ArticleSleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung2022
Yawning and airway physiology: a scoping review and novel hypothesis.
Article in Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- Fetal yawning and mouth openings: Frequency, developmental trends, and association with birth weight.PloS one · 2026Article
- Painful yawning and temporomandibular disorder: a cross-sectional study among Italian patients.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Yawning as Therapy? The Potential of the Conditioned Yawn Reflex as a Novel Treatment for Insomnia Disorder.Journal of sleep research · 2025Article
- An unusual case of yawning during sleep associated with sleep bruxism and obstructive sleep apnea-a case report.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Bruxism and other jaw loading behaviours are associated with somatic symptoms and psychological distress in orofacial pain-free adults: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in oral health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
background and purposeYawning is a stereotypical complex muscular movement and is commonly executed by most vertebrates. In seconds, the entire airway is fully dilated and surrounding muscles are powerfully stretched, most prominently around the pharynx. To date, yawning has been rarely studied, and as of yet there is no consensus on its main function. MATERIAL AND
methodsTo investigate a mechanical airway function for yawning, a literature search was conducted to relate the frequency of yawning and obstructive airway conditions.
resultsThe results show that changes in obstructive airway conditions and alteration of the frequency of yawning are temporally related.
interpretationThese relationships, however, cannot be interpreted as causal, nor can they be extrapolated to explain the function of yawning. Yet airway management and yawning share many physiological characteristics. We therefore propose a novel hypotheses: yawning plays a significant role in airway physiology by muscle repositioning and widening the airway lumen, thereby securing long-term oxygenation.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.