Top pulmonologist says crying can help relieve stress, anxiety
Top pulmonologist Dr. Bryan Cepedoza says crying can help relieve people of stress and anxiety and feel a whole lot better.
He explained that the body has the so called indigenous feel-good hormones such as endorphins.
The Internet says that endorphins are “chemicals (hormones) that our body releases when it feels pain or stress. They are released during pleasurable activities such as exercise, massage, eating, etc. Endorphins help relieve pain, reduce stress and improve your sense of well-being.”
Endorphins, which are structurally similar to the drug morphine are considered natural painkillers, the doctor said. It is because “they activate opioid receptors in the brain that help minimize discomfort,” another source says.
With these endorphins, people can get the feeling of happiness to counter the effects of anxiety or stress.
Dr. Bryan said that endorphins are like morphines but the former occur naturally in the body and cause less side effects. Morphine is different because it is addictive and not indigenous to the body.
Our body produces indigenous endorphins to make us feel good and counter the bad feelings created by anxiety and stress.
Endorphins are produced when a person feels sad. After crying, normally, the effects of the endorphins kick in and make the person feel better.
The high levels of endorphins in the body may lead to a feeling of euphoria, the doctor said.
People would use artificial endorphins such as morphine to feel good but the side effect is that they become addicted to the substance and the addiction may lead to more negative effects, the doctor warned.