Can You Die From Crying Too Much?
No, crying too much does not directly cause death. It can however lead to headaches, feelings of exhaustion, and dehydration. However, if it is a symptom of severe depression or anxiety, it could indirectly lead to life-threatening situations. Therefore if you are concerned about your crying patterns, speak to a medical professional.
Why Do We Cry?
Crying is an act of normal human behavior resulting from various events. It is a way for us to express our emotions. These emotions can be related to happiness, sadness, fear, or anger [1].
Crying can also be a human response to overwhelming feelings, which does not necessarily need to be related to pain but rather love, awe, joy, or gratitude [2].
Not only is crying an expression of emotions, but it is also important in our social interactions. It allows us to be vulnerable generate sympathy from others and promote social bonding [2].
From a biological point of view, crying is a way for our body to get rid of stress-related hormones. Some research suggests that it triggers the release of endorphins which are the hormones that reduce pain and make us feel good [3]. How does that work?
In children, crying can be interpreted as a request for help or an offer of help. This is usually observed in cases in which the child is unable to communicate their feelings and where the child is hungry, fearful, or experiences pain [4].
What Are Tears Made Of?
Tears are a complex mixture that generally maintains the health of our eyes.
They are composed of water, but they also contain a variety of other components like mucus, fatty oils, and rich proteins.
Mucus helps the tear film adhere to the eye and ensures that our eyes are lubricated [5, 6, 7].
Fatty oil forms an outer layer that prevents the tears from evaporating too quickly, they keep our eyes moist and nourished [5, 6, 7].
The protein component of our tears serves to fight off bacteria and other pathogens that could harm our eyes [5, 6, 8]. Interestingly, over 1500 different types of proteins were identified in our tears.
Further, electrolytes are also a component of our tears. In particular sodium, bicarbonate, chloride, and potassium are present in the tears. It is electrolytes that give the tears their characteristic salty taste [5, 6, 7].
We identify three main types or categories of tears:
- Basal tears
- Reflex tears
- Emotional tears
Each of these types of tears is triggered by different stimuli and has a slightly different composition [7].
Can You Die From Crying Too Much?
No! Crying too much has yet not been associated directly with death. However, excessive crying may be a symptom of an underlying medical condition that may require medical attention.
Crying is quite a normal thing to do across different individuals, genders, and cultures [9].
A study found that the average duration of a crying session is 8 minutes [3, 10]. In case you find yourself crying excessively or more than usual, it may be a sign of a mood disorder such as depression [3, 10]. For instance, a study found that patients with excessive tearfulness were more likely to have cocaine in their urine, receive a substance-related primary diagnosis, and be admitted for psychiatric hospitalization [11]. Another study suggested that mood disorders might increase the frequency of negative emotional crying [12].
As said, excessive crying does not directly cause death, however, if you are concerned about your crying patterns it is best to speak to your clinician to understand the cause and implement treatment for an underlying condition if needed.