THE BENEFITS OF CRYING

Forget about bottling up your feelings - it's much healthier to embrace your emotions

- MARK BROOK

Shedding a tear is normal biological behaviour that's part of the human S condition, but not everyone finds it easy to do. "People often see crying as a sign of weakness, but it's actually a sign of strength because it shows you're able to tolerate your emotions by letting them go," says psychologist Dr Judy Hyde. In most cases, crying happens for one of three main reasons: to clear out harmful irritants, prevent dryness, or in response to strong emotions such as joy or sadness. So while it might seem tempting to put on a brave face, here are five reasons it's healthier to have a good cry...

1. IT CLEANS AND PROTECTS YOUR EYES

"Starting with their most basic function, tears are produced to cleanse and protect your eyes from external irritants," Dr Hyde explains. Basal tears - which are in our eyes all the time - provide lubrication by coating the surface of your eyes and eyelids with nutrient-rich fluid, which nourishes the cells. A severe lack of these tears can lead to a chronic condition called dry eye syndrome, which results in unpleasant symptoms such as itchy eyes, burning, blurred vision, heavy eyes, redness, soreness, and light sensitivity.

The second type of tears, reflex tears, shield your eyes from irritants. For example, when you chop an onion, a chemical is released that reacts with the eye's surface to create sulphuric acid. To overcome this, your tear glands produce reflex tears to help wash the irritant away.