Have you ever “caught” a yawn? Sometimes just seeing someone else yawn — even on television or the Internet — can inspire you to do the same. Get ready for a wonder that won’t put you to sleep but may get you yawning.

Have you ever wondered…

• Why do you yawn?
• Is yawning contagious?
• How do you make a dream catcher?

Did you know?

Yaaaaaaawn. When it comes to yawns, two things are certain: Everybody yawns — and nobody really seems to know why.

We begin yawning very early in life — before we’ve even entered the world, to be exact. Ultrasounds have discovered that fetuses begin yawning and hiccuping as early as 11 weeks into their development.

There are several theories about why we yawn. One theory suggests that we don’t breathe as deeply when we’re bored or tired as we do when we’re excited or exerting energy.

When our breathing slows, our bodies receive less oxygen. This reduction in oxygen makes us feel tired and lethargic.

Yawning helps bring a burst of fresh oxygen into the blood while pushing carbon dioxide out. If this theory is correct, yawning is an involuntary reflex.

More recent research suggests yawning may be a way our bodies distribute oily substances called “surfactants” that lubricate the lungs and prevent them from collapsing as we exhale and inhale.

No matter which yawn theory you believe, one thing is for sure — yawning is contagious! If you’ve ever watched someone else yawn, it’s likely you’ve caught the yawn, too!

Scientists continue to study the “contagious yawn” phenomenon, but they’ve yet to conclude exactly what causes humans to yawn simply because they see another person yawning. Interestingly, their research has found that, like humans, chimpanzees will yawn when they see another chimpanzee do so.

The next time you get an urge to start a trend, just open up your mouth and yawn. You may be surprised to find the person next to you can’t resist the urge to join in, too.

Try it out!

Does all this talk of yawning have you feeling sleepy? A Native American tribe called the Ojibway believes that hanging a dream catcher in their bedrooms would protect them from bad dreams.

According to the legend, the center of a dream catcher allows only good dreams into the dreamer’s mind, while the surrounding web catches all bad dreams. When the sun comes up, the bad dreams trapped in the web disappear.

Want to make your very own dream catcher? The Dream-Catchers.org website offers detailed instructions. Put your imagination to work so you can catch some extra zzzzs while your dream catcher does some catching of its own.

Wonder words to know and use:

• ultrasound
• exert
• reduction
• lethargic
• oxygen
• carbon dioxide
• involuntary reflex
• surfactants
• collapse
• contagious

Wonder what’s next?

Free bear hugs in Wonderopolis! What does the White House have to do with naming toys?  You’ll find out tomorrow.  See you then!

• Tags: breathing, contagious, dream catcher, inspiration, oxygen, reflex, yawn