Did you know that the average human being actually cries around 16 and a half gallons of tears throughout the course of their entire life? Well, that’s according to scientists. But it seems like people typically prefer to just keep their emotions bottled up inside because they are afraid of being called weak or soft.
There are plenty of people all over the world who are too shy to let their feelings out because of fear of public backlash. However, there are plenty of studies that confirm that there are actually plenty of benefits that are attached to crying and letting your sadness out through tears.
And one of those benefits is actually losing weight. So, if you’re looking to be a little trimmer and leaner around the waist, you shouldn’t be afraid of letting those tears flow whenever you feel like it.
Life is always going to be rough. You are going to be placed in certain situations that will cause you substantial discomfort and unease. And in those moments wherein everything feels just so overwhelming, you might be tempted to just let those tears roll down your cheek. Let’s hear what science has to say about the benefits of crying.
Believe It or Not
A lot of you might be skeptical of the idea that you would be able to lose weight just by crying. There are so many people who struggle through trying to burn more fat and lose weight. It’s almost like a vicious cycle of which there is no escape. You are sad and overwhelmed at everything that is happening in your life. You go to food as a coping mechanism. You get fatter. You lose confidence. And you get even sadder and more overwhelmed at your situation.
It’s like a loop that just can’t be broken. How can one expect to lose weight if they can’t break away from that cycle? It’s true that there is a stress hormone that is called cortisol which is actually linked to obesity. This hormone is usually triggered whenever a person is feeling stressed. However, the problem with that is peoples’ response to stress.
Cortisol usually helps fight off feelings of stress. But it can only do so effectively if human beings take active roles in fighting off all of that negative energy as well. Otherwise, the body is going to think that it has used up a bunch of calories to deal with stress even when it really hasn’t.
Scientists have also confirmed that emotional tears contain certain hormones that can increase the level of cortisol. These are prolactin, adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), and leu-enkephalin. All of these hormones are produced whenever we are undergoing a lot of significant pressure and stress.
That is why whenever you choose to not keep your feelings bottled up inside and you allow yourself to cry, these hormones are released from your body and the level of cortisol decreases. As a result, your body is going to interpret this as a signal to not retain fat anymore because a stressful situation has already been dealt with.
Ultimately, it all boils down to you making sure that the stress hormones and chemicals that might induce weight gain and fat retention are OUTSIDE of your body. And how do you do that? Let them out with a good old cry.
You Can’t Fake Crying
But there is also a proper way to go about this. If you happen to be a good actor and you are able to induce tears while cutting an onion, it’s not going to produce the same kind of positive results. Only tears that are induced by real emotions contain important hormones.
Scientists have also claimed that the best time of the day to have a good cry would be between the hours of 7 and 10 pm. This is usually the time of the night wherein people are most likely to be with the ones that they love or are deeply emotional with.
So, the next time someone tells you to just keep your feelings bottled up inside, remember this article and point out that there are actually a lot of benefits to crying your eyes out – such as losing weight.