Why do we yawn, sneeze and hiccup?
There is no such person who has never hiccupped, so there is no need to explain what it is. It is clear that hiccups are a rather unpleasant process that causes considerable inconvenience and sometimes annoying. Recently, scientists have been studying in depth hiccups, as well as yawning and sneezing along the way. In the course of the tests, quite interesting facts were discovered: it turns out that hiccups, sneezing and hiccupping are useful for the human body.
Why do we hiccup?
Science has long proven that hiccups relieve the body from the load from the vagus nerve, relieving it of excessive activity.
The vagus nerve connects the central nervous system with almost all internal organs of a person. It passes from the chest to the abdominal region, closely adjacent to the esophagus, through the diaphragm through a small opening in it.
The diaphragm is the septum that separates the abdominal cavity from the chest and consists primarily of muscles and tendons.
Here, in fact, it is in the opening of the diaphragm that hiccups arise. If a person eats quickly, without chewing food, but swallowing it in large chunks, it injures the esophagus, and with it the vagus nerve is damaged. In turn, this nerve begins to press and get irritated. This nerve is also injured under other factors: fright, overeating, hypothermia (remember little children: when they hiccup, it is generally accepted that they are cold), an uncomfortable posture.
At these moments, our body feels discomfort, the vagus nerve tries to get rid of the excess load, which leads to hiccups. The vagus nerve begins to contract rapidly, which adversely affects the functioning of many organs in the body. A signal is sent to the central nervous system, thanks to which the diaphragm begins to actively pulsate and contract, making it powerful and sharp movements. This is what hiccups look like scientifically. And the sound of hiccups occurs due to the fact that the glottis closes very quickly at this moment.
It should be noted that hiccups are an involuntary reflex, and a person cannot control it. If you have hiccups too often, and you cannot get rid of it for a long time, it may not hurt you to visit a doctor and get tested for various disorders not only on the part of physiology, but also of the psyche.
Hiccups can sometimes be a sign of gastritis, myocardium, or tumors in the neck or esophagus. Therefore, as soon as you feel that the hiccups are abnormal, do not hesitate and run to the doctor for advice.
How to get rid of hiccups?
You can get rid of hiccups on your own using simple but proven methods.
It is necessary to stretch, take a deep breath several times and hold the air for a while. Water also helps. It should be drunk in small sips until the hiccups disappear.
Why are we yawning?
Yawning is a complex phenomenon, and therefore poorly understood. It has already been proven to have a direct link to fatigue and lack of sleep. However, a person who does not want to sleep can also yawn. In addition, almost all animals are subject to yawning. Even babies yawn while in the womb. Often times, yawning can overwhelm a person who is in a stressful situation.
Scientists claim that with the help of yawning, the brain gets invaluable respite and relaxation, and the airways during yawning expand, enriching the body with oxygen, which often does not happen with normal breathing. Often times, yawning can overwhelm a person in a poorly ventilated or low-oxygen environment.
Thus, yawning is designed to relieve stress and psychological stress from the body, and also prevents many diseases. Therefore, doctors do not recommend fighting yawning.
A number of studies have been conducted that have identified another cause of yawning. This is brain overheating. It turns out that people start yawning when the brain "boils". This process can be compared to running a fan on a computer processor.
The brain functions much better when cooled. And yawning is a natural physiological process that helps the brain cool down.
Thus, yawning is easy to explain. For example, a person is tired and wants to sleep. In this situation, his brain begins to heat up, as does the blood flowing through him. And yawning helps a person cool the brain.
In addition, frequent yawning can be a sign of certain medical conditions, such as multiple sclerosis or migraines. Also, yawning often precedes epileptic seizures in epileptics. And compulsive yawning can be caused by problems with the temperature of the brain. In this case, doctors need to carefully monitor a patient who complains of constant yawning.
Why do we sneeze?
Sneezing, or, as professionals say, sneezing reflex, is inherent not only in humans, but also in most animals. And the reason for sneezing is simple.
Usually, people sneeze due to the fact that they need to get rid of all kinds of microparticles present in the nose. These particles interfere with our breathing and irritate the nasal mucosa. Thanks to sneezing, the nose and sinuses are cleared of dust, and the cells of the body begin to actively enrich with oxygen.
Let's take a closer look at each of the stages of sneezing:
- At first, a person feels a slight tickling in the nose caused by an irritant (dust and other microparticles).
- A signal is sent to the brain that it is necessary to get rid of this stimulus.
- The person takes a deep breath, and then exhales air sharply and powerfully through the nose.
- At this time, the tongue is pressed against the palate, as a result of which the air from the lungs ceases to enter the oral cavity and with force flies out by the nasopharynx. The flight distance is less than three meters, and the speed is up to 130 meters per second. The whole body at this moment is incredibly tense.
- Now that the respiratory tract is free of the irritant, the person can breathe calmly.
If you sneeze quite often, then you should pay attention to airing the room. It may also indicate that there is an allergen or other irritant nearby that causes sneezing.
Thus, we can safely say that sneezing, hiccups and yawning are natural physiological processes that are beneficial to humans.
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