Nobody likes to cry, especially in front of others. Crying often times leaves individuals feeling vulnerable and at times even broken down or weak. However, when it comes to crying there is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, crying offers many different health benefits that may cause some to argue that we should be crying more often.
Five Health Benefits of Crying
Here are five amazing health benefits of crying.
Crying can improve your mood
Have you ever noticed that you generally feel much better after you’ve had a good cry? There’s a reason for that. When we cry we are actually relieving our body of countless toxins and hormones that contribute to elevated stress levels. This in turn can help individuals to sleep better, strengthen their immune systems, and avoid gaining weight. By lowering our stress levels, crying may also help lower our blood pressure.
Crying can improve your vision
How do you feel after a busy day when you haven’t had a chance to drink much water? Chances are you’re pretty thirsty and perhaps a bit dehydrated. Our bodies require water to keep us going and to help us stay hydrated. Our eyes aren’t much different from the rest of our bodies; they too, need water to stay hydrated. When we cry we are really helping to re-hydrate our eyes which can help increase our ability to focus our eyes and improve our overall vision.
Crying can help protect your eyes
Every day we expose ourselves to thousands, if not millions, of particles of dust, dirt, and other debris. These particles are often too small for us to see, however, they can and do make their way into our eyes. This can cause irritation and potentially harm our eyes and in turn, our vision. When we cry, our eyes are actually cleansing themselves which can help to remove these irritants and protect our eyes. In addition, tears contain lysozyme, a powerful anti-bacterial chemical that helps fight infection.
Crying can help clean our noses, too
Very few people realize it, but our tear ducts are actually connected to the insides of our nose. This means, when we cry, we get the same benefit of flushing out bacteria and irritants from our noses as we do with our eyes.
Crying can strengthen our relationships with others
Yes, crying does make us feel more vulnerable and we often try to avoid crying in front of others at all costs. When we can’t hold it in any longer though, we are often left feeling ashamed or embarrassed. However, crying in front of others shouldn’t be viewed as a bad thing.
When we cry in front of others we are inviting them to see a different side of us. They can see our feelings and emotions in a way that no words can portray. This can create a deeper emotional bond between family, friends, and those around us.
So, next time you feel your lip begin to quiver and your eyes begin to fill, don’t hold it in! Let it all out and enjoy all of the health benefits those tears have to offer!