Yawning Dissected

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Yawning,  yawning,  yawning.   Merely reading about the act of yawning and seeing the word in print,  can trigger an episode of yawning,  as you will see immediately,   and that's good because,  it will increase your alertness level enough to finish reading this article and absorb more of it in your memory.  Seeing a picture of someone yawning and seeing someone near you yawn,  can trigger a contagious yawn.  Yawning is an involuntary reflex that can trigger several bodily functions to be affected.  It is both contagious and common among most,  if not all Mammals.  Some reptiles can yawn.  When a Tortoise was tested and a yawn response could not be illicit-ed.  Yawning is associated with tiredness, stress, boredom,  overwork and lack of stimulation. Yawning always makes you more alert afterwards, so it's good for you when you do need to more alert, so encourage it whenever you need to be more alert. maybe you can even save yourself thousands of dollars in energy drinks. 

When we yawn,  we experience an involuntary reflex of simultaneous inhalation of air and stretching of our eardrums.  The jaw drops,  forcing the diaphragm down,  enhancing blood flow to the brain as we inhale deeply, filling the lungs to capacity and notice then that you never exhale as much as you inhaled.  Your brain pressure is increased when you inhale during a yawn and then decreased again as you exhale.  Your abdominal muscles also flex Some of the latest research points to this process as cooling the brain down slightly upon exhalation.  Natural, Neurotransmitter drugs in our bodies,  such as Dopamine,  Serotonin,  Glutamic Acid and Nitric Oxide that affect our moods,  appetite and emotions,  are said to be altered during the process of yawning.  We also have the urge to stretch as we yawn which has the effect of stretching your abdominal muscles. 

When our mouth opens to yawn,  our heart rate can rise up to 30 %.  Eleven week old human fetuses have been observed yawning in the womb. While yawning is proven to be an emphatic and contagious reaction among other people,  The instinct to yawn increases when you are with family, friends and acquaintances and decreases around strangers.  It would appear that yawning is more of a winter sport as it decreases in warm weather. You are less likely to yawn when the outside temperature is higher than that of your body.  A yawn may be the body's way to deal with an increase in brain temperature. Chimps and Dogs are good test markers of contagious yawning.  21 out of 29 dogs when they were confronted with a stranger yawning in their presence.

I sure hope I'm not making you tired with all this,  because I was just about to tell you that the ancient Greeks first believed that a yawn was a sign that your soul was trying to escape your body and thus,  by covering up your mouth and trying to stifle it, this would help prevent that from happening.  In earlier centuries when the plague of death was a threat,  it was believed that a yawn could spread the plague and so fencing yourself with the sign of the cross following a yawn was common practice.

This Owl looks more like he's laughing than yawning

OwwwwaaaaaaAAhhhh!!!

In predatory animals, yawning may be a signal to the rest of the herd to become more alert,  as the threat of danger may be near.  A territorial response of sorts.  In primates and other mammals,  a yawn can signify an indignant response to another mammal or primate that is approaching,  a sort of demonstration that says, Hey, I'm not afraid of you, look I'm yawning! The fact that the animals teeth are being bared and his head looks twice as big probably doesn't hurt either.

  

Possibly related to the stress response,  Most Paratroopers are often observed yawning just before they exit a plane to make a jump.

 A test group exposed to Psilocybin in Magic Mushrooms showed a marked increase in yawning whereas heavy opiod users that were withdrawing showed a marked decrease in yawning.

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If you get really tired while you're driving,  pull over for a minute and have a good yawn session and this should make you more alert.  An open window will help to if you are tired.  If you are still tired or even slightly falling asleep at the wheel while driving, pull over and rest before continuing.  By the time you have finished reading this you will have already yawned several times or more.  Am I keeping you up? 




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Have A Great Superbowl Sunday !!!

Do Have A Good Day And A Good Yawn.

Jeffrey Robert Hilton