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The functional relationship between yawning and vigilance.

Adrian G Guggisberg1, Johannes Mathis, Uli S Herrmann

  • 1Center of Sleep Medicine, Department of Neurology, Inselspital, University of Berne, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland. aguggis@gmail.com

Behavioural Brain Research
|March 6, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Yawning occurs due to sleepiness but does not appear to increase brain arousal levels or autonomic activation. This study investigated the physiological effects of yawning in sleepy individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Yawning is a common behavior with an unclear evolutionary origin and function.
  • The prevailing hypothesis suggests yawning combats drowsiness and delays sleep onset.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test if yawning is triggered by drowsiness and if it increases arousal.
  • To examine the physiological changes associated with yawning.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded electroencephalogram (EEG) and heart rate variability (HRV) in sleepy subjects during spontaneous yawning.
  • Compared EEG and HRV changes during yawning to those during voluntary body movements.
  • Removed artifacts from physiological signals for accurate analysis.

Main Results:

  • Yawning correlated with increased delta activity in EEG, indicating drowsiness.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Alpha rhythms showed distinct changes post-yawning compared to movements.
  • Heart rate variability increased transiently after yawning but showed no significant difference compared to movements.

    • Conclusions:

    • Yawning occurs during heightened sleep pressure but does not measurably increase brain arousal.
    • Yawning is not associated with specific autonomic activation.
    • Findings support yawning as a response to sleepiness, not an arousal-inducing mechanism.