There are few physical activities in life that require so little preparation and commitment of time and energy for so big a payoff in relaxation and contentment than the morning full body stretch and yawn combination.
The yawn helps clear the head and stretch those face and neck muscles. The full body stretch loosens the spine and gets the blood circulating delivering precious oxygen to all those places that were neglected during the night. When you come out of the yawn and relax the tension of the stretch, you feel warm and content.
And, if there is a problem with this at all, this is where it is. We yawn and stretch as we're waking. Mammals do it (my dog, this squirrel) and babies do it. It appears to be a natural behavior. But what it seems to do is cause us to want to sleep just a little bit longer. Which I don't mind. It is just odd that an evolved behavior, while prepping us for the waking world, sets us up so naturally for just a snooze bar's period of additional sleep.
Maybe we should do like the animals and stand, shake, trot to the door and wait to be let outside for our morning routine. That would wake up most of us.
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