Why Does a Good Cry Leave You Feeling So Exhausted?

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The benefits of crying and tips for recovering

Co-authored by Leslie Bosch, PhD and Ali Garbacz, B.A.

Last Updated: September 20, 2024 Fact Checked

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Reasons Why Crying Makes You Tired

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Benefits of Crying

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Recovering from a Good Cry

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Different Types of Tears

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Expert Interview

Sometimes there’s nothing better than having a really good cry. When you’re done, you’ll hopefully feel lighter, calmer, and…sleepy? It’s not like you were running a marathon, so why do you feel so tired after crying it out? We’ll explain this by looking at what exactly happens to your body when you cry. We’ll also give you tips about how you can recover from crying and get back to feeling like yourself, so keep reading.

Things You Should Know

When you cry, your heart rate increases and you may start to hyperventilate, which takes a physical toll on your body.
Crying releases stress-relieving hormones, such as oxytocin and endorphins, which calm you down and make you sleepy.
The act of crying is your body’s way of soothing itself after an overwhelming experience and can leave you feeling tired as you calm down.

Section 1 of 4:

Reasons Why Crying Makes You Tired

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It can be hard to get in enough air while you’re crying. If you’ve ever had a really emotional cry, then you’re probably familiar with the feeling of not being able to breathe properly between sobs. This is called hyperventilating. Because you’re so short of breath, your brain is getting less oxygen than normal. This leads to an overall feeling of drowsiness when you get your breathing back under control. You might also feel dizzy or lightheaded, which may make you want to lie down for a bit until you feel better.^{[1]
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- Your level of fatigue usually matches how hard you were crying and hyperventilating. So if you only shed a few tears, you likely won’t feel too exhausted when you’re done.
Right before you start crying, your sympathetic nervous system, or your “fight or flight” response, is triggered. This causes your heart rate to increase, which can leave you feeling tired, dizzy, or a bit lightheaded.^{[2]
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One of these hormones is oxytocin, and it directly combats the stress hormone cortisol and calms you down. A side effect of this increase in oxytocin levels is drowsiness since oxytocin naturally promotes sleep. Hormones known as endorphins are also released, and they help relieve pain, reduce stress, and improve your mood.^{[3]
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Your body has 2 nervous systems: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The SNS drives your fight-or-flight instinct when things get stressful, and your PNS works to calm you down. When you cry, your PNS is active longer than your SNS, meaning that your body is ultimately able to soothe itself and leave you feeling more relaxed despite the initial stress. This calm feeling might translate into sleepiness.^{[4]
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Section 2 of 4:

Benefits of Crying

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If you’ve had a lot piling up on your plate, a good cry might just be what you need to let it all out. Many people claim that they feel lighter and much less overwhelmed after crying it out. This feeling of relief is also known as “catharsis” and is good in helping you deal with difficult or painful emotions.^{[5]
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By holding in your tears and bottling up your emotions, you’re actually harming your body. On the other hand, crying has been shown to decrease stress, lower cortisol levels, and make you more resilient to certain cardiovascular diseases, specifically hypertension. Crying is also good for strengthening your immune system and can help prevent certain mental health conditions, such as stress, depression, and anxiety.^{[6]
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Your bonds with others strengthen when you cry. Crying is one way to signal to others that you’re in need of comfort and support. Letting yourself be vulnerable like this ultimately helps strengthen your connection with those who come to care for you and empathize with whatever you’re going through.^{[7]
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- Being surrounded by people who are willing to comfort and support you when you cry might leave you feeling better than if you were to simply cry by yourself.^{[8]
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Section 3 of 4:

Recovering from a Good Cry

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Replenish your energy and focus on resting. Cancel any commitments that aren’t urgent and take time to prioritize yourself. Get a glass of water, eat a snack, take a shower or bath, take a nap, or do all of the above. Even if you’re not particularly sad or stressed, your body still goes through a lot when you cry. Replenish your energy, relax your mind and body, and assess how you feel after.^{[9]
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- Reader Poll: We asked 171 wikiHow readers and 52% of them agreed that getting 7-9 hours of sleep a night is the best self-care activity for taking care of their physical and mental health. [Take Poll] So make sure to take care of yourself by getting enough rest on the regular!
Do some deep breathing exercises or meditate if you feel like you need to calm down your thoughts. Some other things to try include going for a walk, listening to music, playing with Play-Doh, and reading.^{[10]
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If you just got done with a super emotional cry, take some time to cheer yourself up while you recover. Watch a funny video, read your favorite book, play with your pet, or meet up with a friend if you feel up to it. Do some of your favorite hobbies or even go ahead and try something new to help clear your mind.^{[11]
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If you still have some thoughts and emotions that need to be dealt with, call up a friend or family member you trust and have a good old venting session. Don’t be afraid to open up to them, ask them for advice, and share your honest thoughts and feelings at the moment.^{[12]
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Section 4 of 4:

Different Types of Tears

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Your body sheds tears for many different purposes. Your body has 3 different kinds of tears it produces depending on what’s happening. Some tears are created to protect your eyes, while others are shed as an emotional response to certain events. The 3 types of tears are:^{[13]
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- Basal tears: These are the tears your body sheds naturally to keep your eyes moist. These tears also act as a protective shield for your cornea. You’re constantly shedding these tears, even if you don’t notice it.
- Reflexive tears: You shed reflexive tears when something gets in your eye, like dust, dirt, or whatever it is in onions that makes some people tear up.
- Emotional tears: These are usually triggered when something really emotional happens. Emotional tears contain different proteins and hormones than basal and reflexive tears. These are what help you regulate stress and bring your body back to a calm state.