Why Do We Cry? The Complexity Of Human Tears
Humans produce tears for a number of reasons including a response to sadness, a reflex to discomfort, or to keep the eye hydrated.
The different types of tears produced in these situations all have a slightly different chemical composition when examined under a microscope; if one were to capture someone’s tear and closely examine it, one may then be able to determine what type of feeling or experience that person was having during the moment of tear production.
Basal tears, also known as constant tears, are tears that are produced at a constant, steady rate for the purpose of keeping the eye from drying out.
This type of tear is made from mucous, oil, water, and protein and is the thickest and most nutritious of all the tears.
Its purpose is to form the wet, protective layer that surrounds the eye and prevent the discomforts of dry-eye.
Dry-eye patients that suffer from insufficient basal tears often try to stimulate their reflex tear or emotional tear production for relief, but these types of tears only allow for temporary relief as they are much more watery than basal tears and wash away quickly.
The human body produces 5-10 ounces of basal tears everyday.
Reflex tears are produced to provide protection for the eye from harmful irritants such as smoke, dust, fumes, and bright light.
The human eye is able to rapidly communicate to the brain that it is experiencing discomfort, at which point the brain sends a flow of hormones to the glands in the eyelids which cause the eyes to produce tears.
Under the observation of a microscope, reflex tears generally consist of about 98% water along with a little bit of salt and protein.
Emotional tears are produced in response to moments of intense sadness, pain, anger, happiness, laughter, etc.
The production of this type of tear occurs when an emotion is powerful enough to trigger the cerebrum in the brain which then triggers the endocrine system to release hormones to the ocular region allowing the eyes to then produce tears of emotion.
These tears under examination can actually differ from one another based on the emotion that produced it, meaning a sad tear may have a distinctly different composition than a tear of joy.
All emotional tears appear to be comprised of the same ingredients, but the levels of each vary depending on the experienced emotion.
They consist of mostly water, hormones, prolactin, adrenocorticotropic, and leucine enkephalin which is a natural painkiller produced by the body.
This may explain why some people claim to feel a sense of relief or even joy after ‘having a good cry’.
Foods that one could incorporate into their diet that promote healthy eye function, vision, and tear production are:
Orange colored fruits and vegetables
Leafy greens
Eggs
Citrus and berries
Fatty fish
It is also important to embrace and give in to those moments that make you feel as though you should cry, whether it be from happiness or sadness; it is a healthy and rejuvenating flush that can bring relief and clarity to the mind.
The body’s ability to produce the necessary type of tear for a given situation is crucial in the health and the protection of our eyes and vision.
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