5 Interesting Facts About Yawning
Yawning is mostly an involuntary process of opening the mouth, breathing in deeply and filling the lungs with air, and is something that we do even from when we are in utero. Yawning is a natural response for being tired and is usually triggered by sleepiness or fatigue. Officially recognised as oscitation, yawning is a bodily activity that occurs in most vertebrates. Some yawns are short, and some last a few seconds before an open-mouthed exhale.
1 Yawning Does Not Always Mean You Are Tired
Yawning is most commonly associated with being sleepy or tired, but that is not the only reason that people yawn. Studies have found that yawning facilitates a shift in your body, making it more alert when you are drowsy or even calming you down when nervous. If you are an athlete, this is why you may find yourself yawning before a big game or match.
2 Empathetic People Are More Likely To ‘Catch’ Yawns
Have you ever been around someone when they were yawning and you started to yawn too? Studies have shown that yawning is linked to the ability to feel and identify empathy.
3 Yawning Lowers Your Body Temperature
Yawning may potentially have thermoregulatory effects. When you are bored, sleepy, hungry or anxious, it spikes your brains temperature. When you yawn you take in a large amount of air, which can aid in cooling down the body, which in turn cools down your brain.
4 You Are More Likely To Yawn During Winter
Studies have shown that you are more likely to yawn in winter when the outside air is cooler than in the summer when it is warmer out as your body is trying to fill itself with cooler air to bring down the internal temperature.
5 Yawning Involves Your Whole Body
Yawning is not just an action that your mouth performs, yawning involves your whole body. Once you start to yawn, the muscles around your skull contract and stretch, allowing for increased air intake, which triggers secondary bodily responses such as stretching out your arms and back, and throwing your head back. Some people also shudder or shake when they yawn, it is a completely normal subconscious body reflex that occurs. 
