When you ask almost anyone what a yawn is, they will tell you it’s about the lack or need for more oxygen.
But is this true?
We don’t think so, and we’re not alone.
Scientists used to think we yawn due to a lack of oxygen. But more recent research in the 1980s disproved this theory since breathing in more oxygen or carbon dioxide didn’t affect how often one yawn.
We think it’s the “regeneration reflex.” Here are our reasons.
1. Taking in more oxygen does not stop yawning unless you engage in rapid breathing that acts like a stimulant and does not promote energy regeneration.
Breathing, correctly that is, should be virtually unnoticeable according to breathing expert Patrick McKeown, author of The Oxygen Advantage and other great books on the subject.
Breathing deeply is not about how much oxygen you take in; it’s about where you take it to, your chest or your belly. Taking a “deep breath,” too, can be almost imperceptible.
2. When you are tired, and your drive to eat food kicks in, you are essentially stimulating yourself to experience more energy, which slows the yawn down temporarily, but it’s still coming.
Stimulating yourself staves off the yawn as long you are stimulated; until you push it too far, the yawn will take over.
And
3. When you are well rested, how come you don’t yawn?
It’s not like you’re not breathing; you are. The reason is that you are regenerated already.
Yawning is the regeneration reflex, meaning by the time you are yawning, you are not getting tired, you were already tired, but now you are regenerating or getting reinfused with new energy.
Dr. Mark Waldman, a well-known neuroscientist, explains that when you allow yourself to yawn, you reset the brain.
According to Waldman, when you do the Yawn, Stretch & Relax exercise, it activates what’s known as the Salience Network in the brain, where intuition and imagination live, and you are rewarded with a moment of whole-brain integration. It’s like hitting the reset button for clarity and focus, which may lead to an “AHA” moment about what’s important.
How could clarity and focus be achieved through yawning? It’s because it’s the reflex of already recharged energy infusing your nervous system and brain.
You can test this out in your own experience to see if what I’m saying is true. And once you discover the truth, why would you ever suppress a yawn again?
That would be like suppressing thirst or true hunger. The yawn is part of the solution, not the problem.
Unless you are in a situation where it will be misinterpreted, in which case I can understand, go somewhere where you can, YAWN. You will feel a lot better.
Don’t demonize yawning. But if you are always yawning and need to stimulate yourself, you are in serious energy debt.
We’ve tested this further in our lab, called REGENUS CENTER. Those who proactively yawn while on the Photobiomodulation beds get an even better result.
After about 10 minutes of the accelerated recharging that happens on the ATP Bed and a bout of yawns that will now occur more rapidly since you are supplementing the pace at which you are recharging, you literally can’t get yourself to yawn because you’re at a newly restored state where the need for the yawn as a regenerative reflex is gone.
You will experience the dissipation of the drive to yawn in real-time, as there is no need for this reflex. It’s why at Regenus Center, 15 minutes can add up to 4 more high-performance hours daily if you supplement your daily recovery with PBM.
In this context, we see it as less of therapy than we do a “supplement.” as we contend that sleep is not enough if you want to stay highly vital in today’s day and age.
I must admit most are not used to yawning proactively. When I tell people to do so, they’re like, “Really?” And I say, “Yes!”
Here are three Pro Tips:
1. Yawn. Don’t suppress it; go to a place where you yawn as much as you need to.
2. Do your best not to cover up yawning with coffee, as you are really not covering up anything. You are just making it worse.
3. Recognize that if you are yawning, you are in energy debt and must make performance lifestyle changes.
To learn more about this life-changing experience:
a) Sign up for regular photobiomodulation at Regenus Center and build this regenerative “supplement” into how your lifestyle.
b) Join me for the 4-week Performance Lifestyle, Regenerate Your Life Force Energy course.
