Are you yawning all the time?
Yawning is a common symptom of tiredness or feeling bored. Yawning is associated with some hormones that are released that briefly increase the heart rate and alertness, explains MUSC Health. So yawning when tired or bored is your body's attempt to keep you alert and awake — if only for a brief time. Most of the time, yawning is perfectly normal.
However, this simple bodily reaction could be signaling some health issue, if you yawn excessively – that is more than three times in a 15-minute period, according to health experts. Pay attention if you are yawning too frequently and if it feels different than usual. Here are 5 health concerns behind excessive yawning:
Sleep apnea or insomnia
Sleep deprivation is one of the most common factors behind excessive yawning. However, this deprivation could be occurring due to any underlying health condition such as sleep apnea or insomnia. Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night's sleep, you might have sleep apnea, according to Mayo Clinic.
With insomnia, you may have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting good quality sleep, explains the US NIH. This happens even if you have the time and the right environment to sleep well.
Medication
Excessive yawning could be caused by any particular medications you might be taking. Certain antipsychotics or antidepressants can cause excessive yawning as a side effect. Make sure you do not consume any such medication without prescription, stick to consumption as directed by your doctor and seek medical assistance if you experience excessive yawning.
Brain disorder
Excessive yawning could be indicative of a brain disorder. Conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and migraine headaches can cause excessive yawning.
Anxiety or stress
Excessive yawning could be due to anxiety or stress, in which case yawning may be a way for you to cope with the tension, according to health experts.
Read more: 6 stages of chronic kidney disease and how it spreads
Read more: Liver cancer signs: THESE symptoms of liver cancer could be mistaken for indigestion
Heart attack
Excessive yawning can happen in the case of a heart attack, if the oxygen supply around the body is affected. However, note that this is not the main symptom of a heart attack, and therefore one should not panic.