Two minutes before you present, you yawn. Then again. You're not bored and you slept fine. You just hope nobody thinks you're not taking this seriously.
Athletes yawn before races and musicians yawn before going on stage. Yawning under pressure is common, and it may be doing something useful. Here's what we know.
The short version
Yawns happen at state changes: waking up, winding down, and getting ready for something demanding.
One leading theory is that yawning helps cool the brain and boost alertness.
A slow, deliberate yawn also stretches your jaw, throat and face, releasing tension that builds under stress.
What's happening in your body
Scientists still debate exactly why we yawn, but one well-supported idea is the thermoregulation theory. A yawn draws in a big breath of air and stretches the jaw, which increases blood flow to the head. Researchers propose this helps cool the brain slightly, keeping it working at its best [1]. In experiments, people yawned less when they breathed through their nose or held something cool to their forehead [2].
Yawning also tends to show up when your body is shifting gears. Before a challenge, your system is ramping up. The yawn may be part of getting alert and ready, not a sign you're switching off.
Why it happens more under pressure
Shallow breathing. Under stress we breathe high and fast. A yawn is a big reset breath.
Jaw and face tension. Clenching and frowning without noticing builds tension that a yawn stretches out.
Warm, stuffy rooms and long screen sessions, both common at work.
The tool: the deliberate reset yawn
Drop your shoulders and let your jaw hang slightly open.
Start a slow, fake yawn. Open your mouth wide, inhale deeply through it, and let your eyes squeeze a little. A fake yawn often turns into a real one.
Hold the stretch at the top for a second or two.
Exhale slowly with a soft sigh. Repeat two or three times, ideally somewhere private before the meeting.
Follow it with a sip of cold water. Many people find it leaves the face softer and the breath lower.
Three more things that help
Get some fresh air or a cooler room before a big moment.
Massage your jaw muscles just in front of your ears in small circles for 30 seconds.
Breathe through your nose while you wait to go on.
Common mistakes
Reading yawns as a sign you're unprepared. It's a normal body response, not a judgment on you.
Fighting every yawn mid-meeting with a tense, clamped jaw, which adds more tension.
Reaching for more coffee because you assume you're tired.
When to see a doctor
Talk to a doctor if you yawn excessively all day along with heavy daytime sleepiness, loud snoring or pauses in breathing at night, or if you notice new symptoms like dizziness or fainting. These can point to a sleep or other medical issue worth checking.
Stress at work? Your company can pay for the fix.
The Fenice 90-day employee program builds a personal, body-first routine around your workday. Most people expense it from their learning or wellbeing budget.
Get 99 more tools like this, free
Download 100 Ways to Stop Stress and get one practical, body-first guide every week.
References
Gallup AC, Eldakar OT. The thermoregulatory theory of yawning: what we know from over 5 years of research. Front Neurosci. 2013;6:188.
Gallup AC, Gallup GG Jr. Yawning as a brain cooling mechanism: nasal breathing and forehead cooling diminish the incidence of contagious yawning. Evol Psychol. 2007;5(1):92-101.
This guide is general information, not medical advice.
