Gals, how many times do you cry each month? According to a poll conducted by Cosmopolitan, most women cry at least once per month, while one-third cry at least every week.
Crying does have effects on your body- some surprisingly positive- and much depends on what type of tears you're shedding. There's even more than one way to cry- there's three! Your body can produce basal, reflex, and psychic tears. Basal tears maintain eye moisture, reflex tears help wash that grain of sand from your eye, and physic tears come out after a strong emotional event. With that in mind, what actually happens to your body when you start sobbing?
1. Your brain doesn’t care it you are happy or frightened: it just sees to it that you get a full body workout!
Tears can come out of joy, fear, anger, or sadness: humans seem to cry for almost any occasion. But what’s really strange is that- due to the interaction of the hypothalamus and amygdala in your brain- the human brain can’t really tell the difference as to the reasons we’re crying. The signal is sent, the tears come out, and the reason behind the crying really doesn’t matter.
According to studies, those who cry experience increased heart rates and sweating, a type of workout for your body.
2. Crying flushes your eyes and nose
Although we don’t get to see it in movies, tears actually come out from both the eyes and nose. So actually happens with our noses when we cry?
The liquid that comes out of your nose while crying is the same type of tears coming from the tear ducts in your eyes. It’s just that the tears coming from your eyes are external, and those running from your nose are internal.
3. Crying reduces stress hormones!
According to psychiatrist Dr. Judith Orloff, tears have healing power and transformative abilities, plus, every type of tear plays its own role in healing. She even encourages her patients to cry, explaining that emotional tears can reduce stress hormones. A study found that crying releases specific chemicals that are able to relieve both emotional and physical pain. In fact, many specialists and researchers do support the healing benefits of tears.
So, it seems that tears work as a natural pain-killer and stress-reliever.
4. Tears can help kill bacteria
Your tears may actually be able to kill bacteria. They contain lysozyme, a type of protein that works to destroy health-damaging molecules. According to a recent study, lysozyme in tears can even exterminate dangerous bacteria. So we should probably stop thinking that we are just wasting our tears when crying, as we’re actually spilling natural, bacteria-fighting liquid across our cheeks.
5. A good cry can improve your mood
Although a few minutes of meditation or soaking in a hot bath can also boost your mood, a good cry just might be a useful self-care method. In a study, participants watched a sad movie while researchers assessed their moods. After an initial period of sadness, after 90 minutes from the end of the film, the ones who cried while watching were in a better mood than before they even watched the movie.
So, a good, long emotional cry just might be an effective way to get some closure and get yourself together after a bad experience. Just be careful where you do it, since the place where you cry plays an interesting role in the way you’ll feel afterward. Sobbing at home or among trusted friends is beneficial and healthy, while crying at work is not easily accepted.
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