A good cry goes a long way

How often and for what reasons people weep are influenced by many factors. Curiously, weeping is an emotional act that we normally cannot control, no matter how hard we try to suppress it. One way or the other it will definitely flow out. Dr. Ogala Henriettta,  a doctor with one of the General Hospitals says, […]

How often and for what reasons people weep are influenced by many factors. Curiously, weeping is an emotional act that we normally cannot control, no matter how hard we try to suppress it. One way or the other it will definitely flow out.

Dr. Ogala Henriettta,  a doctor with one of the General Hospitals says, “weeping is one of the mechanisms that humans use to get rid of some toxins. When we cry, some toxins flush out and flow with the tears. Also, crying helps relieve stress from emotional feelings and pains. When you cry, you are healing your heart. You are opening a channel that will allow yourself to feel better.”

Humans are the only animals who shed tears of emotion. We have different reasons why people cry. Many people express their loneliness and their heartaches through tears due to dissatisfaction in relationships and misunderstanding with other people.

Tears may be involved in removing waste products or toxic substances from the body. Perhaps, that is why so many people say they feel better after crying. It is healthier to cry than trying to release emotions and stress by drinking, drugs and violence.

Apart from relieving one from emotional stress and some toxins in the body system, Dr. Ogala went further to say that, “tears are continually produced in small quantities by the tear glands, which are located on the outer side of each eye, slightly above the eye and underneath the eyelid. Tears, which are spread evenly over the front surface of the eye during blinking, clean and lubricate the eye. An important component of tears is lysozyme, a chemical that inhibits bacterial growth on the eye’s surface. Some of the tears evaporate, but the remainder is drained into the nose through the tear duct, keeping the nose moist. Lysozyme from the tears prevent bacterial growth in the nose as well.”

It is said that, there’s nothing like a good cry for flushing out those negative emotions and feeling better afterwards. In fact, people who do not or cannot cry are endangering their lives because in the long run, they only end up bottling up their emotions and storing problems which will one way or the other affect them negatively in life. Some people never cry while, others seem to cry all the time. So, is crying really beneficial? That is the question many people often ask. Many people regard crying as an act of weakness. Shedding those tears could go a long way to ease the pains, trauma and stress that the mind and heart go through.

According to some psychologists, the physical effects of crying do indeed show that once crying stops, the body moves from a state of high arousal to one more associated with relaxation. Breathing and heart rate slows, sweating decreases and the period of the relaxed state tends to last longer than the time spent crying. For some people, they actually remember the positive side of crying more than the crying itself.

Crying seems to act as a kind of transition point between feeling upset or sad and feeling better and more positive. In cases where people lack insight into their emotional lives, a condition known as alexithymia, they actually feel worse after crying. Feeling better after crying is not something shared by everyone. People with anxiety or mood disorders for example, do not report feeling better. Those who derive the greatest benefits appear to have received a good level of emotional support from others at the time they cried.

Another interesting discovery about the content of tears was made by Dr. William H. Frey , a biochemist in Minnesota. He and his team analysed two types of tears: the emotional ones (crying when emotionally upset and stressed) and the ones arising from irritants (such as crying from onions). They found that emotional tears contained more of the protein-based hormones, prolactin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and leucine enkephalin (natural painkiller), all of which are produced by our body when under stress. It seems as if the body is getting rid of these chemicals through tears. That explains why we usually feel better after a good cry.

So, when was the last time you cried your eyes out? While it might be associated with weakness, hurt and emotional stress, it is never really embarrassing to cry if it concerns your health. Crying is just another form of laughing for your health but in an odd way. So, there you go. Cry as much as you want. It is probably the best for you and your health.