Do you ever stop and think about why it is that you yawn? No doubt thinking about why you yawn just made you yawn, even though you're not tired or needing to sleep? Yawning is truly an amazing thing, and yet so little is known about it. Want to know a bit more about why you're yawning?  Read on to find out more…

Facts about Yawning

Interestingly enough, yawning may not necessarily signal that it's time for you to crawl into your luxurious bed - complete with Sealy or Essentia certified mattresses - for a good night's sleep. It may actually mean something else entirely…

Yawning can be caused by boredom -- A study done in 1986 involved college students, who watched either a rock video or were shown a pattern of colors. The students that watched the rock video yawned far less than those shown the pattern of colors. Even if it's not caused by your boredom, you definitely yawn more when you are bored.

Yawning may cool the brain -- Research has been done into the brain and yawning for years, and only recently has a new hypothesis been put forward: yawning can cool down the brain. When you yawn, the walls of your sinuses expand and contract - similar to the way a blacksmith's bellows work. The cool air from outside is pumped through your sinuses and into your brain, and it helps to cool down your overheated thinking box. People tend to yawn more during winter than during summer, as the air outside is much cooler. During summer time, the hot air blown through your sinuses won't do much to help cool down your brain.

Yawning is definitely contagious -- Despite what people insist, yawning is 100% contagious - well, more like 50% contagious. In a study on yawning, 50% of people watching a video of other people yawning ended up repeating the action. Even chimpanzees, macaques, and baboons were shown to pass the yawn around, and dogs are also more likely to yawn when they see or hear their owners doing the same. It is more likely to spread among close friends than between strangers.

Yawning may indicate sickness -- Did you know that yawning too much can signal that there is something wrong with you? Sleep deprivation usually leads to yawning, but excessive yawning can be caused by your vagus nerve. If this nerve is overstimulated - which is indicated by your yawning - it may be a sign that you have heart problems - or even sometimes brain problems!

Fetuses can yawn -- This is absolutely fascinating! Unborn babies have been seen to yawn, which is believed to be an indication of their brains developing. 4D imagery has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that fetuses can yawn.

These are some pretty interesting things about yawning - things I didn't know before. Now you know why you may be letting out that long, drawn-out yawn (the average yawn lasts for 6 seconds) - even if you don't feel tired!