JAWS AND YAWNS

 A  fish,  reptile,  cat or a dog, or even a rat, a bat, or a ferret and infact most animals yawn. But they do it not because they’re bored or sleepy.

I have always taken it as a challenge to address the participants or take a class for my students during post lunch sessions.

I start with a question, whether it is that difficult to handle such a session ,and my students mostly of the 40+ age group say ,'yes,it is difficult for both the faculty and students as they tend to get tired and go for a nap!'

My next question to them will be ' why do we feel sleepy after a lunch?.'

'After food we have to take rest to get the food digested!' they always say.

In fact , we are not supposed to sleep immediately after food as we know it will impair our digestive process.

I explain to them that during normal times the circulation will take care of the brain  by giving enough oxygen and after our food the stomach becomes active and draws more blood to get energy to digest the food. In the process the blood flow to brain get lowers. Immediately the system check alerts us to draw more oxygen and we try to take more air through our mouth apart from nostrils,which results yawning! The sudden response of one individual deprives  little air circulation to the neigbour and his brain alerts to make him yawn and sometimes it links to to many people.
Therefore it is always my task to ensure that enough blood splashes over their brain to make them actively listen.

This was taught to me when I studied physiology. But today ,it is understood there are more reasons behind yawning.

What surprised me that even a fish, a reptile, a cat or a dog, or even a rat, a bat, or a ferret and infact most animals yawn.But one thing, they do it not because they’re bored or sleepy.

Certain animals, particularly the reptiles which are relying on ambient temperature to maintain body temperature  yawn as a cool down method.

Animals that don’t sweat like Pigs and dogs may yawn exposing the mouth and tonsils to the outside air to cool down their heat.

Many insects that do not have lungs absorb oxygen from every cell in their body do not yawn.

In some species of  canines and felines yawning  is considered  as a  sign of dominance and aggressive reflex,as a chance to display lots of pointy teeth.

In humans, we begin yawning in the womb itself .The average yawn lasts about six seconds, often recur at intervals of about one minute and yawning is need not be a response to an excess of carbon dioxide or a shortage of oxygen.

It is discovered that yawning happens because of stretching, but stretches are not always accompanied by yawns.

Yawning is believed to be a protective reflex that helps to maintain proper lung inflation and prevent collapsed alveoli, and yawning causes our jaws to open wide and put stress on our eyes and as a result it blinks sometimes simultaneously and at times tear appears in our eyes.

In humans ,Uncontrolled  monster yawn can result in locked  jaw, even block the ability to breathe or swallow.

Excessive yawning due to medical reasons will include epilepsy, a brain tumor, encephalitis, multiple sclerosis and progressive supra nuclear palsy are usually associated with the occurrence of other symptoms like nausea, dizziness, heart palpitation and fainting.

Yawning  need not only be associated with sleepiness, boredom , lack of oxygen,medical causes but it is prooved that could be also contagious.

Contagious Yawning - if one person does it, the chances are that someone nearby will start too. A variety of vertebrates yawn, but it is discovered that only three species are known to catch the reflex from each other - humans, chimps and stumptail macaques.

Interestingly sharks are known for community yawning, where a single shark yawning sets off a yawn reaction in the whole community, which can be pretty impressive, or frightening if you are watching to a bunch of sharks with open mouths … imagine the thrill !

I am sure that this article would have been interesting to you and wouldn't have made you yawn!

BONUS: ENJOY SEEING THE HORSE YAWNING.