THE TEARS WE CRY

When I was a little girl, I remember my mom telling me that I was just like my paternal grandmother.....one minute I'd be laughing and the next minute crying.  Yup, all of my life I've been a crier.  I could live inside a bag of marshmallows!

It occurs to me that over the past 17 years I've never written about tears.  So, I did a little digging and came up with some interesting facts.  

• There are three main types of tears:  basal, reflex and emotional.
• Basal tears are the most common type of tears that are produced continuously to keep the eyes moist and lubricated.  They also contain nutrients that help prevent infection.
• Reflex tears are produced in response to irritants like onion fumes, smoke, dust, foreign objects. 
• Emotional tears are triggered by strong emotions like joy, sadness, anger or compassion.  
• Crying and its health benefits:
• Crying can reduce stress levels by releasing stress hormones.
• Tears help to flush out irritants and toxins from the eyes.
• Emotional tears contain natural pain killers.
• 
  Tears contain antibodies and other proteins that can fight off infection.
• According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, our bodies make 15 to 30 gallons of tears every year.  Tears are produced by the lacrimal glands located above the eyes.  Tears spread across the surface of the eye when we blink.  They then drain into small holes in the corners of the upper and lower lids before traveling through small channels and down the tear ducts to the nose.  While tear production can slow down due to health and aging, we don't actually run out of tears. 
• Some researchers believe that crying is a social signal to get help from others when we are in pain, sadness, or feeling any type of distress or extreme emotion.  Often, when we cry, it prompts others to offer support, which makes us feel better.
• The term "crocodile tears" is used to describe someone who is pretending to cry.  It came from the myth that crocodiles cry when eating humans, which was coined from the book, "The Voyage and Travel of Sir John Mandeville," published in 1400.

SO, our tears work hard to protect our eyes, clear out irritants, soothe our feelings, and even send messages to those around us.  Tears are a sign of good health, and our emotional tears make us uniquely human.

There's nothing that feels better than a good cry.  Trust me, I know.