If you’ve been diagnosed with some kind of anxiety disorder and you’ve been experiencing constant yawning, you should know there can definitely be a connection between the two. In fact, excessive and constant yawning in itself indicates that your central nervous system is hyperactive, which also shows that you’re subject to a lot of stress and tension. As such, people with anxiety disorders can be found yawning more often than anyone else.
But this doesn’t conclusively mean that you already have an anxiety disorder if you really do tend to yawn quite frequently. If you don’t ever experience anxious states or panic attacks, you may be suffering from the other common cause of constant yawningó the lack of sleep.
Generally, yawning is the body’s involuntary attempt to breathe in large amount of air to fill the lungs completely. This is a signal that the body is tired and simply needs its rest. But sometimes, there are cases when people frequently yawn even when they are not the least bit tired or sleepy. Although certain physical conditions can cause the need to yawn often, many experts believe that excessive or compulsive yawning can be a symptom of an anxiety disorder.
When a person is anxious, he or she experiences an unconscious tightening of muscles in the abdomen, chest, shoulder, and neck. The tension felt in these areas feels as if the chest and abdomen are squeezed or compressed tightly, a feeling much like those felt when one is having an asthma attack. This constriction of muscles compresses the lungs leading to the act of yawning to gulp in more air. With chronic stress and anxiety, the yawning symptoms become a persistent habit.
People who suffer with general anxiety disorders, panic attacks or any other kind of anxiety problems usually feel as though they yawn frequently to make up for short-breathiness. As a matter of fact, shallow breathing and breathing troubles in general are also common symptoms of anxiety. This condition can manifest through dozens of different symptoms, and they always get worse the more you worry about them.
If you notice that worrying about your yawning actually makes you yawn more often, it may indicate that anxiety lies at the source of your symptom. You should of course check with a medical doctor to rule out other physical problems, but if nothing else seems to be wrong, you should focus on alleviating all your symptoms by dealing with your anxiety disorder.
There’s a simple trick you can use to reduce your frequent yawning: cupping your hand over your mouth. This will make you breathe slower and contribute to stabilizing the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your body. This is of course a temporary solution, and you should still focus on coming to terms with your panic attacks. Try to lead a healthier and more relaxed life, improve your diet and get more exercise. You’ll soon realize how your mental well-being is closely related to your physical well-being.
