What Your Excessive Yawning Could Mean? Should You Be Worried About It?

Excessive yawning may be a sign of underlying disease. (Image via Pexels/ Andrea Piacquadio)
Excessive yawning may be a sign of underlying disease. (Image via Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio)

Yawing once in a while is very normal, but if you experience excessive yawning, you should start paying attention. It can also be a sign that your sleeping habits need to be improved. This is where to start if you're wondering how to stop yawning so much.

A typical physical reaction to fatigue is yawning. As a type of empathy, people also yawn when they observe other people yawn or even when they read about it. Persistent or excessive yawning may be an indication of prolonged exhaustion, such as that experienced by those who are depressed or have sleeplessness, as well as drug side effects or other medical issues.

Depending on the underlying cause, frequent yawning may coexist with other symptoms, including feeling extremely exhausted, finding it difficult to concentrate, or having trouble breathing.


What is Excessive Yawning?

Humans yawn five to ten times per day on average.(Image via Unsplash/Sander Sammy)
Humans yawn five to ten times per day on average.(Image via Unsplash/Sander Sammy)

Humans yawn five to ten times per day on average. However, those who frequently yawn have a tendency to yawn more frequently during the day. People who yawn excessively have admitted to doing so up to 100 times per day.

In addition to being tired or bored, excessive yawning is frequently related to other things like drug use. However, continual yawning may have a detrimental effect on a person's social life, as it's considered impolite in many cultures. Additionally, excessive yawning may be a sign of a more serious condition.


Excessive Yawning Causes

Medical professionals define excessive yawning as yawning more than once per minute.

It's a reaction to a vasovagal reaction, which certain medical circumstances cause it to occur. The vagus nerve travels via the throat from the brain to the abdomen. The nerve's increased activity results in frequent yawning.

Here are some possible excessive yawning causes:


1) Sleep disorders

You may have a sleep problem if you are having frequent yawns. (Image via Unsplash/Miikka Luotio)
You may have a sleep problem if you are having frequent yawns. (Image via Unsplash/Miikka Luotio)

You may have a sleep problem if you're having frequent yawns. It could be a sleep disorder like insomnia, sleep apnea, rls, parasomnia, circadian rhythm problems, etc.

These conditions all impede sound sleep. Yawns become more frequent, as fatigue and weariness set in as a result of poor sleep.

Check out symptoms and causes of restless leg syndrome.


2) Heart problems

Sometimes, in the days preceding a heart attack, people yawn a lot. Yawning may also be a sign that the heart is bleeding. Consult a doctor right away if you experience any further symptoms, such as dyspnea, giddiness, or nausea.


3) Anxiety

Excessive yawning can also be brought on by anxiety. The heart, respiratory system, and energy levels are all impacted by anxiety. All of these can result in shortness of breath, yawning, and tension.

A person may experience constant yawning more frequently than other people or when they're not feeling as worried if they're experiencing a lot of anxiety. Although anxiety-related yawning frequently gets worse as one becomes more stressed, it can occasionally occur for no apparent reason.

Check out the signs and symptoms of anxiety.


4) Epilepsy

Due to the weariness that epilepsy can bring, people who have it may also yawn excessively. (Image via Pexels/Pavel Danilyuk)
Due to the weariness that epilepsy can bring, people who have it may also yawn excessively. (Image via Pexels/Pavel Danilyuk)

Constant yawning is common in people with epilepsy, especially before, during, or after seizures that start in the temporal lobe.

It's referred to as temporal lobe epilepsy. Due to the weariness that epilepsy can bring, people who have it may also yawn excessively.


5) Medication side effects

Some drugs, such as those for anxiety, sadness, or allergies, can make you yawn a lot. For instance, patients using antidepressants may yawn more than usual due to insomnia or sleepiness.


Diagnosis of Excessive Yawning

One should consult a doctor to learn what might be causing excessive or frequent yawning if it occurs frequently or for no apparent reason. (Image via Pexels/Karolina Grabowska)
One should consult a doctor to learn what might be causing excessive or frequent yawning if it occurs frequently or for no apparent reason. (Image via Pexels/Karolina Grabowska)

People may be routinely questioned by a doctor regarding their sleep patterns and level of physical and mental fatigue.

To rule out any underlying brain disorders, such as a seizure disease, they could request an electroencephalogram (EEG). Employing scalp electrodes, an EEG analyses brainwave activity.

A chest X-ray or an MRI scan may be used by a physician to rule out any cardiac issues and check for other potential health issues. Any damage to the heart tissue or adjacent tissues can be detected with an MRI scan. A typical automatic reaction to fatigue and anxiety is yawning. Extreme exhaustion, a drug side effect, or a medical condition can all cause excessive yawning.

One should consult a doctor to learn what might be causing excessive or frequent yawning if it occurs frequently or for no apparent reason.

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