Why does a person start to yawn. Why a person yawns often: reasons

There is no such person in the world who would never yawn. Even the unborn fetus yawns in the womb.

What is a yawn?

Experts in the field of anatomy and medicine describe yawning as a reflex respiratory act, which is accompanied by a deep breath and a short exhalation. During yawning, the mouth, pharynx and glottis are open, so at this moment the body receives a large number of oxygen.

What are its reasons?

Why does a person yawn? There are many explanations for what might cause this phenomenon. However, not all of them are fully studied and scientifically substantiated.

Scientists identify the following causes of yawning:

1. Maintaining a balance carbon dioxide and oxygen in the human body.
2. Protection nervous system. Yawning can occur during some exciting event or during a conversation. In this case, it acts as a sedative, helping the body cope with stress.
3. Lack of minerals and vitamins in the body.
4. The body needs an energy boost. During yawning, the body is enriched with oxygen, which favorably affects blood circulation and can be considered as a kind of incentive for the activation of energy reserves.
5. Relaxation. Very often a person begins to yawn when he wants to sleep. In this case, the mechanism of action of yawning is as follows - it allows the body to relax and better prepare for sleep.

1. Yawning initiates the opening of the communicating channels of the throat and auricles, thereby relieving the feeling of congestion in them due to the temporary dissonance of pressure.
2. brain temperature regulation. It is not uncommon for a person to yawn during extreme heat, when the brain needs additional cooling due to the intake of air.

Why is yawning contagious?

In places with a large crowd of people, you can often observe the response of the surrounding people to the fact that someone yawned. It manifests itself in the fact that a few seconds after the yawn of one person, everyone who observed this phenomenon begins to yawn one after another. The reasons for this phenomenon, according to experts, can be two.

Non-verbal reflex

The "non-verbal reflex" theory suggests that yawning is transmitted from one person to another in connection with "primal memory". Our ancestors, who lived under the primitive communal system, did not communicate using speech apparatus. Therefore, when people went to bed at the same time, the yawn of the leader was regarded as a “signal” to sleep for the entire tribe. And they were obliged to support him with an appropriate response.

Empathy

The fact that only a few people in a large group are “infected” by yawning when another yawned may indicate their propensity for empathy. Studies conducted in America, England and Japan have shown that those who have a more developed area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe brain responsible for empathy predominantly “pick up” yawning.

Why do eyes water when yawning?

Many people have noticed that when you yawn, your eyes water. This is easily explained by human physiology. During yawning, the eyes are closed, which leads to squeezing of the lacrimal sac and contraction of blood vessels in the lacrimal ducts.

Therefore, tears do not always have time to get into the nasopharynx and pour out of the eyes.

Why do some people yawn when they pray?

Often people begin to yawn involuntarily during the prayer book. Believers explain this reaction by the presence of an evil eye or damage in a yawning person.

However, if it's perfectly normal physiological phenomenon try to evaluate from a scientific point of view - the conclusions will look like this:

• Most people yawn in the morning or evening time- At the same time, church services usually fall. During this period, the body is not yet fully involved in the work and is trying to enrich the brain with oxygen with the help of yawning. Or it's time to get ready for bed, that is, it's time to relax.
• If a person prays in front of others and says a prayer aloud - in this case, yawning can begin simply from elementary excitement.

How to deal with yawning?

If yawning occurs periodically, then there is no cause for concern. However, if a person yawns frequently and continuously, such a phenomenon can serve as a signal that the body feels oxygen starvation, is on the verge of exhaustion, or is experiencing some kind of malfunction.

In this case, the following simple recommendations can help to defeat yawning:

Deep breath exercise

At certain intervals (for example, after 1 hour), it will be useful to take 5-6 deep slow breaths. When approaching an inappropriate yawn, you need to take a deep breath through your mouth and exhale through your nose, or moisten your lips with water (first the top, then the bottom).

The duration of sleep for each person is different: for someone full recovery It is enough to sleep 8-10 hours a day, and for some, even 6 hours is enough. It is very important to determine your amount of time and get enough sleep regularly.

Also, if possible, try to rest during the day. AT daytime A rest of 20 minutes will help the body relax and gain strength, while it will not allow you to switch to a good sleep.

Straight back

For the health of the spine and the prevention of yawning, you should constantly monitor your posture. With a bent back, the diaphragm does not work “at full”, which can initiate unreasonable “yawning”.

Sports and healthy lifestyle

During sports, the body is saturated with oxygen, which allows a person to remain alert throughout the day. In addition to training, it would be highly desirable to give up bad habits and take outdoor walks as often as possible.

Proper nutrition

A well-fortified diet and eating in moderation can also prevent yawning. It is advisable to include in meals only those products that are related to healthy eating(exclude fast food, excessively high-calorie sweets, food waste).

In addition, you should try to drink 1.5-2 liters of purified water per day.

Medications

Also, reducing the intake of various medical preparations especially antihistamines.

The process of yawning plays important role In human life. We “yawn from boredom”, we can “miss” the bus, we call “onlookers” kids who love to stare around, and not under their feet. But what actually is yawning and is it somehow connected with those processes, which are devoted to numerous memes about yawning?

What is a yawn?

Yawning in medical and anatomical reference books is explained as a reflex, that is, involuntary, respiratory act. Simply put, when a person yawns, he takes a long, deep breath, receiving a huge portion of oxygen at a time. When inhaling, the mouth, pharynx, and glottis open wide. Exhalation is relatively short and fast. Often, when exhaling, a person makes a short voice sound.

Yawning is not only born human- even the fetus in the womb yawns. Many vertebrates also yawn, with some of them yawning when they see a prey or a rival—the wide opening of the mouth allows their teeth to show.

Why and why do people yawn?

Unfortunately, the causes that provoke yawning have not yet been fully studied and unequivocally established. Of course, scientists know a lot about yawning, but many of them have their own versions of why people yawn. Perhaps only some of these versions are true, or maybe all at once.

So, why does a person yawn and why does he need it:

1. Balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Too much carbon dioxide accumulates in the human blood. The body reacts to this by causing yawning. A person, yawning, immediately receives a large portion of oxygen, and the balance is maintained.
2. Yawning as an energy drink. Yawning in the morning is necessary for the body to activate. For this, a person yawns when he feels signs of fatigue. By the way, there is a connection between two reflexes: yawning and stretching. These two processes, done simultaneously, not only saturate the blood with oxygen, but also improve blood circulation. Vivacity appears, attention increases.
3. Yawning as a sedative. People yawn before an exciting event, as yawning activates and invigorates. Yawning has been noted to attack athletes before competitions, students before exams, patients before entering a doctor's office, circus performers before complex stunts, performers before performances, and so on. Through yawning, people cheer themselves up, bring the body into tone, which helps them cope with excitement.
4. Yawning is good for the ears and nose. Yawning opens and spreads the channels leading to maxillary sinuses and the Eustachian tubes (those tubes that go from the ear to the throat), which allows you to get rid of the so-called "congestion" in the ears. Yawning regulates air pressure in the middle ear.
5. Yawning for relaxation and relaxation. Paradoxically, yawning can not only cheer up, but also relax. Arbitrary yawning is used as a technique in some relaxation techniques. Try to lie down, relax and open your mouth wide - sooner or later the process of yawning will occur. At this point, the body will relax. Yawning prepares the body for sleep by creating a sense of calm. This is why people yawn before going to bed.
6. Why do people yawn when they are bored? With prolonged muscle passivity, blood stasis occurs. Yawning and sipping at the same time keeps you active. For this reason, people yawn when they sit, for example, at a boring lecture: you can’t move, it’s not interesting to listen, a person begins to fall asleep. And here the process of yawning involuntarily takes place, allowing you to sit through the end of the lecture and, most importantly, to listen to it. Some scientists in the course of research have found that yawning in itself allows you to relieve mental stress. Probably, this is also why we yawn when we are forced to listen or watch something that we are not at all interested in.
7. Yawning to nourish the brain. Some scientists argue that during the period of passivity, when we do not move and get bored, the performance of nerve cells decreases and breathing slows down. When yawning, firstly, the lack of oxygen is replenished (we breathe more slowly during the period of passivity, so the body begins to lack oxygen), and secondly, the blood flow in the vessels of the brain improves. The brain receives the necessary nutrition, and we are a little perked up - both physically and mentally. The blood supply to the brain cells improves because at the time of yawning, a person strains his muscles a lot. oral cavity, face, neck. There is a kind of mini-gymnastics, as a result of which the activity of the brain is activated.
8. Yawn as a regulator of brain temperature. According to some scientists, yawning regulates the temperature of the brain, which is why we yawn more often when we are hot. Having received a large portion of cool air, the body “cools the brain”, and it starts working normally again.

So, let's summarize the questions "Why do people yawn and why do they need it?". When a person is tired, cold or, conversely, overheated, he needs to cheer up. The body itself regulates this process, causing yawning.

At the same time, the body receives a portion of cool air, due to which the temperature of the brain is regulated. The blood is instantly saturated with oxygen, the blood flow of the cerebral vessels improves. Yawning is often accompanied by sipping – these two processes, carried out simultaneously, double the effect of yawning.

In a word, yawning is a reflex that a person needs to be in good shape. However, if the body is preparing for sleep, yawning, on the contrary, helps to relax - this function of yawning has been inherited by us, apparently, from distant ancestors.

And finally, a few interesting facts about yawning:

• A yawn lasts an average of 6 seconds.
• After a second yawn, a person usually yawns not earlier than after one to one and a half minutes.
• Women and men yawn with the same frequency.
• Men are less likely to cover their mouths while yawning.
• People who yawn too often or, conversely, too rarely, are advised to consult a doctor - healthy man yawns constantly, but not too often.
• Yawning is known to be contagious. Autistic children don't usually yawn back.
• According to the results of research by scientists, in response to the yawn of another person, those people who have a well-developed and especially active area of ​​​​the brain responsible for the need for empathy yawn.
• By reading this article “Why do people yawn?”, you probably yawned at least 2-3 times, and even much more.

Everyone, regardless of age, yawns. At this time, he opens his mouth wide, fills his lungs with air for a long time, sometimes makes a sound and exhales quickly. Usually we say that we are bored or. However, constant yawning can be caused by many reasons - from simple to serious, indicating the presence of a disease.

Yawning is frequent: causes

Yawning is a physiological process that is due to a number of reasons. These include:

• lack of sleep;
• fatigue;
• travel across time zones;
• change in daily routine.

However, frequent yawning should alert, as it can be an indicator of serious illness. It can be:

• cardiovascular diseases;
• multiple sclerosis;
• epilepsy;
• hypothyroidism;
• electrolyte imbalance;
• inadequate liver function.

Constant anxiety can also lead to frequent yawning. The reason may be, if a person is in a state of anxiety, depression, stress.

Why is yawning contagious?

Everyone, probably, noticed that it is worth yawning to one person, as everyone present begins to repeat after him, and therefore they consider yawning a contagious process. Many experts have tried to answer the question why this is happening, but no one can say for sure. There are only guesses.

Interesting: Sometimes it is enough to see a yawning person in a photograph, how a yawn involuntarily occurs.

It has been proven by scientists that when you see a yawn, the areas responsible for empathy with a person turn on in the brain. That is, only sympathetic people imitate those who yawn. The evidence is that children under 5 years of age never repeat a yawn, as they have not yet learned to empathize with others, as well as people with autism.

Constant strong yawning: causes

There are many reasons for constant yawning:

1. Lack of oxygen to the brain. A signal of lack of oxygen is given to it, since hyperventilation of the lungs is necessary at this time. Therefore, a person yawns, capturing more air in his mouth, and saturates the lungs with oxygen;
2. « Overheating of the brain". It occurs when outside heat air, and when yawning, ventilation of the lungs is again performed;
3. Transition from braking phase to active. In order to wake up better, start the metabolic mechanism, the work of the heart rhythm and the whole organism as a whole, a yawn is made.

Most often, constant yawning occurs with fatigue, work at night.

The child often yawns - what are the reasons?

Usually, most parents do not pay much attention to the baby's yawning. Most often, it is concluded that the child did not sleep well. But if yawning is repeated too often, then you should not leave it unattended.

In children, there are mainly 2 reasons frequent yawning:

1. The first is associated with a violation in the work of the nervous system;
2. The second - with a lack of oxygen.

It is urgent to contact a neurologist and follow his recommendations. If the pathology is not detected, then you need to ventilate the room where the baby is staying more, increase the walking time and maintain constant temperature so that the child does not overheat and does not experience a lack of oxygen.

Why does a child yawn in his sleep?

Basically, yawning during sleep occurs due to lack of oxygen. You can determine this by the following features:

• open mouth;
• noises are heard during breathing;
• dry cough occurs at times.

It is worth visiting a Laura or a neurologist to find out the reasons. But before visiting the doctor, you can try to air the child's room before going to bed. If everything is normal with health, yawning will stop.

Why do adults yawn in their sleep?

It also happens that a person involuntarily yawns in a dream. This can also be due to several reasons:

1. health disorders (migraine, changes in hormonal background, as well as in the syndrome chronic fatigue).
2. Lack of vitamins and minerals in the body.
3. If the person is taking antihistamines.

During sleep, it is undesirable to bend your back, since the diaphragm cannot perform its functions sufficiently, it is advisable to lie with a straight back.

Why do people yawn during prayer?

Some people start yawning while attending church and reading prayers. Some believe that this is how a person relaxes, others find the reason for the lack of air due to burning candles, because they burn oxygen.

To eliminate the causes, it is advisable to adhere to a number of rules.

1. When reading a prayer at home, you need to ventilate the room, and then the yawning will stop. Moreover, if the prayer is long, the brain is working hard, you need to concentrate so as not to forget the words.
2. Very often a praying person has to long time be in one position: kneel or legs. There is a slowdown in breathing and the work of nerve endings, so there is a lack of oxygen.
3. If prayer in the temple is held in public, a yawn also occurs with excitement.

How to control yawning?

In order to reduce yawning, you can resort to the following actions:

• take an active breath through the nose and exhale through the mouth;
• if there is a feeling of imminent yawning, it is advisable to drink some cool water;
• when they notice frequent urges to yawn, it is necessary to open the window, ventilate the room well, it is desirable to slightly lower the temperature;
• cucumbers, watermelon can help, as they contain more liquid;
• it is recommended to put a moistened and chilled towel on your head.

Video: Why do people yawn?

AT next video a representative of the Slivki Show channel will try to find the reasons that provoke a yawn in people:

Frequent and severe yawning during the day and at night should alert, as it usually occurs due to illness. Therefore, it is advisable to consult a specialist. Don't ignore your body's signals!

It seemed to me that in order not to "stagnate" the jaw muscles, because a person fully opens his mouth only when brushing his teeth, and while breathing or eating, the jaw works by a maximum of a third :))

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I read in some scientific journal (which one, unfortunately I don’t remember) that yawning served as a signal in higher primates to go to sleep collectively, which is why it is “contagious”.
It probably looks like this. Initially, yawning was an "unconditioned reflex act" of fish and reptiles under conditions oxygen starvation. For example, the fish warm water, usually not rich in oxygen floats to the surface and swallows air. In all "evolutionary descendants" of fish, this "unconditioned reflex act" has been preserved. In higher animals, for example, in primates, it manifests itself with fatigue and when the body is preparing for sleep, apparently then the supply of oxygen to the brain is reduced, if only due to a decrease in general activity organism. Well, since such behavior was regular when going to bed, and the simultaneous going to sleep of higher primates gave them some evolutionary advantages, as a result of natural selection, "yawning" was fixed as a "contagious! unconditioned reflex act." It remains only to find out what kind of evolutionary advantages the "simultaneous going to sleep" signal has for higher primates. For example, this assumption: at night, all the same, primates cannot be active, but during the day, if all members of the herd have slept equally well, then, if necessary, it is possible to show maximum activity to everyone at the same time, i.e. no tired and sleepy. In addition, since the animals were active at the same time, in such populations there was a higher level of communication between individuals, and, consequently, their ability to more perfect and successful social behavior in a hostile natural environment (and this is especially important for higher primates), which naturally had a positive effect on natural selection for such populations.
It would be interesting to hear the views of experts on this matter.

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But how to explain the following facts that I have the opportunity to observe in my body?
1. during classes at educational courses, lasting 3 hours, often during the second half of classes, the mouth simply does not close from yawning - and there is no way to overcome this in oneself, although there is absolutely no desire to sleep! The strangest thing is that as soon as the classes are over, the yawning disappears as if by hand.
2. the same thing happens when physical activity(active!) - the last hour of fitness passes in the fight against yawning, and this continues only until the minute the workout ends.

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"3 hours, often during the second half of classes, the mouth simply does not close from yawning - and there is no way to overcome this in oneself, although there is absolutely no desire to sleep!" Here. And on the sixth pair of figs you yawn.

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Oh, and I also wonder why we are drawn to yawn when we are talking to a person with whom we are not interested?
Sometimes I can barely hold back a yawn. But as soon as we stop talking, I'm so cheerful again, and I don't feel like yawning at all. :)

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or maybe yawning is an assessment of the surrounding situation, well, that is, favorable or not for relaxation? After all, as soon as one starts to yawn, others also begin to assess the situation around them, and then if they agree that it is possible to rest, then they also begin to yawn.

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It seems to me that yawning is the same sipping, only for respiratory system. Animals often do both things at the same time. And a person is embarrassed to stretch in public, but he can yawn, covering his mouth with his hand. Therefore, in humans, these actions are sometimes performed separately.

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Yawning is "contagious" because in the nerve centers that carry out the act of yawning, there is a summation of subthreshold excitation from lung receptors with external afferentation coming from sensory systems, which fix the yawning of another person. Latent excitation in the nerve centers, which has not reached the threshold capable of causing a yawning reflex, thus becomes a threshold and is realized in the act of yawning.
Maybe it really once served as a collective signal to go to sleep, I don’t know. Its occurrence, in principle, can be secondary - that is, there was a ritualization of this pattern. But the mechanism itself is as follows - the summation of excitations.

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I agree that one really wants to yawn at the thought of yawning and when discussing this topic, and that very often one has to yawn when there is an obvious overload of the brain with information, moreover, read in a monotonous voice of the lecturer ... how is all this connected with the need to straighten the lungs !?

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You are all right and say everything correctly, but do not say the most important thing. The fact is that this phenomenon cannot be explained only from the point of view of the materialistic understanding of the world. It's all about the complex energy potential. Do one simple experiment. Bring your palm to your mouth and just exhale the air, remember the sensations in the palm of your hand. When you yawn, remember your experience, and once again raise your palm, and you will be surprised how much more energy is released when yawning than just exhaling. The palm is simply burned, and not just heat is released, but biological (astral-mental) energy. Yawning is a way of balancing the energy levels of the body and brain. The brain, making up 2% of a person's mass, consumes 20% of all energy. The whole body works for the brain! That is, in the evening, when a person is tired, the energy potential of his body is very low, at this time, when his brain is still fully working and "overheated", a huge amount of "unnecessary" energy at the moment is removed from the brain by yawning into the surrounding space, this the brain is "cooled", the energy potential of the whole body is equalized, before falling asleep. Most importantly, this energy is not only thermal. At a lecture, when a person sits for a long time without moving, the energy potential of the body decreases again, the brain becomes "hot" in relation to the body, and a protective reaction of the body occurs - yawning - emission, energy removal from the brain, the energy potentials of the brain and body again equalize. When the body freezes, yawning is also observed - cooling of the brain. In the morning, when you first wake up, the brain starts to work much faster than the body. The body has a larger mass, more energetic, lazy, slowly warms up, while again quickly creating an energy imbalance between the "processor" and "iron" and immediately turns on our "cooler" - yawning. Try to do exercises in the morning, and the energies will quickly equalize, there will be no yawning. Yawning is a way to protect the brain from overheating, and this is typical not only for people, but also for animals, birds, fish - everyone who has a more or less developed brain. The most interesting happens after yawning. A clot of energy removed from the brain and hovering in space forms a kind of intelligent energy creature (a kind of intelligent manure), which is urgently needed in the astral world as not only energy replenishment, but also an independent energy entity. And this essence begins to quickly lose its energy, radiating it into space or being pulled away by energy vampires of the astral world. There is nothing to worry about, it is like ordinary biological waste, which is a home and food for bacteria and worms. Possessing partial intelligence, this entity is afraid of death, and does not want to be taken to pieces, it begins to actively pump out energy from the surrounding biological entities - you and me, in the form of collective yawns, prolonging its existence as far as possible. That's all, everything else: reflexes, oxygen, lungs - is secondary and cannot explain the main thing.

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Vov, very interesting and original interpretation. I have not seen such an explanation anywhere yet .. please write where you read about it.

I agree with everything except: "A clot of energy, taken away from the brain and hovering in space, forms a kind of intelligent energy creation ... urgently needed in the astral world as not only energy replenishment, but also an independent energy entity." "Possessing partial intelligence, this entity is afraid of death, and does not want to be taken to pieces, it begins to actively pump out energy from the surrounding biological entities - you and me, in the form of collective yawns, prolonging its existence as far as possible."

about the "bunch of energy" .. in theory, in order to avoid a temperature and energy imbalance between the brain and the body (of a person from whom this essence takes it), the body should not give up the energy accumulated during the day ...
but everything else surprisingly accurately explains this phenomenon .. =)

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• Good afternoon!

  The body does not accumulate energy during the day, it rather spends it and
  transforms. A person receives energy either from food, or by vampirism.
  The brain is the main human organ, all other organs are created for it.
  service.
  Like a car that's been driven all day in the evening cools down
  parked, so the person "cools down" in the evening, in the morning
  "starts up". And like a car, the engine is the hottest in
  in relation to the remaining parts, so the brain of a person tired during the day
  is warm and hot. Exhaust clicks as the car cools down
  pipe, gurgling antifreeze, etc. - "yawns", so the person cools the brain
  yawning, leveling the balance of energy between a hot brain and a tired
  body. It's not a waste of energy, it's just a form of fast
  putting yourself in order. You can cover the car with a blanket, but it will
  “moan” all night and do not calm down until the morning, and a person, if he doesn’t
  yawn, will not fall asleep and will not rest if he does not lose excess energy
  arousal. Maybe with a car and not quite a good example.
  But if a car is just thermal energy, then the brain produces
  in addition to thermal energy, it also has a special subtle (astral, semi-intelligent energy).
  This energy is structured by the brain into a special cell, a matrix that has
  if you can say so? elements of the mind, since it is developed by the brain.
  It's like animal warmth, snuggle up to a cat, a dog and you will feel
  that the heat generated by them differs from the heat of an electric heater or a battery
  heating. But this intelligent energy, not possessing a material "capacity"
  for existence in space quickly disappears, melts.
  Life lives on life. A person even eating plants, seeds,
  absorbs other lives and energies to replenish its own reserves.
  Energies are different. Thermal, chemical, biological and energy
  "intelligence". There is nothing scary or creepy about this. This is for everyone
  known in the material world the law of conservation and transformation of energy.
  With this very energy of the radiation of the mind, not only of a person, but also
  any object, including the Earth, and the most interesting
  phenomena. This energy serves as the basis for the life of the astral world - the World of subtle
  entities. They are created by our energy, thoughts, emotions. They simply
  recycle it as bacteria in the material world recycle
  waste of our biological life, making possible our existence in
  this world.
  A peculiar column of astral, subtle
  intelligent energy, which spins over us a kind of whirlwind, spin,
  torsion funnel of energy, peculiarly structured (like water,
  flowing out of the bath twists into a vortex). Ancient circle dances
  round dances around dolmens, trees twisted the general whirlwind of the astral
  flow around a stone, tree, other place of power, which was modulated
  thoughts and desires of the participants in the mystery. And this prayer through the astral world
  changed the course of events in the material world. For this, and still serve
  church services and high domes of our churches, on the bulbs of which
  these torsion fields are twisted. Man intuitively or under action
  from the outside I picked up the shape of the bulbs to make it more convenient to twist on their surface
  bagel whirl, and increase the effectiveness of their prayers. A direction
  rotation of the field determines the so-called mentality of earthlings. These torsos
  then they live independently, merging into one huge, knitting over
  every city and fueled by our energies. And yawning is, well,
  a trifle, like cleaning the furnace from burning tons of coal in the boiler room.
  But I got carried away and this is a completely different topic ...

  Where did I read this? I don’t remember, everywhere there is a drop of information, of which
  a picture of the world was formed. Or maybe it's the result of reflection or
  clarifications, the result of intuitive knowledge of the world.
  If interested, write, we'll talk ...

  Reply

"The palm is simply burned, and not just heat is released, but biological (astral-mental) energy." Firstly, there is NO specific biological, much less astral-mental energy. And secondly, just when you yawn, covering your mouth with your hand, she does not feel ANYTHING AT ALL. A simple exhalation just feels like a jet of hot air.

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"In the morning, when you just wake up, the brain starts to work much faster than the body. The body has a larger mass, is more energetic, lazy, slowly warms up, while again quickly creating an energy imbalance between the "processor" and "iron" and immediately turns on our " cooler" - yawning. "On the contrary, 50 milliseconds is enough for the body, while the half-asleep of the brain lasts from six hours to one and a half minutes. And you are not on a dictation, where it makes no sense to write correctly. Here it's the other way around.

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The fact that yawning is contagious, you are trying to explain here in terms of the theory of evolution. I will not say that this remains an unproven theory, but nevertheless, everyone believes in it. Well, God be with him.
And how did the predators not think of hunting like that - ran into the cave, yawned, everyone around snored - chew, I don’t want to.
Or here is another smart guy with astral egregors, talking nonsense here.

And yet, why is it contagious?

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I also yawned while reading the comments. And my pictures were disabled, I only saw the text. Those. the very concept of yawning elicits a yawning reflex. But, let's say, if cats or a dog yawn at home, I don't want to yawn at all.
Here they expressed interesting opinion that yawning serves to bring the body into working condition, and not vice versa. Somehow it didn’t occur to me, but the truth is that if we are bored, it makes us sleepy, but we different reasons we do not go to bed yet - we yawn, the body receives a shake-up from a sharp influx of oxygen during inhalation and the removal of carbon dioxide during exhalation. Yes, and part of the muscles comes into tension as with sipping.
Here are just a few things that are not clear. Why does the mouth open so wide? After all, for a deep breath it is not necessary. It happens to me that a cramp reduces the hyoid muscle. The version to stretch the jaw joints is somehow not suitable for activating the work of the body. Only one option comes to my mind personally - this is how a facial massage is done, because pay attention when we yawn, our mouth does not only open, but many muscles on the face tense up. In physical education classes, we were told ways to tone ourselves up, one of them was to rub our face with the palms of our hands (by the way, I checked it really helps).
The next incomprehensible moment is the reason for the "contagiousness" of yawning. All versions voiced here sound somehow not convincing. Agree with a yawn, a person experiences pleasure, there is even an expression "sweet yawn." And all such reactions in the body are caused by their importance for his life (sneeze, eat, scratch, stretch, relieve himself, etc.). Therefore, I do not agree that the cause of the contagiousness of yawning is social character. The reasons must be physiological. But which ones exactly?
I liked the version that was posted a little higher about energy cleansing. There is something in it, but I do not agree with much. I did not understand how the brain cools when yawning. And the hottest organ is the liver. Perhaps they meant a little different, not thermal cooling? And again, it is not clear why we wince and open our mouths when we hear a sound, if the released energy is of an astral nature?

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The holidays have passed. Again, many of us were sitting comfortably, watching TV late into the night. Not wanting to interrupt the viewing of holiday performances, concerts, films. And still, two hours later, you started to yawn. Rarely at first. And then, if something special is not undertaken, we do it more and more often, from time to time already falling into a doze. To the point that we fall asleep in the most interesting place.

So, what kind of delusion is this - yawning. Showing up sometimes in the most inopportune place, at the most inopportune time. Let's say, the author of these lines watched the film "Repentance" by Tengiz Abuladze twice, and for the first time back in the years of its release on the screen. And both times I steadily began to doze off by the end of the first series. Yes, and the whole second. Although “The Tree of Desire” by the same author, besides in Georgian, back in the seventies I watched with great interest.

Let's start with what others say about yawning. For example, such a note was placed back in 2001 in “Arguments and Facts”, in the “Health” supplement, No. 22:

“Yawning is said to be very good for health. When yawning Airways of a person expand as much as possible, the muscles relax, then there comes a brief, but very pleasant loss of consciousness for the body. Yawning helps the body relieve fatigue, mental stress, “shake off” stress, renew the air in the lungs. Therefore, do not be offended by those who accidentally yawn next to you. This is not from disrespect and lack of interest in you, just in this way a person shows that he is relaxed, resting, he feels good next to you.

And here is another, later message on this topic, which appeared on the Internet a little over a year ago with the coordinates: http://www.ria.ua/viev.php?id=20509

“Scientists believe that yawning is not at all an indicator of lack of sleep, it is a physiological action that stimulates the brain. So it turns out that yawning in class is even useful!

Yawning is a reflex act that occurs when you are tired, stay in a stuffy or smoky room, worsen the work of the heart and blood vessels, lack of muscle activity, and also in a drowsy state, says physiologist Valentin Zaserdny.

The best way to deal with yawning is to ventilate the room. Gymnastic exercises when the window is open, they also help to get rid of yawning. A person yawns because his brain is in a state of inhibition, and yawning "adjusts" the activity of brain cells, improves cerebral circulation. And if in the fight against yawning they do not help either Fresh air, no gymnastics, if it is stubborn and long, it is necessary to consult a doctor.

It has long been known that yawning occurs most often from fatigue or boredom. But around the physiological process itself there is a lot of controversy. Physiologist Valentin Zaserdny believes that nerve cells of the brain in this way react to fatigue and give a signal to the muscles of the face. In most cases, yawning is like a warning about the transition from wakefulness to sleep.”

In general, the second message is already more accurate. In general, others do not differ from these two, for example, one called “Yawn for cheerfulness”, http://intermed.w3.comset.net/news.php?id=295&limit=672. There are also materials in which the contagiousness of yawning and the like is added. But, nevertheless, they are characterized by some one-sidedness in consideration, in approaches.

already yawning or still relaxed people?!

But, before clarifying the above interpretations, let's give our point of view on the essence of yawning and its usefulness. In general, while agreeing with the description of the physiology of the process of yawning, we note not entirely correct interpretations of whether yawning is good or not, for whom and in what case.

Researchers involved in the study of a wide variety of processes human body, including reflexive ones, have probably noticed the following for a long time. That, in the same way that yawning belongs more to the sphere of the mental, its analogue for muscles and the body - sipping - belongs more to the sphere of the somatic, physical. Both in adults and in children. Yes, even the animals. The same dogs or cats.

If you look closely at the time and situations when this happens, you will notice the following.

First, both yawning and stretching are involuntary acts, that is, not initiated by consciousness (we are not talking about their imitation). And their launch is carried out at the subconscious level. The subconscious, at the level of which, figuratively speaking, constant monitoring takes place, tracking both the current state of the body and psyche, and conditional types in the future of their state. In addition, it is at the subconscious level that most of the life-supporting processes of the body and psyche are controlled and regulated. That is, they are controlled not by consciousness, not by cortical structures of the brain.

Secondly, it can be noted that stretching and, especially, yawning, as a rule, are involuntarily provoked at the border of the states of the organism and the psyche, characterized as sleep-wakefulness and wakefulness-sleep. And their first manifestation can be called, in such a way, a trigger switching of the state, respectively, of the psyche and body. Without dwelling here on depressive and close to them states, let's say that the behavior of the psyche when yawning, and the body, organs - when sipping, depending on which side (sleep-wakefulness in the morning, or, for example, from wakefulness to sleep in the evening ) approaches its, as it were, antipode, the state of the individual - will be significantly different.

After normal sleep, both yawning and stretching occur against the background of partially or fully recovered adaptive capabilities. But not yet adequately included in the solution of current, updated tasks. And, in this case, their manifestations carry, as it were, a push function, leading the psyche and the body out of such a borderline state, “stupor”. These are good yawns and sips. Although attention and concentration are not yet one hundred percent, but they are on the way to the optimum. Just shake the bonds of sleep a little more. Through involuntary "afterburner", triggered in one case by yawning, and in the other - sipping.

Yawning and sipping, which usually occur after a long time of wakefulness, when a relatively long perception, almost at the level of “afterburner”, that is, the same overvoltage - difficult situation, process (lesson, lecture, performance, report, situation on the road, etc.) depletes the optimal current adaptive capabilities for concentration, attention, catching subtle but significant changes - they are, as it were, a signal that further engagement in the current business, process will no longer be productive. And the perception of the thread or the essence of the process, conversation, communication - begins to get lost, go beyond the scope of conscious perception. That is, at the subconscious level, the attention trigger is reset. Which is equivalent to the fact that under the circumstances, the deep structures of consciousness (consider the subconscious) are no longer able to adequately perceive information in the same vein and further.

In particular, yawning is provoked by the subconscious even when the most tense situation is no longer perceived as dangerous. That is, a conscious analysis of the situation with the silent consent of the subconscious says that the essentially dangerous part of what caused, required attention, tension, composure has already been passed, it has “resolved” or overcome. That it's not relevant.

who should be upset by the yawning of others?

In the second case (involuntary withdrawal from maintaining the tension of attention or the skeleton and muscles), the situation begins to slip out of control, since the psyche or the body and muscles, in case of involuntary stretching, are at the limit of their current adaptive capabilities. For whom because of the monotony, and for whom because of the imperceptible complexity. And without an adequate replenishment of the possibilities of adaptation (or, more simply, rest, recuperation), there will be no adequate response (attention, control over thought, driving a car on the road, actually finely adjusted actions, etc.) will no longer be. The monotony of the perception of the situation, the current decrease in the relevance of motivation due to fatigue helpfully tell the tired attention that “everything is in order, relax, you are tired.” Therefore, the monotony of pumping, perceptions will quickly lead to the fact that the situation will soon get out of control. And the first call, a signal of this, is precisely involuntary yawning.

This is especially important for both teachers and lecturers. And to all those who want to interest their potential partners in business negotiations. Since at the level of consciousness your interlocutor, listener, partner can and wants to treat you favorably. But, at the level of their subconscious, the thought is already being formed that you are already “loading” them. Hidden rejection, irritation grows.

In general, if your potential partners are not tired, but in the course of communication with you they begin to involuntarily yawn - take note that your proposals do not seem to them worthy of their attention. Or it is unclear and complicated. Therefore, if circumstances allow, it is better to correctly curtail, round off communication, preparing for the next time in more detail.

This does not mean at all that one should express one's thoughts intricately. Easier and more profitable. But in such a way as to hook interest. And then, the situation...

You will almost certainly yawn too. You may yawn even while reading about yawning. By the way, have you yawned yet? If yes, then you are in good company. Human beings yawn all day long. We yawn when we wake up in the morning, we yawn when we go to bed at night. We yawn a lot when we watch TV and sit in class. We even yawn when we jog in the park.

Who else yawns besides people?

Humans are not the only creatures on Earth that yawn. Many other animals (from lion to fish) tend to frequently open their jaws in sweet yawns. When we see a person yawning, we think they are tired or bored. But if a Siamese fighting fish yawns, beware! The male begins to yawn when he sees a foreign male in his territory. Several yawns follow, one every ten minutes. Then a fish attacks another fish and a fight breaks out. Some animals, such as monkeys and lions, yawn when they are hungry.

Related materials:

Why, when they want to calm down, they give water?

Why do people yawn?

A common explanation is that we yawn to breathe in more oxygen, for example in a stuffy room. But psychologist Robert Provine, who studies yawning, argues that this is not true. people who breathe pure oxygen, yawn at least as often as those who breathe ordinary air. Provine says no one knows exactly why people yawn or why yawning is so contagious. But he's trying to figure it out.

For many years, Provine conducted yawning experiments at the University of Maryland. In one experiment, the subject sat in a quiet room and thought about yawning. When he felt the need to yawn, he pressed the button. When the yawning ended, he pressed the button again.

Provine found that the average duration of a yawn was six seconds. One of the subjects, concentrating, yawned 76 times within half an hour. Provine then filmed himself yawning and smiling. When the subjects were shown this videotape, only one in five viewers smiled back at Provine, but half of the viewers responded with a yawn for a yawn. Conclusion: yawning is much more contagious than friendly disposition.