Tears and health, or 7 reasons to cry
When a person is calm, each of the lacrimal glands secretes about 1 ml of fluid per day. With prolonged crying, its amount can increase tenfold. But tearing is not only a consequence of severe pain or emotional distress: it is an extremely useful function that helps the body cope with numerous problems.
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Detoxification
With severe stress, a lot of cortisol is released into the blood - a hormone that participates in the mobilization of protective forces and activates the supply of glucose to organs and tissues. However, the body is able to stay under stress for a very short time and needs to remove excess cortisol. This work is performed by the lacrimal glands: the hormone is secreted in the composition of the tear fluid, and the stress hazardous to health decreases.
Flushing out pathogenic microorganisms
The fluid secreted by the lacrimal glands contains lysozyme, which has the strongest antimicrobial effect. Thus, tears not only wash away pathogenic microflora from the eyes, but also, with abundant discharge, cleanse the skin of the face from pathogenic bacteria.
Improving vision
The tear fluid moistens the surface of the eyeball at the moment a person blinks: the upper eyelid slides over the cornea and lubricates it. At the same time, vision becomes clearer, itching in the eyes disappears due to drying out with prolonged stress.
With age, the intensity of the lacrimal glands decreases. Elderly people often complain of dry eyes. Usually, in such cases, it is recommended to use pharmaceutical preparations that are close in composition to human tears. Similar appointments are made to patients whose work is associated with prolonged reading, sitting at a computer or the need to use small objects.
Relieve stress
When crying, not only cortisol is excreted from the body, but also other substances that are formed during strong emotional stress (for example, leukineencephalin and proleukin). It has been experimentally established that a person who knows how to “cry out” his problems and fears, experiences them more easily and recovers from stress faster. His body gets less stress, which has a harmful effect on the cardiovascular and nervous system. People who are more restrained in expressing their emotions are more likely to suffer from insomnia, neuroses, depression and hypertension.
Removal of foreign bodies from the eyes
Increased lacrimation also occurs when foreign objects get into the eyes: particles of dust, sand, fluff, small insects, etc. This is a natural reaction that helps to quickly clean the surface of the cornea. The body also responds to some harsh odors (for example, the smell of onions) or smoke: tears protect the eyes from aggressive chemical agents.
It was found that tears contain substances that have analgesic and regenerative effects. This means that when a foreign body gets into the eye, crying helps to solve the problem in a complex way.
Optimization of metabolic processes
The lacrimal glands are able to excrete some substances, the excess amount of which is associated with pathological processes in the body. For example, the tears of diabetic patients contain a large amount of glucose (they even taste not salty, but sweet). There is evidence that strong emotional crying can improve the condition of people suffering from other metabolic disorders. Some scientists believe that toxic metabolic products leave the body with tears, which has a beneficial effect on the functioning of many organs and systems of the body.
Facilitating interpersonal contacts
A crying person evokes a wide variety of emotions in others - from sympathy to irritation, but not indifference. In any case, this is a signal of trouble, and often a request for help. Tears arising from sincere experiences allow you to establish interpersonal contacts even in situations where verbal communication is difficult for any reason. We can say that tears help people to get closer and understand each other.
Lacrimation is a powerful defense mechanism. It makes it possible to cleanse the body, maintain eye health, experience stress and find empathy with loved ones. You should not be ashamed of tears and restrain crying: this can have a bad effect on health and reduce the quality of life.
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Maria Kulkes Medical journalist About the author
Education: First Moscow State Medical University named after I. M. Sechenov, specialty "General Medicine".
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