Have you ever thought about how many times a day you yawn? Yawning is a very interesting process, but not fully understood. We yawn when we are bored, when we are tired or when someone else is doing it nearby. Everyone is used to this phenomenon; it raises no questions. However, it is worth paying special attention to the frequent phenomenon of yawning. It can signal a serious illness.
What about the kids who are so touching to open their mouths and wrinkle their nose? In children, yawning is directly related to the state of the body. If the child often yawns, then this indicates that not everything is in order with him. In this article you will find out in which cases it is worth panicking, and in which - taking preventive measures.
Why are we yawning
Let's see what yawning is. This is a multifunctional process, embedded in us at the genetic level. Yawning is not taught. In fact, this is the action of our lungs, starting with a long, full breath, ending with a rapid exhalation. In this case, often the muscles of the face press on the lacrimal sacs, after which we “cry”, and our mouth opens as much as if we are trying to catch a fly or a small bird. There are even cases of people turning to the emergency room with their jaw dislocated during yawning.
Why are we yawning? It is almost impossible to control this process, since it is involuntary. The body copes with certain difficulties in this way. Yawning contributes to the "reboot" of our overstressed brain, cooling it. We also enrich the body with oxygen. There are psychological reasons, which will be discussed below.
Why are we yawning after others
Everyone is familiar with the situation: in the company, someone started to yawn, and then after him everyone “became infected”. What is the reason for this? The answer to this question takes us to ancient times. Once upon a time, when there were leaders and packs, yawning served as a signal for sleep or a signal of danger. The leader yawned, then along the chain it dispersed along the pack. In addition, it was a symbol of the unity of all people in the group. Millennia passed, but the reflex remained.
People who instantly respond with yawns to yawns are good empaths, that is, they not only understand the feelings of others, but also feel them. You can test yourself and your friends for a tendency to empathy. Also, the instant yawning of your girlfriend (friend) or soulmate means their strong affection for you. Carefully observe yourself and your surroundings.
There are also people who do not yawn in response. These include people with autism and other disorders that affect the ability to empathize, people who know how to control themselves well, as well as children under five years of age.
The benefits of yawning
To begin with, yawning improves the work of our lacrimal glands, restores blood pressure, “cools” the brain, adds energy and helps to improve mood. Yawning also kneads the muscles of our face. Often, after yawning, you stretch, stretching the muscles of the body and improving blood circulation.
The useful properties of this process include the activation of the body to "battle". Of course, a person is not going to fight with anyone. The fact is that such yawning occurs before an important event (exam, parachute jump, competition).
On the plane, yawning saves us from stuffy ears, equalizing the pressure in them.
Why do adults yawn
In an adult and a child, yawning performs different functions. It awakens and activates adults (this is due to oxygenation of the whole organism). Having often yawned well, we find new solutions and look at problems with a fresh look.
The role of yawning in a child
It may seem unbelievable, but the baby is yawning for the first time in his mother’s stomach. This is due to brain development. Yawning improves this process. If the baby often yawns in the womb, this signals a problem.
The effect of yawning on babies is different from that on adults. Kids, opening their mouths wide, also “cool” their brain, but instead of being ready for action, they feel a desire to fall asleep. Thanks to yawning, the child’s nervous system “reboots”, resting from overexcitation and stress.
Causes of frequent yawning in a child
Why does the baby often yawn? Do not worry if this happens with your baby in those moments when he is tired and wants to sleep. Wide opening of the mouth in this situation is a completely natural phenomenon. You need to immediately pay attention to the fact that the child yawns often. The reasons may be the following:
- Stress, anxiety, overexcitation. Children can also be afraid and upset. We must not forget about it.
- Constant overwork. The child often yawns due to problems with the central nervous system.
- Lack of oxygen.
- Inconvenient sleep patterns.
- Epilepsy.
Babies with epilepsy yawn much more often than others. This fact is confirmed by long-term observations of pediatricians.
The baby often yawns and sighs
Sometimes yawning is accompanied by the likeness of a few sighs. Often, adults are faced with the fact that a child at 5 years old often yawns and sighs, and his health is in perfect order. Frequent sighs may be a real vocal nervous tic. Usually it manifests itself at this age.
A nervous tick is a monosyllabic repetitive movement that occurs quickly. In some cases, the tick affects the vocal cords.
Sounds like whistling, champing, smacking, certain words, clicking, coughing and so on are related to vocal nervous tics. As a rule, this is accompanied by “twitching” of other muscles of the face. Contact a neurologist to know the diagnosis accurately.
When to make an appointment with a pediatrician
You have already learned about the harmless and serious reasons for children's yawning and you are sure that your child often yawns a year not because of fatigue and lack of oxygen. In this case, consult a specialist:
- The child very often yawns, lethargic, too sleepy. This may indicate migraine, chronic fatigue, or emotional burnout.
- Fainting.
- When talking with a neurologist, it is better to mention frequent bouts of yawning.
- The child yawns at a speed several times per minute.
- The first "bells" of epilepsy are observed. If the baby is still yawning, consult a doctor immediately.
Also, frequent yawning can signal such diseases or pathologies:
- High intracranial pressure.
- Hydrocephalus.
- VVD (vegetative-vascular dystonia).
- Multiple sclerosis (this disease also occurs in children).
How to help your baby at home
If your child often yawns, try to do all the manipulations listed below, and then contact a neurologist.
To begin with, the causes of harmless frequent yawning can be overwork, overexcitation and lack of oxygen.
| Cause | How to solve the problem | It will not be superfluous | Prohibited |
| Overwork | - Give your child fruit that contains vitamin C. This will help him gain strength and energy.
- Try to avoid quarrels with all family members. Children feel emotional stress in the home.
- Show your child that you love him.
- Play with him often, but in quiet games. Put together puzzles, play baby dominoes, draw, sculpt, build sand castles.
| - Consult with a pediatrician about what vitamins are best for a baby to restore tone.
- Do massage to relax, take baths.
- Go to a complex of water procedures.
- Take care of baby food. Do not overfeed your child with chocolate and other junk food. Cook foods low in salt and fat. Eat right.
| - Screaming at the baby.
- Show your annoyed state.
|
| Overexcitation | - Make walking less active. Eliminate all kinds of active games for the time being.
- Quiet games here will not hurt. They will help the baby develop perseverance.
- Listen to classical music. Have a quiet evening listening to the compositions of great classics.
- Read books to your child. Focus on the work of the imagination, not the whole body.
- Do not show your baby more than one cartoon episode a day.
| - Change of day mode.
- Breathing exercises.
- Relaxing exercises.
| - Give your child tablets, phones, and other gadgets.
- Giving plenty of sweets.
|
| Lack of oxygen | - Form the correct daily routine. Walk from ten to twelve in the morning and from four to six in the evening.
- Ventilate the nursery.
- Keep track of the temperature in the house. It needs to be kept at twenty-two degrees.
- Humidity should not exceed sixty percent.
- Drink your baby with clean still water, bathe every day. Lack of fluid (especially in summer) provokes bouts of yawning. Take a bottle of water for a walk.
| - Go to a special medical sanatorium, where you can daily go with the baby for procedures. Treatment in salt caves is also suitable.
- Go as a family to the sea, to the forest, to the mountains.
| - Violate sleep patterns.
- Feed junk food.
- To smoke in the presence of the child or in the same room with him.
|
Now you have found out in which cases you should consult a doctor, and in which to take preventive measures. Yawning is a very interesting process that helps the body and sends signals in case of a problem. Our pets also yawn when tired and at bedtime. Here's another interesting fact: dogs and cats yawn to people in response as a sign of affection and love for their owners.