What Causes Excessive Yawning?
Everyone yawns sometimes. Usually, a yawn an indicator of tiredness and most of the time, yawning is completely harmless and is a natural bodily function. However, yawning excessively can indicate a problem. What constitutes excessive yawning? Excessive yawning is when a person yawns multiple times a minute. Sometimes this has a simple explanation, but sometimes yawning too often can be a sign of several serious health problems. For example, sleep disorders, mental illnesses, and certain autoimmune diseases can cause patients to yawn excessively. It is important for individuals to consult a doctor if they develop a sudden and inexplicable tendency to yawn often.
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Fatigue Or Drowsiness
If someone begins to yawn excessively, fatigue or drowsiness is usually the culprit. Yawning is a natural response to being tired. No one really knows why humans yawn; it is thought it might serve to lower the temperature of the brain. Regardless, it is usually nothing to worry about. Getting enough sleep should put a stop to excessive yawning in most cases. It is important to practice good sleep hygiene to get not only enough sleep but also quality sleep. Sleep hygiene includes keeping bedtime and wake-up schedules regular, keeping the bedroom at a cool and pleasant temperature, not drinking caffeine or alcohol late in the day, and avoiding looking at screens right before bed. If individuals do all of these things and still have trouble sleeping, they may wish to consider taking melatonin supplements before bed for a short term option.
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Side Effects Of Medications For Anxiety Or Depression
Excessive yawning is among the many side effects of medications for anxiety or depression. Sometimes medication for a mental health condition can result in an increase in yawning frequency, occasionally because the medication makes the patient sleepier. Many medications for anxiety have drowsiness as a side effect because they work by sedating the patient. Certain medications for depression, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, can also increase yawning frequency for unknown reasons. If patients have recently starting taking a new medication and they are yawning excessively, it may be worth having a conversation with the prescribing physician to see if there is something they can do.
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Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes the patient to stop breathing while they are sleeping. This lack of breathing causes the patient to wake up many times during the night, and it can prevent the patient from getting enough air. Individuals with this sleep disorder tend to be very tired during the day because they do not get enough sleep and oxygen at night, and this tiredness leads to excessive yawning. There are two different types of sleep apnea: obstructive and central. Obstructive means there is something blocking the throat while the individual is asleep. This can be caused by obesity, allergies, or abnormally large adenoids or tonsils. The central type is caused by a neurological failure; essentially, the brain forgets to tell the lungs to breathe. Both types of sleep apnea should be taken seriously. If individuals suspect they may have sleep apnea, they should consult a doctor to get tested for it. There are a variety of treatments available.
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Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a serious sleep disorder that causes individuals to become extremely sleepy and sometimes fall asleep during the day. These episodes of sleepiness often occur during a patient's everyday activities. It can seriously interfere with the patient's quality of life. One of the symptoms of this illness is excessive yawning. During a narcoleptic attack, a patient becomes extremely sleepy and may begin to yawn a lot. Other symptoms of this sleep disorder include sudden muscle weakness, falling, hallucinations, and sleep paralysis. Individuals with suspected narcolepsy should see a sleep disorder specialist to get an official diagnosis. Thankfully, narcolepsy can often be successfully treated with medication.
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Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and nerves. In this disease, the immune system attacks the myelin sheaths, which are protective layers around the nerves. Multiple sclerosis can range from mild to severe. Excessive yawning is one of the many symptoms of multiple sclerosis and can be an early sign of the disease. This may be due to multiple sclerosis patients having higher brain temperatures and higher levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. Patients with this illness also experience severe fatigue, which goes hand in hand with yawning. One day, there may be a test that can determine whether someone has multiple sclerosis based on their yawning frequency and cortisol levels.