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Is Crying Healthy?

Biochemist William Frey has spent 15 years as head of a research team studying tears. The team found out that, although tear production organs were once thought to be no longer necessary for survival, tears actually have numerous critical functions.

Emotional tears are a response which only humans have, for only people can weep. All animals that live in air produce tears to lubricate their eyes. But only people possess the marvelous system that produces tears.

One of the most obvious functions of tears is to lubricate your eye and eyelid, but they also prevent dehydration of various mucous membranes—and anyone with the “dry eye” problem knows how painful this can be. A severe lack of this lubrication produces a condition requiring immediate intervention to save the patient’s eyesight.

Another important function of tears is that they bathe your eyes in lysozyme, one of the most effective antibacterial and antiviral agents known. Lysozyme, from lysos, to split, and enzyme (it is an enzyme which chemically splits certain compounds) is the major source of the antigerm traits of tears. Amazingly, lysozyme inactivates 90 to 95 per cent of all bacteria in a mere five to 10 minutes. Without it, eye infections would be far more common.

Not being able to secrete tears produces burning and redness, and light itself becomes bothersome. The eyes itch and have a gritty feeling. One sufferer described the condition as similar to having sand in their eye. In time, ulcers develop on the cornea and loss of its transparency often occurs.

Nerves that exit in the neck go to the eyes and the tear ducts, controlling and regulating their function. Interference with those nerves could in fact be one of the causes of “dry eye.”

Bottom line? Crying is a healthy, normal, and a healing reaction for irritated eyes. When you suppress your tears, you can affect your overall physical condition. Crying can be good for you!