Do you yawn mid-conversation? Your body might be trying to tell you something

You are sitting in a meeting, or maybe just having coffee with a friend, and suddenly you can't stop yawning. Not the tired kind of yawn you'd get after a long day. These feel almost involuntary, happening even when you've actually slept eight hours or more. Your conversation partner gives you that look, the one that says "Am I boring you?", and you have to explain, again, that you're not tired. And honestly, you're not sure what's going on either.
Excessive yawning is one of those symptoms that tends to get dismissed, even though it can be a legitimate sign that something in your body needs attention. The problem is that most people automatically assume yawning equals sleepiness, so they brush it off. The question isn't really "Why do I yawn?" It's "Why can't I stop yawning?"

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The reason to pay attention to excessive yawning—especially if it's new or unusual for you—is that your body is communicating something. It might be something minor. It might be something serious. But either way, ignoring it means potentially missing an opportunity to address an underlying issue before it gets worse.
The good news is that excessive yawning is actually one of the easier symptoms to investigate. It doesn't require invasive testing. TOI Health spoke to Dr. Gangi Reddy T K, Senior Consultant – Interventional Pulmonology, Lung Transplantation & Sleep Medicine at KIMS Hospitals (Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences), Mahadevapura, Bengaluru. The expert answered questions on this topic.

Most individuals will consider that yawns are a sign of sleepiness, but for some, yawns may become problematic, or excessive, if they occur frequently and without reason.
Although a yawn may frequently occur in response to feelings of sleepiness or boredom or whilst transitioning from sleep to wake, it becomes a potential medical issue if there is no apparent cause such as sleepiness or fatigue to account for its occurrence, and if it persists during periods of time when one has slept adequately; if it is associated with other signs such as dizziness, headaches, chest pain, or problems concentrating; or if it occurs in conjunction with other symptoms suggestive of a medical condition. Rarely, excessive yawning has been documented to be related to medical conditions affecting the brain or heart or medications. Importantly, the issue of excessive yawning is one of both pattern (repeated occurrence) and frequency, plus has to be associated with other signs/symptoms.

When it comes to excessive yawning while talking, there are various underlying conditions that can contribute to the occurrence of excessive yawns during conversation. Besides being sleep deprived or not sleeping well, some of the most common conditions associated with a high frequency of yawning are:
Having Obstructive sleep apnea.
Suffering from anxiety or chronic stress.
Being depressed or having other mood disorders
Taking certain medications (especially anti-depressant medications and antihistamines).
Having migraine headaches.
Having (rarely) neurological conditions that impact how the brain works to keep us awake.
The excessive amount of yawning while talking may be due to the difficulty the brain has staying awake and that the yawn helps the brain compensate for this through an increase in alertness.

Yes, many people who experience inadequate sleep (or sleep that is not of sufficiently good quality) often believe that they are functioning "normally" because their bodies have adjusted to the chronic state of fatigue and have become used to operating in a less-than-optimal manner. Other sleep-related problems, including having difficulty with sleep apnea, fragmented sleep, or decreased amounts of deep sleep, can lead to brain fatigue even if you do not exhibit noticeable daytime drowsy symptoms and may still contribute to excessive yawning as one of the earliest signs that your brain is not receiving adequate restorative sleep.

There are a few reasons to be evaluated by a physician if you yawn excessively:
Yawning has started abruptly - when it is uncommon for you, this is usually due to an underlying medical condition.
If you have chest pain, shortness of breath, or palpitations when you yawn, you should be evaluated.
If you experience fainting or dizziness while yawning excessively, you should see a doctor.
If there are severe headaches or neurological symptoms (such as weakness, confusion, or changes in vision) associated with your excessive yawning, you should see a physician.
If you yawn excessively, but get 7-8 hours of good sleep each night.
If you are positively affected by your excessive yawning and it continues to interfere with your daily life, work performance or social interaction; that is another reason to talk with your doctor.

If excessive yawning occurs with no known medical explanation, you may be able to reduce your yawning by following these lifestyle guidelines:
Maintain a normal sleep schedule.
Reduce late night screen and caffeine intake after evening hours
Stay well
For every long working session, take breaks every hour for 10 minutes and move around.
Practice relaxation methods to alleviate stress, such as doing breathing exercises or meditating.
Go outside regularly to allow for exposure to natural light
Creating good sleep habits and reducing stress often produces a noticeable reduction in your yawning frequency.