Cooling Down Your Brain

If you find yourself yawning a lot lately, lack of sleep or oxygen may not be the cause. According to new research published in the journal Physiology & Behavior, yawns are actually a way to cool down our brains. In order to test their theory, researchers compared the yawning frequency of people outdoors during summer and winder months in Vienna, Austria. Then, they compared those results with an identical study from Arizona. They discovered that people yawn more often during warmer months, and found that yawns were even less contagious in cooler temperatures. In addition, the study found that yawning isn't effective at cooling down our brain when ambient temperatures are as hot – or hotter – than our bodies. So, next time you can't stop yawning, you may want to try cooling off instead of napping.