(HealthDay News) — 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.

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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.

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