College can be emotionally straining–from interpersonal relationships to academic struggles, I know it can be hard to keep it together. So why hold in your frustration all the time? Sometimes we all just need a good cry! In fact, according to Medical Daily, there are actual health benefits to crying and they listed 6 of them! All the more reason to let those tears go!
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Crying releases toxins. Tears produced by stress help the body get rid of the stress chemical, cortisol. Crying is a process of excretion that reduces waste in the body such as toxins and chemicals. This releasing of toxins from your body explains why you could be feeling a bit better after crying (See Benefit 5!).
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Crying kills bacteria. Tears contain a fluid called lysozyme, which has been found to kill 90-95% of all bacteria in just five to ten minutes! Talk about a great anti-bacterial!
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Crying improves vision. Crying helps improve vision by lubricating our eyes. The tears also help wash away any debris that may have gotten in the eye. Who needs eye drops when you have naturally produced tears?
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Crying improves mood. This benefit is totally obvious. According to a study from the University of South Florida, crying improves a person’s mood better than any anti-depressant. 90 % of criers experienced an improved mood after crying. After a good cry, you often will feel rejuvenated (or at least I do).
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Crying relieves stress. The fact that crying releases stress chemicals and toxins (See Benefit 1!) helps the body to calm down more. The body releases some of the tension caused by the stress that triggered the crying in the first place! And being in college, we need as much stress relief as we can get!
Crying boosts communication. Sometimes words can’t explain every thought, feeling, and need that we may have. Shedding some tears is a universal sign that something is not exactly right. This lets others in your life know that something just isn’t right and they may reach out, which will be more helpful than you know in motivating you and getting you out of your slump!