It cleans and protects your eyes
Starting with their most basic function, tears are produced to cleanse and protect your eyes from external irritants. Basal tears – which are in our eyes all the time – provide lubrication by coating the surface of your eyes and eyelids with nutrient-rich fluid, which nourishes cells. A lack of these tears can lead to a chronic condition – dry eye syndrome – which results in symptoms including itchy eyes, burning, blurred vision, heavy eyes, redness, soreness and light sensitivity. An inability to secrete these tears can cause inflammation and, in some cases, permanently damage the eye’s surface. The second type of tears – reflex tears – shield your eyes from irritants. When you chop an onion, a chemical is released that reacts with the surface of the eye to create sulphuric acid. To overcome this, your tear glands produce reflex tears to wash irritants away.
It boosts your mood
Have you ever wondered why crying when you’re sad makes you feel better? Emotional tears contain the neurotoxin manganese which, at high levels, can cause anxiety, nervousness, irritability, fatigue, aggression and even emotional disturbances. So it’s thought crying may actually improve how you’re feeling by releasing these toxins, which leave you feeling relieved and relaxed.
It reduces stress levels
When you cry, it can indicate that you’re suffering from stress. Fortunately, your tears can offer relief by washing away certain chemicals that build up during stressful times, replacing them with feelings of joy. Two major culprits for this increase in stress are the hormones cortisol and prolactin. The higher your hormone levels, the more likely you’ll experience emotional crying. When you cry, it actually depletes these elevated levels by washing them out of your system. Along with that, your tears release soothing and caring endorphins, which help you to feel better too.
It fights off bacteria
Forget about antibacterial soap and hand sanitisers: your body produces its very own germ-fighting agents, including those hidden in your tears. While your whole body actually fights bacteria, your tear ducts produce special antibacterial and antiviral chemicals that fight if you have an eye infection. This powerful antimicrobial effect can be attributed to antibodies, oils and enzymes, including lysozyme, which studies show can eliminate 90 to 95 per cent of all bacteria in under 10 minutes.
It lessens pain
As well as health-boosting hormones, your tears produce a special type of endorphin and neurotransmitter called leucine enkephalin, which acts as a painkiller within the brain during stress. While the exact way pain-busting endorphins work is not well known, studies suggest their presence interrupts the pathway for pain perception, which reduces the emotional and physical impact of pain. A history of emotional pain can build up internally if you don’t let it go. When you cry, the pain starts to get processed and thought about in a different way, so the act of crying can be a very helpful mechanism for that.
