Why Do I Yawn When I Sing?

There are many reasons we yawn. Yes, not having enough sleep is the most common answer, but yawning is also a natural reflex.

Have you ever noticed how yawns are contagious? That would be why. If you’re performing, and an audience member starts to yawn, find a wall and glue your eyes there.

In fact, I remember giving a masterclass to an audience of 800 singers in Singapore (that read well 😉) and I was talking about the 7 breaths. When I finally got to the yawn—which I can activate and deactivate at will—the whole entire audience yawned. When I pointed this out and they all looked around the room, they started yawning even more! It was funny. And it was predictable.

You see, if you’re not taking in enough oxygen, your brain signals for help and your body responds with a wide, stretching, satisfying yawn.

Because most of us DON’T take deep, long breaths throughout the day we develop what I call a “breathing drought”. The body’s response is because yawning serves as an actual reminder that you lack meaningful oxygen levels in your body. Much like thirst and hunger remind us to eat and to hydrate.

There are many things scientists still don’t understand about yawning and why we do it, but it seems directly related to changing conditions within the body. If our state of alertness is changing, we often yawn. That would be why it’s often associated with boredom.

But as a performer, you do not need to presume boredom. Lack of sleep, low energy, and overall fatigue should be the first and most obvious reasons.

Understanding the Soft Palate and its Role in Yawning

When we yawn, the soft palate lifts, allowing the throat and mouth to open, and the larynx to depress. Lifting your soft palate when you sing helps your sound from becoming overly nasal.

HOWEVER…chronically exaggerating a lifted soft palate can distort your tone. Again, remember this, yawning will lower your larynx, but the lowering should be a prevention of a highly raised larynx, which can lead to or a symptom of pulled up chest voice. In other words…yelling to hit high notes. Also, the high larynx creates a pinched feeling in the throat.

So, when the next time you feel a yawn coming, consider how it feels. You can store this information to use later because a yawn can reset the larynx slightly lower and afterwards can allow you to return to a neutral larynx position, which is a perfect position to start singing.

Good Positioning Can Cause a Full Yawn

When seeking a good throat position, we actually strive for all three of those things listed above. Many singers include yawning as a part of their daily routine, for rehearsal or performance. Using yawning as a part of your vocal exercise can help control yawning when it’s imperative to do so.

But remember this, you want to sing in a post yawn position. Not in mid yawn, because the tone will be too muddy and dull.

Help, I’m Singing and Can’t Stop Yawning!

This is a very common occurrence among new singers. They often haven’t developed the proper breathing technique or lung power common among experienced singers.

There are some answers to this phenomenon of excessive yawning. The most typical are exhaustion, not breathing properly, dehydration, and stress, which includes both mental and physical.

Exhaustion

Everyone yawns when they’re tired. It is an easy way for the brain to get the body’s attention and usually bring about some action.

We’ve already established that yawning and singing use many of the same muscles, and if you are already fighting sleep, your job of avoiding the yawns just got ten times harder.

Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. A tired body will affect your voice as well as your mind. Exhausted singers can expect a sub-par performance.