title: Excessive yawning and thermoregulation: two case histories of chronic, debilitating bouts of yawning.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This report details the case histories of two women who suffer from chronic and debilitating episodes of excessive yawning in the absence of sleep problems.
  
  
  METHODS
  Each woman independently provided information and answered questions about their excessive yawning symptoms and medical histories.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both women show signs of thermoregulatory dysfunction, and each reports symptom relief and/or the postponement of yawning attacks through means of behavioral cooling. One woman recorded her body temperature before and after bouts of yawning, revealing a significant drop in temperature following each episode (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The trigger for yawning in these patients appears to be related to increases in body/brain temperature. These cases are consistent with growing evidence showing that recurrent episodes of excessive yawning are not necessarily associated with a sleep disorder, but rather may be indicative of thermoregulatory dysfunction.
authors: Department of Psychology, University at Albany, Albany, USA.
authors: Gordon G
authors: GG
authors: Gallup
authors: Andrew C
authors: AC
authors: Gallup
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D045422:Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; D025461:Feedback, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D015000:Yawning / Q000502:physiology*