Too much yawning is caused by overheating of the brain

We often yawn when we feel sleepy, bored, or even "infected" when we see others yawning. In some cases, people yawn when they feel stressed or face important decisions. However, scientists at the University of Vienna (Austria) have discovered the cause of continuous yawning, which is a way to help the body control the temperature of the brain to increase alertness and mental ability. Brain.

Too hot brain makes you yawn too much

People tend to yawn when tired, stressed or lacking in stimulation - factors that can lead to changes in the temperature of the brain. Researchers have tested whether air temperature can affect our yawning level. The research team gave Vienna-based pedestrians photos of people yawning to trigger yawning. They conducted research to measure the frequency of "yawning spread" of 120 random people walking the streets of Vienna, Austria.

The study was conducted during the winter (average temperature of 1.4 degrees Celsius) and summer (average temperature of 19.4 degrees Celsius). The result is a group of 18 people with yawning. This group 18 was then selected to conduct a survey to determine the causes of yawning during the test period. Questions in the survey include information on gender, age, how long to leave home and how long you have slept. One of these factors is the basis for determining the correlation with the yawning test.

In addition, the number of yawned people also differed significantly between the two seasons: 18.3% of the participants yawned yawned in the winter, while this number reached 41.7%. summer. However, when compared to a similar US study, conducted in Tucson, Arizona. Previous testing has concluded that, in dry areas, people tend to yawn more in winter (temperatures around 22 degrees Celsius) compared to summer (temperatures around 37 degrees Celsius). In dry climates, experts found that people in Vienna yawned more in the summer, while people in Arizona were the opposite, yawning more in the winter. The team concluded that yawning is most likely to occur when the temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius. Yawning frequency drops when the temperature is about 37 degrees Celsius in Arizona and falls sharply to freezing. Vienna in winter.

According to Dr. Jorg Massen, head of the Austrian team, yawning seems to be useless when the air temperature is as high as the body or at freezing. This has confirmed the results of a previous study that people yawned after their body temperature increased. Meanwhile, the age, gender, and sleep the previous night did not have much impact on our yawning action. The usual expression of yawning is opening your mouth wide and exhaling a bit long. This breath is different from the usual sigh. When yawning, the facial muscles, tongue muscles and neck muscles shrink, the pressure in the mouth suddenly increases. This pressure acts on the nasal cavity, preventing the drainage of tears from the nose, so the water from the lacrimal gland backs up.

In addition, scientific researcher Andrew Gallup, now at New York State University, found inspiration from his college work, realizing that yawning can help relax the brain and prevents the brain from overheating. Gallup argues that the strong movement of the jaw moves blood flow around the skull and helps to remove excess heat, while deep breathing brings cold air into the sinus cavities and around the carotid artery back inside. Brain. Moreover, yawning movements can also bend the membranes of the sinuses - blowing a gentle wind through holes that evaporate mucus in our noses and that relaxes our heads as if they were air conditioner.

More importantly, this cooling of the brain can explain things like contradictions about mass yawning. Our body temperature naturally increases before and after sleep. Brain cooling can also make us more alert - wake us up when we are bored and distracted. Perhaps reading here, many people will start yawning, and if so, yawn for comfort to enjoy one of life's longest mysteries.