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06:49
A Laboratory Method to Measure Contagious Yawning in Rats
Published on: June 14, 2019
Yawning in morning and evening types
Iole Zilli1, Fiorenza Giganti, Piero Salzarulo
1Sleep Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Florence, Via S. Niccolò, 93-50125 Florence, Italy.
Physiology & Behavior
|April 7, 2007
Summary
Evening-type individuals yawn more than morning-types, especially in the morning. Yawning patterns differ between chronotypes, suggesting it’s a behavioral sign of sleepiness.
Area of Science:
- Chronobiology
- Sleep Science
- Behavioral Neuroscience
Background:
- Yawning is often observed near sleep onset and awakening.
- Its frequency may correlate with sleep propensity.
- Individual differences in sleep-wake cycles (chronotypes) might influence yawning patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate yawning frequency and its temporal distribution.
- To compare yawning patterns between morning-type and evening-type individuals.
- To explore the relationship between chronotype, sleep-wake rhythms, and yawning behavior.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 16 healthy young adults (8 morning-types, 8 evening-types).
- Participants maintained habitual sleep schedules for three days.
- Self-reported all yawning occurrences over the study period.
Main Results:
- Evening-types exhibited higher yawning frequency than morning-types, particularly in the morning.
- Yawning frequency decreased throughout the day in evening-types, peaking before sleep and remaining stable post-awakening.
- Morning-types showed low daytime yawning, increasing in the evening, with a decline post-awakening.
Conclusions:
- Temporal yawning distribution significantly differs between morning and evening chronotypes.
- Chronotype-related differences in sleep-wake rhythms influence yawning frequency.
- Yawning may serve as a behavioral indicator of sleep propensity, varying with individual chronobiology.
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