Can yawning excessively be bad for me in any way?

Nope. No harmful consequences can come from yawning. It is just a form of stretching and despite rampant suggestions to the contrary it has nothing to do with regulating the levels of oxygen in your blood.

Excessive yawning can be a sign of other problems such as fatigue, poor diet, etc., but more often than not it is just plain yawning.

No, yawning is not bad for you. I am 31 and a female.

No, as far as I know, yawning can do no damage.

Yawning is the bodies way of waking up. It helps keep us awake.

I think it can hurt you if you have TMJ problems. You would know. It would hurt at the joint between the jaw and your skull.

@wundayatta is right. TMJ issues are very noticeable. I have TMJ and there were times when I yawned and had a painful time closing my mouth. I’d spend the next 3 or 4 days not being able to eat because my jaw joint hurt so much.

Regular yawning can’t hurt you.

No. It is good for you. If I understand correctly, it relates to your brain’s need for oxygen.

Could be disadvantageous in a job interview though.

Well… I have another perspective.

It can be bad for you career-wise if you do it frequently in meetings, in front of your boss, at management presentations, and the like.

Physically? Not so much. Yawning won’t precipitate TMJ issues, but if you have TMJ problems then yawning is a painful bitch.

Only if you’re doing it while proposing to a woman, interviewing for a job, or making a speech in front of the U.N. General Assembly. Seriously, I don’t think you have a lot to worry about other than maybe popping your jaw.

@lloydbird I’d urge you to check your sources on the “need for oxygen” bit. It’s a common misconception but is not true.

@crazyivan ”..urge..” noted with thanks. Could you save me some time and provide me with a pointer? A link to some proof of your assertion perhaps?

Might throw your jaw out of joint one day.

Yawning helps to bring oxygen rich blood to your face muscles and this is good. But if you are yawning a lot due to lack of sleep then this is a bad health situation. You need your sleep.

This is the 2nd Link I looked at but even Wikipedia explains how the theory of yawning increasing oxygen has been cast aside. If anything, the evidence suggests that yawning slightly decreases oxygen levels. I offered the correction as a favor since this is a common misconception but it takes me the same amount of time to Google it as it takes you. When I Googled “yawning oxygen” the first six links all debunked this hypothesis.

thanks everyone!!

@WillWorkForChocolate….you are 31, female, and not funny. you forgot that last one =D

That’s entirely your opinion, and you are certainly welcome to it. I’m 31 and a female.