15 Reasons You Should Cry More Often
The 15 reasons you should cry more often will be talked of in details but first, a brief intro. Crying is one of the many innocently natural acts that society makes us feel guilty about. Most people are ashamed of crying, especially in public places such as their places of work. This is because they have been made to believe that it is a sign of weakness.
In fact, to make matters worse, the act has also become gender-sensitive such that it is a normal thing for women to cry but when men cry, judgmental brows are raised. It is quite worrisome that something so natural could become so demonized. What this article aims to achieve therefore is to reassure you that crying is not only normal but could also be beneficial to you.
Types of Tears
People cry for various reasons, ranging from the emotional to the impulsive and the biological. To this end, there exist three distinct types of tears and they include the following:
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Basal Tears
This is also known as continuous tears. This kind of tears is secreted by the tear ducts. Basal tears are antibacterial liquid that is rich in protein and helps to keep the eyes moist every time one blinks. Without basal tears, it would be incredibly impossible to have clear eyesight.
2. Reflex Tears
These tears are evoked by the contact of certain foreign objects to the eyes. Irritants such as wind, onions, a poking finger, sharp objects, etc trigger this type of tears. Reflex tears are therefore released to flush out these irritants and protect the eyes.
3. Emotional Tears
This is the commonest type of tears shed by humans. In this case, the tears are shed in reaction to a range of emotions. These tears contain a higher level of stress hormones than other types of tears.
However, when people talk about crying, what they mean in most cases is the “show of emotions.” So, in reality, we cry at the loss of a loved one, when we face relationship turmoils when we are faced with injustice and every other hardship that there is in life. These and many other factors account for the shedding of tears among humans.
Having looked into the reasons human beings cry as well as the different types of tears, we now move on to the bone of contention. Is crying simply a natural phenomenon or is there something more to it? In fact, is there a possibility of obtaining some benefits from the act of crying. Also, we shall see whether shedding tears could ever be done in excess.
Benefits of Crying
There are numerous advantages that come with crying. These benefits come, not in a vacuum, but with the full cooperation of the individual involved. So, do not expect to benefit from any of these if all you do is weep without ceasing. The following are some things you stand to gain from healthy crying:
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It Hydrates the Eyes
The eyes are usually exposed to a lot of external materials that bring about its dehydration. Therefore, tears (basal) serve an indispensable tool in preventing the constant dehydration of the eyes. In fact, without moisture, the vision would be a little impaired, so tears do us, humans, a great deal of good.
2. Tears Help You Feel a Whole Lot Better
As awkward as this might sound, this is actually true. In fact, research has shown that crying helps babies sleep more soundly. Even though this cannot be equally said of adults due to lack of concrete evidence, the soothing relief that comes upon one after a bout of sincere cry is undeniable. This happens especially in situations where the tears are a result of some emotional or physical distress.
3. It Helps to Connect With Others
Crying makes one vulnerable to those around them and vulnerability elicits empathy. Let’s put aside, for a while, the fact that crying is almost generally considered an act of weakness. For those who are more humane and a little well-meaning, they do not miss the opportunity to show some love and concern for people helplessly cry openly.
4. Crying Relieves Us of Emotional Stress
This is one thing that crying undoubtedly helps us do. Whenever we freely shed those emotional tears, we are being cleaned of every form of emotional stress within us. This is one reason it is better to actually release those tears, rather than continually pent up our emotions, till they fill up and explode in a cataclysmic way.
5. It Helps One Move Ahead Easily
When we’re faced with challenges of all kinds in life, we’re prone to engage in various activities, ranging from binge drinking to watching a chain of movies. In fact, we engage in all sorts of mind-numbing activities in order to forget our problems. The truth, however, is that most of the time, those problems never go away. This is where crying comes in. When we turn to emotionally relieving ourselves by crying at these times, things become easier and better for us. We tend to get over whatever it is faster and move on with our lives more quickly.
6. It Helps to Dull Pain
Research – ncbi – has found that in addition to being self-soothing, shedding emotional tears releases oxytocin and endorphins. These chemicals make people feel good and may also ease both physical and emotional pain. In this way, crying can help reduce pain and promote a sense of well-being. So if you want to get over that painful experience faster, try shedding some tears today.
7. Tears Make You See More Clearly
Basal tears, which are released every time a person blinks, help to keep the eyes moist and prevent mucous membranes from drying out. As the National Eye Institute explains, the lubricating effect of basal tears helps people to see more clearly. When the membranes dry out, vision can become blurry.
8. Crying Brings About Happiness
This fact is not disputable. Even though happiness derived from crying is relative, the feeling of transformation that comes upon one after a good cry is undeniable. So if you are sad as a result of some challenges being faced and are not happy about it, try crying today.
9. It Helps to Release Certain Feelings
Crying helps a lot to release pent up feelings of anger, irritation, disgust, and anxiety. Just as tears roll out of the eyes while you cry, these negative emotions are released in the same way.
10. Fights Bacteria
Crying helps to kill bacteria and keep the eyes clean as tears contain a fluid called lysozyme. A 2011 study found that lysozyme had such powerful antimicrobial properties that it could even help to reduce risks presented by bioterror agents, such as anthrax.
11. It Gets Rid of Foreign Substance in the Nasal Region
When many people cry, they also clog up their nasal passages and therefore, have to clear them out, sometimes with a whole box of tissues. It may be messy, but it’s actually quite beneficial, seeing as blowing your nose clears the nasal passage, ridding it of foreign substances.
12. Tears Keep Your Eyes Clean
As stated earlier, basal tears that are shed perpetually help to keep the eyes free from bacteria and other harmful substances. They also aid vision and prevent eye complications.
13. It Reduces Blood Pressure
A number of studies have revealed that after a good cry session, people experience both lower blood pressure and a steadier pulse, most likely due to the fact that their stress levels have gone down significantly.
14. It Creates Emotional Balance
This is another very unique effect of crying. Healthy crying helps to create a balance of emotions, as never experienced before. Emotions that were formerly clogged up in a discordant manner are then eased up and a balance created.
15. It Helps You Recover from Trauma
Are you experiencing trauma of any kind? Try crying today. Traumatic experiences come with bouts of psychological and physical challenges. When you let out all these by crying, your mind and body bounce back from such trauma, in a manner that exceeds your expectations.
Excessive Crying: When to Seek Help
Despite the benefits stated above as the perks of having a good cry, crying could actually become harmful when done in excess. When you find yourself in such a situation, the best action to take is to seek medical or therapeutic attention, as the case may be. Against this background, therefore, the following are some symptoms of unhealthy tears:
- When It Becomes Consistent
Crying becomes a cause for worry when it is done constantly, in and out of “season.” At this point, it is no longer a healthy act. Help must be sought with immediate effect.
2. When It Becomes Uncontrollable
Normally, crying is not necessarily a conscious act as it is usually impulsive, despite the circumstances. However, it is controllable to a reasonable extent. So when the shedding of tears becomes something that exceeds your control at all, know that there is a problem.
3. When You Cry for The Wrong Reasons
Sometimes, we cry as a result of helplessness or hopelessness. Rather than rise up to the occasion afterward, we begin to blame others for our problems. At times like this, the actual purpose of crying is defeated.
4. When It Causes You Fatigue or Headache
As has been explained earlier, healthy crying helps to ease physical pain. So if crying does the opposite of this for you, know that there’s a problem somewhere and that you need to seek help with immediate alacrity.
5. When It Causes You Psychological Unrest
Also, it was stated that healthy crying helps to release pent up emotions. If you, however, notice that crying does the opposite for you, do well to seek up urgently.
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