Why Does a Good Cry Leave You Feeling So Exhausted?

• When you cry, your heart rate increases and you may start to hyperventilate, which takes a physical toll on your body.
• Crying releases stress-relieving hormones, such as oxytocin and endorphins, which calm you down and make you sleepy.
• The act of crying is your body’s way of soothing itself after an overwhelming experience and can leave you feeling tired as you calm down.

Reasons Why Crying Makes You Tired

It can be hard to get in enough air while you’re crying. If you’ve ever had a really emotional cry, then you’re probably familiar with the feeling of not being able to breathe properly between sobs. This is called hyperventilating. Because you’re so short of breath, your brain is getting less oxygen than normal. This leads to an overall feeling of drowsiness when you get your breathing back under control. You might also feel dizzy or lightheaded, which may make you want to lie down for a bit until you feel better. Your level of fatigue usually matches how hard you were crying and hyperventilating. So if you only shed a few tears, you likely won’t feel too exhausted when you’re done.

Your heart rate speeds up, leaving you feeling tired afterward. Right before you start crying, your sympathetic nervous system, or your “fight or flight” response, is triggered. This causes your heart rate to increase, which can leave you feeling tired, dizzy, or a bit lightheaded.

Your body releases hormones that make you sleepy. One of these hormones is oxytocin, and it directly combats the stress hormone cortisol and calms you down. A side effect of this increase in oxytocin levels is drowsiness since oxytocin naturally promotes sleep. Hormones known as endorphins are also released, and they help relieve pain, reduce stress, and improve your mood.

Crying is your body’s way of soothing itself. Your body has 2 nervous systems: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The SNS drives your fight-or-flight instinct when things get stressful, and your PNS works to calm you down. When you cry, your PNS is active longer than your SNS, meaning that your body is ultimately able to soothe itself and leave you feeling more relaxed despite the initial stress. This calm feeling might translate into sleepiness.

Benefits of Crying

Letting yourself cry is an incredible emotional release. If you’ve had a lot piling up on your plate, a good cry might just be what you need to let it all out. Many people claim that they feel lighter and much less overwhelmed after crying it out. This feeling of relief is also known as “catharsis” and is good in helping you deal with difficult or painful emotions.

Crying reduces your risk of certain health complications. By holding in your tears and bottling up your emotions, you’re actually harming your body. On the other hand, crying has been shown to decrease stress, lower cortisol levels, and make you more resilient to certain cardiovascular diseases, specifically hypertension. Crying is also good for strengthening your immune system and can help prevent certain mental health conditions, such as stress, depression, and anxiety.

Your bonds with others strengthen when you cry. Crying is one way to signal to others that you’re in need of comfort and support. Letting yourself be vulnerable like this ultimately helps strengthen your connection with those who come to care for you and empathize with whatever you’re going through. Being surrounded by people who are willing to comfort and support you when you cry might leave you feeling better than if you were to simply cry by yourself.

Recovering from a Good Cry

Replenish your energy and focus on resting. Cancel any commitments that aren’t urgent and take time to prioritize yourself. Get a glass of water, eat a snack, take a shower or bath, take a nap, or do all of the above. Even if you’re not particularly sad or stressed, your body still goes through a lot when you cry. Replenish your energy, relax your mind and body, and assess how you feel after.

Do some relaxing activities and exercises to calm down. Do some deep breathing exercises or meditate if you feel like you need to calm down your thoughts. Some other things to try include going for a walk, listening to music, playing with Play-Doh, and reading.

Boost your mood by doing something fun. If you just got done with a super emotional cry, take some time to cheer yourself up while you recover. Watch a funny video, read your favorite book, play with your pet, or meet up with a friend if you feel up to it. Do some of your favorite hobbies or even go ahead and try something new to help clear your mind.

Talk to someone about how you’re feeling. If you still have some thoughts and emotions that need to be dealt with, call up a friend or family member you trust and have a good old venting session. Don’t be afraid to open up to them, ask them for advice, and share your honest thoughts and feelings at the moment.

Different Types of Tears

Your body sheds tears for many different purposes. Your body has 3 different kinds of tears it produces depending on what’s happening. Some tears are created to protect your eyes, while others are shed as an emotional response to certain events. The 3 types of tears are: Basal tears: These are the tears your body sheds naturally to keep your eyes moist. These tears also act as a protective shield for your cornea. You’re constantly shedding these tears, even if you don’t notice it. Reflexive tears: You shed reflexive tears when something gets in your eye, like dust, dirt, or whatever it is in onions that makes some people tear up. Emotional tears: These are usually triggered when something really emotional happens. Emotional tears contain different proteins and hormones than basal and reflexive tears. These are what help you regulate stress and bring your body back to a calm state.