Last updated: November 2026
Yawning a lot when you’re not tired is usually down to boredom, stress or anxiety, a warm room, seeing someone else yawn, or sleep that’s poorer than you realise. Some medicines, especially SSRI antidepressants such as sertraline, can cause it. Rarely it’s linked to sleep apnoea, migraine, or heart or brain conditions.
Checked against NHS, MedlinePlus and published research in November 2026.
Why am I yawning so much? Common causes
Everyone yawns, and the triggers go well beyond sleepiness. A 2025 review describes yawning as linked to boredom and drowsiness, with likely roles in alertness and cooling the brain, and a social side: seeing or hearing a yawn sets you off.
| Cause | Clues | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Poor or short sleep | Heavy eyes, worse in the afternoon | Regular sleep times, 6 to 9 hours |
| Boredom, low stimulation | Meetings, driving, studying | Move, change task, get fresh air |
| Stress or anxiety | Tense, sighing, feel you can’t get a full breath | Slow breathing, tackle the stress |
| Warm room | Stuffy office or car | Cool down, open a window |
| Medicines | Started or increased an antidepressant | Talk to your GP or pharmacist |
| Sleep apnoea | Loud snoring, gasping at night, very tired by day | See a GP |
| Migraine | Yawning and tiredness before a headache | Note it in a headache diary |
For short sleep, see sleep deprivation and heavy, tired eyes.
Why am I yawning so much but not tired?
Yawning isn’t only a sleep signal. Research suggests yawns help you perk up and cool the brain, so you may yawn more when you’re bored, under-stimulated, stressed or warm, even if you don’t feel sleepy. Seeing others yawn is a strong trigger too. A new medicine is worth checking if it started suddenly.
- Temperature. In one study, people walking outside reported contagious yawning far less often in winter (1.4°C) than in summer (19.4°C), 18% against 42%, which fits the brain-cooling idea.
- Stress and anxiety. Researchers note that yawning is often seen in tense or anxious situations, and emotional stress triggers yawning in animal studies. See anxiety symptoms.
- Sleep you don’t notice. Waking briefly through the night can leave you yawning without feeling tired. See why do I wake up tired?
Yawning a lot to catch your breath
Feeling you can’t get a satisfying breath, then yawning or sighing to fill your lungs, often goes with stress, anxiety or a panic attack. The NHS lists panic attacks among common causes of breathlessness. Slow breathing can help: try box breathing or 4-7-8 breathing. But breathlessness can be serious, so check the urgent signs below.
Can medicines make you yawn a lot?
Yes. Excessive yawning is a known side effect of SSRI antidepressants. In a 2026 study of 110 people starting an SSRI for depression, the share with excessive yawning rose from 5.4% to 15.4% after a month. Reports to drug safety databases most often name apomorphine, sertraline, fluoxetine and paroxetine.
iIf you think a medicine is making you yawn, speak to your GP or pharmacist. Don’t stop an antidepressant suddenly on your own.
How to stop yawning so much
- Get up and move for a few minutes, or step outside for fresh air.
- Cool down: open a window, drop the heating, have a cold drink.
- Breathe slowly through your nose if you feel short of air.
- Protect your sleep: regular bed and wake times and no late caffeine. See why am I always tired?
- Take a short break or a 10 to 20 minute power nap if you really are flagging.
- Pull over if you’re driving and keep yawning: it’s a warning sign to stop and rest.
When to worry about excessive yawning
Researchers often count more than 3 yawns in 15 minutes as excessive. MedlinePlus advises contacting a doctor if you have unexplained, excessive yawning, or yawning with being very sleepy in the daytime.
- See a GP if it’s new and doesn’t settle, started with a new medicine, or comes with loud snoring or gasping at night (possible sleep apnoea), daytime sleepiness, or headaches (see migraine).
- Call 999 if yawning comes with chest pain or tightness, pain spreading to your arm, neck or jaw, sweating or severe breathlessness, or with a drooping face, arm weakness or slurred speech.
Rarely, excessive yawning is linked to a reaction involving the vagus nerve during a heart attack, or to stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis or a brain tumour, which is why sudden yawning with other symptoms needs checking.
Where our products fit
No supplement stops yawning. If poor sleep is behind yours, an evening routine is the place to start.
Our pick
Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex
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The FSA’s 10mg a day figure is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication.
iIf you take any regular medicines, check with your GP or pharmacist first. We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Both are vegan, made in the UK and for adults (18+) only.
Sources 8
- MedlinePlus. Yawning, excessive.
- Teive HAG, et al. Yawning in neurology: a review. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2018. PMID 30066799.
- Wani PD, Agarwal M. The science of yawning: exploring its physiology, evolutionary role, and behavioral impact. J Family Med Prim Care. 2025. PMID 41041241.
- Massen JJ, et al. A thermal window for yawning in humans: yawning as a brain cooling mechanism. Physiol Behav. 2014. PMID 24721675.
- Yildirim YE, et al. Prevalence of SSRI-related yawning in patients with major depressive disorder: a prospective study. J Psychiatr Res. 2026. PMID 41197220.
- Mohandoss AA, Thavarajah R. Pathological yawning as adverse side effect of psychotropic drugs. Neuropsychopharmacol Hung. 2023. PMID 38170730.
- Kubota N, et al. Neural pathways involved in yawning due to emotional stress in rats. Behav Brain Res. 2023. PMID 36058406.
- NHS. Sleep apnoea, Migraine, Shortness of breath and Heart attack and Stroke symptoms.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. Evopure makes the Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex and Sleep CBD Oil.
