Why, whilst I yawn, do I temporarily go deaf?

Baloo55th

I would reckon it's all down to the Eustachian Tubes. These connect the inner ear to the back of the nose. (Really! They don't allow you to hear with your nose or smell with your ears, though.) Ever had that pressure change blockage? Sudden drop in an unpressurised aircraft, driving quickly down a steep hill, all sorts of things can cause this. What happens is that the tubes get blocked, and this stops the eardrum working. have a look at a real bang it drum. If it's one of the ones with a skin on both sides, there will be a little hole on the side somewhere. This is to allow for the pressure changes to take place that give the sound. The Eustachian Tubes perform the same function in the ear. (OK, I know the ear is a microphone, but a microphone and a speaker are the same thing basically.) When you are yawning, you are somehow blocking your Tubes, possibly with back pressure, and this is having the effect of neutralising your eardrums. As I reckon it's back pressure, when you stop yawning the effect is cancelled. http://www.bcm.edu/oto/jsolab/eust_tub.htm Jan 22 07, 5:35 PM

What-A-Mess

Inner-ear pressure.....Not Deaf but impaired!!! Jan 22 07, 10:54 PM