Hi!Just curious to know if anyone else yawns alot right before they have an Asthma attack.........i always just fighured it was because i was so tire from struggling to breath but did search on Google on signs of an Asthma attact and it popped up frequently.

Hi!Just curious to know if anyone else yawns alot right before they have an Asthma attack.........i always just fighured it was because i was so tire from struggling to breath but did search on Google on signs of an Asthma attact and it popped up frequently.


I don't necessarily yawn a lot before an attack b/c I haven't had an actual attack in years, but I do yawn a lot throughout the day every day. I feel bad if it's during something important b/c I don't want anyone to think I'm bored, haha. From what I know you yawn b/c you aren't getting enough oxygen to your lungs so it's your body's way of trying to force air down. My frustration is that a lot of times I have these 1/2 yawns...and I just can't seem to get a deep breath down. Once I do it feels so good!

Good explanation !!!!!!!!!

I don't necessarily yawn a lot before an attack b/c I haven't had an actual attack in years, but I do yawn a lot throughout the day every day. I feel bad if it's during something important b/c I don't want anyone to think I'm bored, haha. From what I know you yawn b/c you aren't getting enough oxygen to your lungs so it's your body's way of trying to force air down. My frustration is that a lot of times I have these 1/2 yawns...and I just can't seem to get a deep breath down. Once I do it feels so good!

Yawning actually has nothing to do with oxygen levels.

I may be mistaken, but when I was reading about yawns a while ago (since I really am a boring person like that), they were a sign of anxiety. Frequent sighing was common with depression. A feeling of anxiety is normal with an asthma attack.

Yawning actually has nothing to do with oxygen levels.

I may be mistaken, but when I was reading about yawns a while ago (since I really am a boring person like that), they were a sign of anxiety. Frequent sighing was common with depression. A feeling of anxiety is normal with an asthma attack.

It would be an interesting Topic to do more research on. I've always heard it had to do with Oxygen and it makes sense to me! I've never had anxiety and if that were the cause then I've had anxiety everyday since I was young!

It would be an interesting Topic to do more research on. I've always heard it had to do with Oxygen and it makes sense to me! I've never had anxiety and if that were the cause then I've had anxiety everyday since I was young!

Now I'm not saying that everyone who yawns is an anxious person. I frequently yawn also. What I've found with some of my yawns is that I can control them...like just now, I felt one coming on and I stopped it. Maybe swallowing lessens the feeling that you get when a yawn is coming on.

Yawning is frequently attributed to boredom and sleepiness though. It's the body's way of waking the person up a bit.

I think the theory behind the lack of oxygen and yawning is that when you're bored or tired you may be hypoventilating and oxygen levels drop a little and the yawn forced air into the lungs. Sounds completely logical. Studies have proven it wrong though. I believe there was even a study done around 1998 that showed that yawning was unnecessary in adults and children, but that it developed the airways of infants. Interesting...yet so boring. :yawn:

Yawning actually has nothing to do with oxygen levels.

I may be mistaken, but when I was reading about yawns a while ago (since I really am a boring person like that), they were a sign of anxiety. Frequent sighing was common with depression. A feeling of anxiety is normal with an asthma attack.
Well i'm not depressed or stressed or bored(most of the time) so............?But right before an attack i'd qualify for stressed for sure .

Hey..I did some research for myself and everything that I found said that yawning with asthma is related to not getting enough oxygen to your lungs, etc.. Since I can't post any links just do a search under "yawning and asthma" and you should find more information

Here are 2 explanations I found on a search:

Normal yawning may be induced when the brain or lungs are not getting enough oxygen (or when someone else yawns).
The most plausible explanation, and the one that is taught in medical school, is that we yawn because oxygen levels in our lungs are low. Studies have shown that during normal, at-rest breathing, we don’t use anywhere near our lung capacity; for the most part, we just use the air sacs at the bottom of the lungs. If the air sacs, called alveoli, don’t get fresh air, they partially collapse and the lungs stiffen a bit. As a result, it’s believed, our brain prompts the body to either sigh or take a yawn to get more air into the lungs.

yawning is also correlated with getting well. In hospitals they can tell who will survive and who won't depending on whether or not they yawn. If a person yawns, it is a sign he/she is recovering.

Thanks for all the information everyone . I did do a google on asthma and yawning and found it is on of the side effects ,some people have and IS related to lack of oxegen in the lungs .......good to know anyway.

Hi all,
This sounded interesting so I thougt I'd research some also... here's what I found:
People have a common misconception that the urge to yawn is triggered by the body's need for more oxygen. Well, according to a doctor who has made the study of yawning his life's work, the yawn is a communiqué.

It warns you that your body has slowed down and that sleepiness might overtake you. The warning is a reminder to prepare to bed down if it's nighttime and you're at home, or to perk up if it's broad daylight and you're in front of your boss or the preacher.

The yawn also communicates impending sleepy time to a group. For example, primates signal each other through yawns that evening time is coming on and they should seek shelter. We human animals too have all experienced being in a room with a yawner whose yawn infects everyone in the room.

A yawn can even be communicated by the eyes alone. Researchers have covered a person's mouth, leaving just the eyes showing, and the invisible yawn will set off yawns among a group of spectators. So a yawn is not communicated by mouth alone.

There is a type of very rare brain tumor and a neurological illness that can cause excessive yawning, but it's very unlikely that you have anything like that.

I have mild asthma, and I find that I usually yawn after an attack (havent had one in a while though!!)

-Deanna :angel:

I was just diagnosed with asthma today (and im really frustrated) and when i saw the yawning thing, it caught my eye. I may yawn before an attack, but when i first started having breathing problems, i found that yawning actually helped much of the time, to get more air in my lungs. what do you think of this?

Hi Ellethiiel , (i'm Ellie)I definatly notice an increase in my yawning right before an attack and truly i wouldn't harp on about this so much except it is the ONLY thing i've noticed that kind of clues me in i'm about to have one (an asthma attack).If it's mid morning or early evening and I start yawning loads it's a sure sign for me grab my meds ....... oh well better than no sign at all (or a painfull one)!

I have really bad asthma "triggered" by yawning. My Allergy Specialist found that I was allergic to dust mites and he says they would normally trigger my asthma. When I told him about my yawning he told me that my asthma may be a subconscious "conditioned response" by my immune system to yawning. The only way to eventually stop this response, he says, is to take medications to prevent asthma.

Lots of times, if I'm short of breath, I yawn, and then I just never feel like I can get a complete yawn and get enough air into my lungs...so then I just keep yawning until I use my inhaler...