All people and animals yawn naturally as a reflex.

From a fetus to an older adult, it is seen practically at every stage of life.

We yawn whenever we’re sleepy or overly tired. It is our body’s mechanism for maintaining wakefulness. We can also yawn to regulate our brain temperature after eating or when someone else yawns.

Excessive yawning can be a problem!

Humans yawn five to ten times per day on average. However, different health disorders may be a reason for excessive yawning. In some studies, people who yawn excessively have admitted to doing so up to 100 times a day.

Excessive yawning may affect a person’s social life because it is considered impolite in many cultures. Those frequent life disruptions can lead to an individual’s emotional and mental health issues.

Additionally, excessive yawning can signify other more severe conditions and can be connected to other health issues.

According to Medical News Today, excessive yawning can reveal:

• Bleeding around the heart
• Sleep disorders, like sleep apnea or insomnia, are a hidden cause of constant yawning.
• Heart attack

Excessive yawning in pectus excavatum patients

I can add myself to the list of people with pectus excavatum who can experience excessive yawning on occasions, such as while working out intensely. I frequently see others with this condition and on forums complaining about this occurrence.

Yawning while working out doesn’t always imply it’s unsafe or problematic; it could simply be the body’s natural urge to maintain average brain temperature while the body overheats from intense training.

Excessive yawning may indicate an underlying illness or consequence. Nonetheless, such a condition imposes the feeling of exhaustion, even if we are not tired that day.

Can shortness of breath cause yawning?

Research showed that pectus excavatum is strongly related to breathing problems. That is a direct link between yawning and deformity.

Excessive yawning might result from feeling out of breath or experiencing shortness of breath. Every change in heart rate (due to a workout, walking, or any activity), respiration, and the sense of tight chest muscles can cause excessive yawning.

Although shortness of breath can arise for various reasons, the most common of which is anxiety. It is often related to our deformity. It is a big part of our pectus journey.

We often struggle to fill our chests with air, which can result in rapid and irregular breathing or shortness of breath, so yawning is a way to increase our oxygen levels.

We can transport more carbon dioxide out of circulation and more oxygen into the blood by yawning.

Physical symptoms of frequent yawning

You may experience physical, emotional, or other effects if you excessively yawn, such as:

• You may yawn multiple times in sixty seconds.
• Breathing problems—You may notice excessive yawning and shortness of breath, one prevalent symptom of the chest deformity.
• Heart rate—A high heart rate is possible with excessive yawning, like in pectus excavatum. The breastbone may compress the heart and produce a rapid heart rate in extreme cases of a sunken chest.
• Heart problems—Excessive yawning may indicate a heart disease due to chest pain or an irregular heartbeat.
• Injuries or other issues with the joints.

Diagnosis

Although this condition usually does not bother our health, it can signify hidden issues. You should seek medical help if you experience frequent and unpleasant yawning.

To discover the cause of excessive yawning, your doctor will first inquire about your medical history and symptoms. It would help if you mentioned your chest deformity and every possible related issue. After that, your doctor will run tests to collect more information for a more precise diagnosis.

How to stop excessive yawning + my tip

The way to treat excessive yawning can be with non-medical or medical intervention.

Non-Medical Therapy

Doctors frequently recommend lifestyle changes to fix your problem without medication. Your doctor may advise you to create a routine with physical activity, utilize a breathing device, and develop a regular sleep schedule.

All such typically healthy recommendations are of great benefit to our deformity. If you try to practice this healthy lifestyle, the chances of feeling unnecessary fatigue with excessive yawning will also decrease.

Treatment with Medicine

If another medical problem causes frequent yawning, your doctor may recommend you take medications.

My tip 

When I experience abnormally frequent yawning in the middle of my working days, I practice a 5-minute breathing exercise and drink cold water. It instantly refreshes me and regulates the current imbalance in energy.

I open a window if I’m in a closed room to let fresh air in as I continue the day. Try it. It will probably work for you just like it works for me. Frequent breathing exercises can solve many problems, such as this one. Thank you for reading. I hope this blog post was helpful to you!