The Neurobiology of Tears: Why Crying is a System Reset | Ep 45

Crying is one of the few ways the body physically excretes stress. In this episode of No Nonsense Psychiatry, we look at the difference between basal tears and emotional tears, which contain higher levels of stress hormones like cortisol and leucine-enkephalin (a natural painkiller). We’re stripping away the "shame" to explain how crying activates the Parasympathetic Nervous System, bringing your heart rate and breathing back to baseline. We provide three actionable reasons why "holding it in" is actually a form of biological self-sabotage.