Why does crying when you have PMS make you feel better?

March 15, 2005 11:50 AM

Why does crying when you have PMS make you feel better?

Half an hour after I cry, I feel great. I'd imagine that crying releases neurotransmitters of some kind, but how do they counteract the hormones in your blood from PMS?

posted by stoneegg21 to health & fitness (8 comments total)

I don't know if it has anything to do with PMS- it seems that crying always makes you feel better when you feel bad, whether you have PMS or not.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:51 AM on March 15, 2005 [1 favorite has favorites]

Crying releases endorphins, and endorphins make you feel better.

"Another chemical theory is that crying helps to release endorphins into the bloodstream. Endorphins are chemicals that act as mood-elevators and pain relievers. Both this and the above theory give chemical credence to the assertion that most people feel physically better after having a good sob."
posted by ArsncHeart at 11:55 AM on March 15, 2005

See also.
posted by ArsncHeart at 12:12 PM on March 15, 2005

Why does crying release endorphins? Endorphins may provide the mechanism for changing brain chemisty, but why does the body need the act of crying to do that?
posted by mfbridges at 2:30 PM on March 15, 2005

...but why does the body need the act of crying to do that?

It doesn't. There are many other things your body does to stimulate the release of endorphins.

As stated above, endorphins are mood-elevators and pain relievers. When we are sad, scared, or in pain, it makes sense that evolutionarily speaking, it would be beneficial to create endorphins at that time.
posted by Specklet at 3:47 PM on March 15, 2005

The other thing to consider is that tears have been measured for other substances and can contain up to 1000 times the concentration of "stress chemicals" ie lactic acid than that found in our bloodstream.

The phrase "a good, cleansing cry" has basis in fact. I use this information a lot when talking with people who are highly stressed and embarassed about weeping. Tears are one way we stay upright and functional when stressed.
posted by reflecked at 4:55 PM on March 15, 2005

Not a hundred percent PMS-related, but aside from the regular benefits of crying when you don't feel right, there are perhaps some hormonal issues at play.

Also, doing a google for "prolactin crying" brought up this perhaps interesting book.
posted by Sticherbeast at 9:24 PM on March 15, 2005

small amounts of stress chemicals are released in tears.
posted by playtragic at 9:34 PM on March 25, 2005