if you plan on going through your partner's phone

ADVERTISEMENT