Mental Health
5 Surprising Benefits of Crying
Release your emotions
Crying is important. I learned this with experience. I had (still do) days when I’d feel like crying for no reason at all. Anyone who would ask why I was sad received the reply, “I don’t know”.
After crying, I felt like a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulders. I felt happy and relaxed. I wondered if I was crazy to cry just because I wanted to. So I googled ‘why do I cry for no reason’. And through research, I found that crying is actually healthy and important. Here are some important facts about caring.
1. Cleanse your body
Basically, tears act as your body’s detoxification system. Tears carry stress hormones and toxins. So by crying, we’re actually flushing ‘the bad’ out. “Researchers have theorized that crying flushes these things out of your system, though more research is needed in this area.”
2. Feel happier
After crying, one feels a lot happier. This is because we’ve removed the toxins and stress hormones from the body. It’s the same idea as fresh skin after exfoliating. “Additional studies also suggest that crying stimulates the production of endorphins, our body’s natural pain killer and “feel-good” hormones.”
3. Soothe physical pain
Crying activates the PNS (parasympathetic nervous system) which tells your body to rest and digest. As a result, your body endures the pain and makes you feel physically better. However, as most things do, the calm effect takes time, which is why it’s important to shed those tears.
4. Improve relationships
When someone’s crying, most would ask the question, “Are you okay?”. Sometimes, this person can even be a stranger. The cousin that never talks to you might lend you the listening ear that you need, at seeing you cry. Friends and co-workers might start being more caring. Crying helps build new relationships and solidify existing ones.
5. Helps you sleep better
I’ve always found that a good cry leaves my eyes feeling heavy, resulting in a good night’s relaxing sleep. This is due to an overload of emotions. You let your emotions out by having a good cry (and removed toxins and releases endorphins). “As a result, your brain sends signals to your body, telling it to find some needed rest.” And we all know, tired sleep is the best sleep.
These were some benefits of crying. Of course, all cries aren’t good cries. Know when to distinguish a normal cry from extreme sadness or depression. But it’s okay for EVERYONE, including guys, to show emotions. Let the old emotions out to let new positive emotions in.
