Crying can make one burn about 1.3 calories per minute. This is the same amount of calories burned when laughing. This means that for every 30 minutes of crying, you get to burn 39 calories more than when you are not.
But does one have to cry a lot to burn loads of calories?
While it does burn calories, the amount is not that significant. One would need to cry for many hours to equal the number of calories burned during a brisk walk.
When one grieves or endures a sad fate like breakups, one goes through symptoms of depression. The most common of these symptoms is frequent crying.
When one goes through intense emotions, those around them notice a slight weight loss. The association of weight loss of crying is unfounded. The weight loss can be more on grief, depression, and loss of appetite. It is not because of crying.
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Is crying good for your health?
Crying may not burn a lot of calories. But crying once in a while is good for one’s health. There are benefits in the release of tears. Crying can balance hormones.
When one cries for long periods, there is a release of oxytocin. There is also a release of endogenous opioids. People know this as endorphins. These chemicals help in easing physical and emotional pain. Once released, the body goes through a numb stage.
Crying may not burn a lot of calories. But crying once in a while is good for one’s health. There are benefits in the release of tears. Crying can balance hormones.
Another benefit of crying is that it also triggers one’s metabolism. While it may not be enough for one to lose weight, it can assist in very subtle ways.
Crying has a lot more benefits to the body. Here are some of them.
Relieves Stress
Many people associate post-crying with feelings of relaxation and peace. Research shows that crying indeed can stabilize one’s moods. Aside from that, it can also relieve stress from the body.
Crying is always because of an overflowing amount of emotions. It can be because of feelings of loss or separation. Sometimes it can be because of helplessness. Whatever the reason may be, it puts the body on high alert.
Crying can benefit the body in that it restores calm to the body and the brain. This is the relaxed and peaceful state one experiences after a good cry.
In fact, it is not just humans that cry. Even animals that are stressed can cry, too.
Crying is Detox
The body continuously produces tears. These tears provide the eyes with the needed protection from irritation. Aside from that, it also ensures that the eyes remain lubricated.
When one cries because of overwhelming emotions, the tears drip down. Tears contain an additional ingredient during crying. This is cortisol, also known as the stress hormone.
When one cries for a long time, the tears that are flushed out contain these stressors. Research shows that a body with regulated amounts of cortisol experiences less stress. Also, regulating cortisol can assist in ridding one of the fats. This is the fat that is stored around the midsection.
Crying as Recovery from Grief and Pain
When one cries for long periods, one’s body lets out different hormones. These hormones are called oxytocin and endorphins.
Crying produces hormones that provide the brain with a soothing feeling. These also give the brain that empty feeling. It is as if you release every single negative emotion with tears.
These hormones are always associated with feelings of relief and happiness. Other times, these hormones are also associated with feelings of love.
It is a popular fact that these hormones can help one manage negative emotions. Some of these negative emotions are feelings of grief and loss.
Aside from numbing psychological pain, these can also help one with physical pain. They somehow numb the body from physical pain after a good cry.
This is the reason why when an individual gets physically hurt, crying follows.
Can crying make you lose weight?
Research shows that good cry releases toxins from the body. Crying also reduces stress. Because of the reduced stress, the body can burn more fats. Studies also show that emotional crying can help with weight loss. This is because crying halts the production of hormones that allows the body to store fat.
Crying is the body’s immediate response to intense emotions. It can be because of sadness or happiness. As long as the feeling is intense, people tend to cry.
Some individuals cry more easily than others. These are those that do not need to fight tears as they easily flow down the eyes.
When one cries because of intense emotions, one produces what experts call “psychic tears’ ‘. Psychic tears are simply psychological responses that are turned into physical ones.
Crying psychic tears have varying impacts on the body. It affects the brain signals. It also has an impact on the hormones and even on one’s metabolic processes.
As of late, there had been a growing curiosity on the impact of crying. Does crying bring with it long term effects on the body?
To sum things up, we all know crying burns calories. Crying also releases toxins. It can balance one’s hormones, as well. And finally, crying can aid in losing weight.
How often is it healthy to cry?
On average, women cry about 5.3 times per month. On the other hand, men cry about 1.3 times a month. While crying has its benefits, there is no set guideline for when too much crying is enough.
People cry for a lot of reasons. Some can cry because of a sad movie or book. Others can cry just by watching videos of cute babies or animals. Some cry only during funerals. Some can easily cry for just about any reason.
If one has been easily crying for simple reasons, one wonders whether this is normal. Is there a guideline that says this is too much crying?
There is none.
No Amount of Crying is Too Much
There are no set guidelines that say this much crying is too much. One can cry for longer periods than the others, and it would still be normal.
According to a 1980 study, women cry more than men. Another study also shows that a crying session lasts for about 8 minutes on average.
If one is crying too much, this should pose no concern to anyone. Some individuals cannot seem to stop crying. There are those that cry more than the usual.
On another note, crying often may be a cause for concern. It may be because of depression. Sometimes, too much crying can also be caused by another mood disorder. In this case, one should consult medical experts.
The Reasons for Crying
There are a lot of reasons why people cry. Aside from the body’s physical and emotional responses, why do people cry?
Crying can be for a lot of reasons. Some people cry more often than others. It is at this time when one should seek medical help.
Here are the reasons why some people cry more than usual.
Depression.
Depression is a mood disorder. It comes with feelings of sadness that are persistent and lasts for many weeks.
When a person is depressed, he rarely finds joy in any activity. Even things he finds pleasure in before no longer matter to him.
A person with depression may display any or all of the following symptoms:
Persistent feeling of sadness and gloominess
A feeling of hopelessness
Feelings of worthlessness
Low to no energy to do things
Has difficulties in concentrating on tasks
A person who is depressed may cry more than those that are not depressed. Individuals that are depressed may cry over small things. Sometimes, they may even cry for no apparent reason. When asked, these individuals may not even be able to know why they’re crying.
Depression results in more bouts of crying than usual. People who are depressed always have trouble stopping themselves from crying.
Anxiety.
Individuals who are often nervous about things may suffer from anxiety. With this disorder, one experiences persistent feelings of worry and nervousness over things. This may even happen daily.
The following are common symptoms of anxiety:
Irritable
Edginess
Persistent feelings of worry
Fatigue
Muscle tension
Has difficulties in focusing or concentrating on things
People suffering from anxiety have trouble sleeping.
Those with an anxiety disorder may also suffer from uncontrolled bouts of crying.
Factors that Affect Crying
One of the many things that affect crying is gender. Another factor is personality.
As we already know, studies show women cry more often than men. One of the more obvious reasons is testosterone in men. Testosterones may inhibit crying among men. This is perhaps one of the major reasons why women cry more often than men.
Another reason is the cultural norm.
Over the years, society dictates men to be stronger than women. The expectation is that men should brave through life’s challenges with actions. Society finds it normal for women to be more emotional, thus the crying.
These societal expectations have evolved in recent years. But despite that, these cultural norms still persist. A percentage of societies still hold on to the belief that crying makes less of a man.
Finally, one’s personality can affect the regularity of crying. Aside from the difference in sexes, there is another factor. People who feel more empathy and concern for others may cry more often. This is when compared to those with less empathy and concern.
Additionally, those that are anxious, insecure, and obsessive cry more. They also cry for longer periods than the others.
Manage the Crying
There is nothing wrong with bouts of crying. But for some, there is a right place for crying.
If one needs to manage the tears, remember these few pointers:
Take slow, deep breaths. One can manage the tears by breathing air through the nose. Breathe out through the mouth. Doing so can help one relax. This can help one in managing the flow of tears.
Retain a neutral expression. To do this, one should relax his facial muscles.
Think of anything that is repetitious. It can be anything like a poem. Or it can also be a song. Nursery rhymes can also work.
When trying to manage tears, one can take a walk if possible. One can either take a walk or remove himself from the gloomy situation. This can help manage one’s tears from falling.
Can you run out of tears?
No matter how much one cries, one can simply not run out of tears. According to science, a person can produce as much as 15 to 30 gallons of tears every year.
When it comes to structures, tears are similar to saliva. Both are mostly made of water. But aside from water, tears also contain salt and fatty oils.
One amazing fact is that tears also contain more than 1500 varying proteins.
Tears have electrolytes as well. These include elements like sodium. One can attest that tears are salty. The sodium element gives tears their salty taste.
Aside from sodium, tears also contain bicarbonate, potassium, as well as chloride.
Although at lower levels, tears also contain magnesium and calcium.
Tears also have three distinct layers. These are the mucous, the aqueous, and the oily layers.
The mucous layer is responsible for making sure the tear attaches itself to the eye. The thickest layer is the aqueous layer. It is the one responsible for hydrating the eyes. It also keeps the eyes free from bacteria. Its most important role in protecting the cornea.
Finally, the oily layer prevents the other layers from evaporating. It is also responsible for keeping the tear’s surface smooth. This is the reason why despite bouts of crying, one can still clearly see his surroundings.
Conclusion:
As discussed, crying can burn calories. The calories burned are the same as the amount burned when laughing.
There are calories burned when crying. The amount, though, is not significant to result in weight loss. No matter the amount of tears shed, one will not lose a lot of weight. When aiming to lose weight, one can workout instead of cry.
But while it cannot make one lose a lot of weight, crying has other benefits. A good cry can be a stress reliever.
But if one cries more often than the others, it may be time to speak with a medical expert. This is to find out if one suffers from depression or any other mood-related disorder.
