CANTIKA.COM, Jakarta – Crying is a biological process that everyone does. Not only to moisturize the eyes, crying also has health benefits. Get to know this information about tears and the crying process.
What are tears made of?To better understand how the skin responds to tears, it’s important to know what tears are made of. As the National Eye Institute explains, tears are mostly water, but actually have three layers: mucus, watery, oily.
The oily outer layer prevents tears from drying too quickly, while the inner mucus layer allows the tear film to stick to your eyes.
Tear film is a thin layer of tears that always coats the eye around the cornea (the clear outer layer of the eyeball). The middle aqueous layer is the thickest, keeps the eyes moist, and nourishes their tissues.
There are three main categories of tears, defined by different triggers and compositions. Basal and reflex tears are there to protect the eye from dirt or irritation, while emotional tears respond to feelings. Humans are actually the only species known to produce emotional tears.
Tears are also filled with electrolytes, which explains their salty taste. Electrolytes are essential minerals that have an electrical charge and are necessary for many body functions. They are in your blood, sweat, and urine. When you lose a lot of electrolytes through sweating, crying, or urinating, you need to replenish them by drinking water and eating electrolyte-rich foods.
The benefits of crying for healthIt’s no secret that crying can be a great relief. While you may initially feel tired after the tears stop flowing, crying has long been believed to have a number of physical and mental health benefits.
These include stress relief, elevating your mood, detoxifying the body and releasing endorphins or chemicals to feel better. Crying is the body’s natural way of dealing with pain and emotions. But everyone’s crying practice is different, and research is still ongoing.
It seems that crying really helps calm a person when accompanied by outside support and comfort. Crying too much or uncontrollably can be a symptom of a more serious physical or mental health condition. When it comes to mental health, increased crying may be a sign you need more support at this time.
Check in with yourself to see how you would feel if you had one or more conditions such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain, dry eye syndrome, pseudobulbar affect (PBA) which can cause uncontrollable crying and laughing, aquagenic urticaria or a rare allergic reaction to water and medically induced inability to cry due to drugs or infection.
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