Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow To Stop CryingDo You Cry Too Much?Why Do We Cry?Does Crying Make You Feel Better?Seeking HelpTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How To Stop Crying
Do You Cry Too Much?
Why Do We Cry?
Does Crying Make You Feel Better?
Seeking Help
Treatment
While everyone cries and expressing sadness in this way is healthy, in some social or professional situations, you might want to know how to stop crying.
Crying is a normal bodily reaction and does not need to be suppressed in any way. There are circumstances, however, where you would rather not cry and, perhaps, where crying may weaken your mood significantly. In these situations, it can be hard to stop crying even when you want to.
Here are some tried-and-true tips that can help you control your crying quickly:
Crying is a normal reaction to feeling strong emotions or facing stressful events. This can vary from person to person, so there isn’t a single answer as to how much crying is excessive.
One research study found that on average, females in the U.S. cry about 3.5 times per month, while males in the U.S. cry 1.9 times per month.
If you feel that you’re crying more than normal, reach out to your healthcare provider. Some signs of excessive crying may include:
We often cry because of a specific situation, such as a sad event or feeling pain. Other times, excessive crying can be a sign of a medical condition or a mood disorder.
Emotional Response
As humans, we very obviously cry as a response to something deeply emotional, whether it is grieving the loss of a loved one or embracing the immense joy of welcoming a new child into the world. One emotion is sad and the other is happy, but both are intensely emotional experiences that tend to yield the same tearful response.
Physical Pain
You may also cry emotional tears when facing the stress of physical pain. Researchers have found that emotional tears can release endorphins, feel-good chemicals, that can help with easing physical pain.Tears may also help strengthen social attachment bonds, signaling a need for comfort and empathy from other people.
People also cry, for lack of a better term, when their eyes are exposed to irritants like smoke, dust, or even something as seemingly harmless ascutting up onions.
This type of tear is called a reflex tear—it emerges when the eyes are exposed to an irritant and triggers certain nerve endings in the cornea (the dome-like structure in the front of the eye that helps focus light coming into the eye).
These nerve endings send messages to the brain, which then activates thelacrimalgland, located underneath the upper eyelid, to create reflex tears.
Why Cutting Onions Make You CryCutting into an onion disrupts its cells, causing it to produce a sulfur chemical gas. When this comes in contact with the tear film of your eye, surfuric acid is produced. This is sensed as burning and causes tear production.
Why Cutting Onions Make You Cry
Cutting into an onion disrupts its cells, causing it to produce a sulfur chemical gas. When this comes in contact with the tear film of your eye, surfuric acid is produced. This is sensed as burning and causes tear production.
Anxiety and Depression
While crying is a normal emotional response, excessive crying can sometimes be a sign of depression or anxiety.
Depressionis a mood disorder that causes persistent sadness or hopelessness. When a sad mood lasts more than two weeks, it may indicate depression.Signs of depression include crying uncontrollably and frequently, and sometimes without knowing why.
Gender and Sex Differences
Researchers have looked at the differences in crying between males and females. There is some evidence that male and female sex hormones can influence the expression of crying. In particular, the hormone testosterone in males is thought to inhibit the impulse to cry.
Hormonal Changes
Hormone changes can cause emotional symptoms, including crying. For females, these hormonal shifts can occur withpremenstrual syndrome(PMS) a week or two before your period starts.
In addition, four out of 10 women experience symptoms similar to PMS duringperimenopause, including feeling moody, crying, and having a hard time concentrating.Hormone fluctuations can also occur during puberty as well as pregnancy.
Pseudobulbar Affect
If you’re someone who experiences frequent bursts of uncontrollable emotions including crying, as well as laughing or anger, you may be suffering from a syndrome known aspseudobulbaraffect, or PBA.
This condition is relatively common in people withmultiple sclerosis (MS)and can have profound implications on a person’s quality of life leading to several associated feelings including severe anxiety, social isolation, and embarrassment.
PBA can occur in other neurological conditions, including:
Pseudobulbar affect has several different manifestations, including excessive crying in sad situations and uncontrollable laughter in circumstances that the average person would not find warrants such exuberance.
11 Benefits of Crying: Why It’s Good for Your Mind and Body
There are several benefits to crying, including the lubrication of the eye area to help reduce infection. Crying is also a self-soothing technique.
Research has found that crying stimulates theparasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which can help the body rest and restore.Other research has associated crying with a reduction in pain, thanks to a release of the hormone oxytocin, which may even help boost your mood.
If you think you may be crying more than is healthy, or for reasons that may require therapy or other medical intervention, it is important to get the help you need to heal and recover. Crying too often may be a sign of a clinical condition such as anxiety, depression, or another type of mood disorder.
If you are having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, reach out for help immediately: Call a loved one, friend, or dial988to contact the988 Suicide & Crisis Lifelineand connect with a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call911.
If you’re feeling sad, sometimes lifestyle changes can help to boost your mood. Some ways to help include:
In some cases, you may need treatment for medical conditions that cause excessive crying. Depression and anxiety disorders may be treated with therapy or with medications such as antidepressants. For PBA, your healthcare provider may prescribe Nuedexta (dextromethorphan/quinidine).
Summary
While it is important to know that there is nothing wrong with crying and expressing sad emotions, it can be helpful to understand what is bringing up these sad emotions that are putting you in this situation in the first place.
If your sobbing feels very intense, uncontrollable, and impossible to tone down, talk to your healthcare provider. You may be suffering from something more serious than momentary sadness.
15 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Harvard Health Publishing.Relaxation techniques: Breath control helps quell errant stress response.National Institutes of Health.Grounding skills.Toussaint L, Nguyen QA, Roettger C, et al.Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and guided imagery in promoting psychological and physiological states of relaxation.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021;2021:5924040. doi:10.1155/2021/5924040National Institute of Mental Health.Guided visualization.Harvard Health Publishing.Is crying good for you?Bylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.The neurobiology of human crying.Clin Auton Res. 2019;29(1):63-73. doi:10.1007/s10286-018-0526-yBylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.The neurobiology of human crying.Clin Auton Res. 2019;29(1):63-73. doi:10.1007/s10286-018-0526-yCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Sadness and depression.Sharman LS, Dingle GA, Baker M, et al.The relationship of gender roles and beliefs to crying in an international sample.Front Psychol. 2019;10:2288. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02288American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Mood changes during perimenopause are real. Here’s what to know.American Stroke Association.Pseudobulbar affect (PBA).Brain Injury Association of America.Pseudobulbar affect.Bylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.The neurobiology of human crying.Clin Auton Res. 2019;29(1):63-73. doi:10.1007/s10286-018-0526-yHarvard Health Publishing.Nutrional psychiatry: Your brain on food.Nuedexta.About PBA.
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Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Harvard Health Publishing.Relaxation techniques: Breath control helps quell errant stress response.National Institutes of Health.Grounding skills.Toussaint L, Nguyen QA, Roettger C, et al.Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and guided imagery in promoting psychological and physiological states of relaxation.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021;2021:5924040. doi:10.1155/2021/5924040National Institute of Mental Health.Guided visualization.Harvard Health Publishing.Is crying good for you?Bylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.The neurobiology of human crying.Clin Auton Res. 2019;29(1):63-73. doi:10.1007/s10286-018-0526-yBylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.The neurobiology of human crying.Clin Auton Res. 2019;29(1):63-73. doi:10.1007/s10286-018-0526-yCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Sadness and depression.Sharman LS, Dingle GA, Baker M, et al.The relationship of gender roles and beliefs to crying in an international sample.Front Psychol. 2019;10:2288. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02288American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Mood changes during perimenopause are real. Here’s what to know.American Stroke Association.Pseudobulbar affect (PBA).Brain Injury Association of America.Pseudobulbar affect.Bylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.The neurobiology of human crying.Clin Auton Res. 2019;29(1):63-73. doi:10.1007/s10286-018-0526-yHarvard Health Publishing.Nutrional psychiatry: Your brain on food.Nuedexta.About PBA.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Harvard Health Publishing.Relaxation techniques: Breath control helps quell errant stress response.National Institutes of Health.Grounding skills.Toussaint L, Nguyen QA, Roettger C, et al.Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and guided imagery in promoting psychological and physiological states of relaxation.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021;2021:5924040. doi:10.1155/2021/5924040National Institute of Mental Health.Guided visualization.Harvard Health Publishing.Is crying good for you?Bylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.The neurobiology of human crying.Clin Auton Res. 2019;29(1):63-73. doi:10.1007/s10286-018-0526-yBylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.The neurobiology of human crying.Clin Auton Res. 2019;29(1):63-73. doi:10.1007/s10286-018-0526-yCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Sadness and depression.Sharman LS, Dingle GA, Baker M, et al.The relationship of gender roles and beliefs to crying in an international sample.Front Psychol. 2019;10:2288. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02288American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Mood changes during perimenopause are real. Here’s what to know.American Stroke Association.Pseudobulbar affect (PBA).Brain Injury Association of America.Pseudobulbar affect.Bylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.The neurobiology of human crying.Clin Auton Res. 2019;29(1):63-73. doi:10.1007/s10286-018-0526-yHarvard Health Publishing.Nutrional psychiatry: Your brain on food.Nuedexta.About PBA.
Harvard Health Publishing.Relaxation techniques: Breath control helps quell errant stress response.
National Institutes of Health.Grounding skills.
Toussaint L, Nguyen QA, Roettger C, et al.Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and guided imagery in promoting psychological and physiological states of relaxation.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021;2021:5924040. doi:10.1155/2021/5924040
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Harvard Health Publishing.Is crying good for you?
Bylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.The neurobiology of human crying.Clin Auton Res. 2019;29(1):63-73. doi:10.1007/s10286-018-0526-y
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sadness and depression.
Sharman LS, Dingle GA, Baker M, et al.The relationship of gender roles and beliefs to crying in an international sample.Front Psychol. 2019;10:2288. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02288
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Mood changes during perimenopause are real. Here’s what to know.
American Stroke Association.Pseudobulbar affect (PBA).
Brain Injury Association of America.Pseudobulbar affect.
Harvard Health Publishing.Nutrional psychiatry: Your brain on food.
Nuedexta.About PBA.
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