Why You Yawn: Health Tip

Yawning typically occurs when you feel sleepy or bored, says Cleveland Clinic.

People do not yawn because the brain needs more oxygen, the clinic notes in dispelling a common myth. Instead, yawns allow us to regulate both air pressure in our ears and brain temperature.

Yawns are not really contagious. Often, people yawn in the same environment because they are exposed to the same temperature and need to thermoregulate, too, the clinic says.