A reader of JYAJ asked me for some tips about yawning and how to stop. You might recall that some time ago I mentioned that I had an excessive yawning problem. I don’t exactly know why the problem seems to have faded but here is what I told him. Maybe these tips will work for you too.
Check with a doctor
. There is a remote possibility it could be indicative of a brain tumor, but my doctor didn’t think so. Some blood tests I had didn’t show any abnormalities, so I never took an MRI which could rule this out. A brain tumor is a highly remote possibility but you might not want to completely dismiss it. Truthfully, the doctor wasn’t much help when it came to my yawning problem.
Drink less carbonated beverages
. It often seemed that when I drank soda and seltzer water, I would yawn more. There wasn’t a direct correlation but for some reason I thought maybe there was a connection. In the last year I drank 40% less carbonated beverages and my yawning problems have practically vanished. I still yawn, just not in the same, excessive way.
Sitting position. Another thing that seemed to affect my yawning tendencies was the position in which I sat. I noticed I yawned a lot when driving in my car. I think my body was just folded in a certain way that triggered a yawn. By adjusting my seat, it seemed to reduce the yawning.
Get used to the feeling of having to yawn
. The other possibility is that you can just get used to the feeling and ignore it. Yawning can be controlled so maybe I just trained myself not to do it anymore.
Those are my thoughts. Like I said, I don’t really know what worked but something helped reduce the amount that I yawn. Take heart however, you are not alone. Take a look at this yawning discussion on Medhelp for other people that have the same problem.
There doesn’t seem to be any consensus on what causes it or how to stop it.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve always been a frequent yawner, but I don’t think I do it very often anymore. I guess getting enough sleep helps, and breathing properly so you get enough oxygen might help.
Avoiding boring people and jobs helps too.
Joe – good point! I’m happy that the yawning thing has subsided. There were times when I thought something was seriously wrong.
I’m good as long as I stay out of business meetings and houses of worship.