Abstract
The present study attempts to look at the extent to which yawning reduces stress induced acute hyperthermia. When stressed socially or physiologically, body temperature rises with the stressed subject experiencing acute hyperthermia, essentially inducing a brief fever. Thus, after the removal of the stress stimulus, body temperature should begin to decrease and return to baseline conditions, which may be achieved through various thermoregulatory mechanisms. One such mechanism is yawning. Yawning is a deep inhalation of air accompanied by rapid increases in blood flow around the face head and neck. As supported in recent research across a wide range of taxa, yawning functions like a radiator, replacing hyperthermic blood surrounding the brain with cooler blood from around the lungs. In a recent study, stress was induced by capturing and handling parakeets (Melopsittacus undulatus), and resulting under wing temperatures were monitored. Stressed parakeet experienced an initial period of increased body temperature and inhibition of yawning. However, after a brief lag period following the removal of stressors, parakeet body temperature began to decline accompanied by increased spontaneous yawning. Here we build on these findings and directly demonstrate the association between stress-induced hyperthermia and the brain cooling function of yawning in humans. We exposed participants to a standard physiological stressors, measured physiological markers of stress and recovery, and assessed their propensity to yawn at various time intervals after the induction of stress. We hypothesized that yawning is potentiated to reduce acute hyperthermia following the onset of stress and therefore may provide an indicator of the beginning of stress relief. Understanding the role of yawning in alleviating the symptoms of stress may provide further insights to the duration, magnitude, and eventual recovery from stressful encounters.
Faculty Sponsors
Omar Tonsi Eldakar, Ph.D.
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-10-2015 1:00 PM
End Date
4-10-2015 5:30 PM
The Function of Yawning in Reducing Acute Hyperthermia Following Physiological Stressors
Alvin Sherman Library
The present study attempts to look at the extent to which yawning reduces stress induced acute hyperthermia. When stressed socially or physiologically, body temperature rises with the stressed subject experiencing acute hyperthermia, essentially inducing a brief fever. Thus, after the removal of the stress stimulus, body temperature should begin to decrease and return to baseline conditions, which may be achieved through various thermoregulatory mechanisms. One such mechanism is yawning. Yawning is a deep inhalation of air accompanied by rapid increases in blood flow around the face head and neck. As supported in recent research across a wide range of taxa, yawning functions like a radiator, replacing hyperthermic blood surrounding the brain with cooler blood from around the lungs. In a recent study, stress was induced by capturing and handling parakeets (Melopsittacus undulatus), and resulting under wing temperatures were monitored. Stressed parakeet experienced an initial period of increased body temperature and inhibition of yawning. However, after a brief lag period following the removal of stressors, parakeet body temperature began to decline accompanied by increased spontaneous yawning. Here we build on these findings and directly demonstrate the association between stress-induced hyperthermia and the brain cooling function of yawning in humans. We exposed participants to a standard physiological stressors, measured physiological markers of stress and recovery, and assessed their propensity to yawn at various time intervals after the induction of stress. We hypothesized that yawning is potentiated to reduce acute hyperthermia following the onset of stress and therefore may provide an indicator of the beginning of stress relief. Understanding the role of yawning in alleviating the symptoms of stress may provide further insights to the duration, magnitude, and eventual recovery from stressful encounters.
