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CASE REPORT article

Front. Med.

Sec. Pulmonary Medicine

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1596512

An unusual case of yawning during sleep associated with sleep bruxism and obstructive sleep apnea-a case report

Provisionally accepted
Monika MichałekMonika Michałek1Karol MarschollekKarol Marschollek2*Wiktor KuliczkowskiWiktor Kuliczkowski3Marta Waliszewska-ProsółMarta Waliszewska-Prosół2Anna WojakowskaAnna Wojakowska1Katarzyna MadziarskaKatarzyna Madziarska1Helena MartynowiczHelena Martynowicz1
  • 1Department of Diabetology, Hypertension and Internal Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
  • 2Department of Neurology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Silesian, Poland
  • 3Institute of Heart Diseases, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland

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Current case report presents an unusual coincidence of yawning and sleep bruxism during sleep in the patient with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Both conditions were previously defined in literature as challenging, multidisciplinary problems with complex and little-known pathogenesis. A 71-year-old male with a history of coronary artery disease undergone video-polysomnography (vPSG) due to the suspicion of OSA. vPSG results confirmed severe obstructive sleep apnea, sleep bruxism and frequent episodes of yawning during sleep. Therapeutic intervention included positive airway pressure therapy, and resulted in resolution of apneic events. Interestingly, PAP titration also reduced the frequency of episodes of sleep bruxism and yawning. Results of current case report suggest temporal relationship between desaturation and yawning episodes, thus indicating hypoxic basis of this behavior. Resolution of yawning after PAP therapy appear consistent with this theory. Instrumental approach to OSA diagnosis supplemented by video-recording allowed to diagnose the unusual presence of yawning during sleep.

Keywords: Yawning, Sleep Bruxism, obstructive sleep apnea, Polysomnography, case report

Received: 19 Mar 2025; Accepted: 09 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Michałek, Marschollek, Kuliczkowski, Waliszewska-Prosół, Wojakowska, Madziarska and Martynowicz. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Karol Marschollek, Department of Neurology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Silesian, Poland

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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