Crying is a natural response to emotions such as sadness, grief, anger, fear, empathy, surprise, joy, and happiness. Crying does cause headaches; it specifically depends on the range and severity of emotion. For example, crying due to positive emotions such as happiness, surprise, or joy does not cause a headache. However, crying caused by grief, sadness, fear, and anger usually results in a headache. Do you know why crying causes headaches…?
Well, this statement has a lot to do with psychology. When we cry, stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline are released into our bodies which makes our muscles, scalp, and face squeeze up. This causes tension in the parts resulting in headaches.
In this blog, let’s take a deep look at why crying causes headaches from a psychological perspective. So, let’s get started!
How Do We Cry?
When we are in a negative emotional state, our body produces tears in the limbic system resulting in emotional arousal. The limbic system sends signals to the lacrimal glands (located just above the eyelid) which produce tears. When we cry, we usually experience a runny nose due to the build-up of tension around the muscles of the face and head.
Why Do I Get Headaches After Crying?
When we cry, stress hormones are released into our bodies which squeezes our muscles, face, and space. The pressure builds up on the skull resulting in a tension headache.
A long crying sessions caused by negative emotions sometimes not only affects the facial muscles, but it also impacts other metabolic by-products in the body. The build-up chemicals do not get flushed away easily because the blood vessels around our face are also limited by the muscle contractions. This results in nerve irritation and inflammation which causes pain.
What is a Tension Headache?
A headache caused by crying is called a tension headache. When we cry, muscles around our face squeeze which also causes tension in the neck, back of the head, jaw, and other parts. Scientifically, when a person cries for a long period, the continuous contractions cause tension headaches.
Research shows that tension headaches are one of the most common types of headaches. Tension headache does not only feel like a normal headache but there can be other signs too. Below listed are some of the common signs of tension headache:
- Pain in the overall head including face, neck, and back
- Pain that feels like someone tied a band or tight vice around the head
- Unbearable tender feelings in the affected areas
Note: Tension headache is different from migraine, sinus headache, and normal headache caused by workload.
What to Do?
There are several ways to treat headaches caused by crying. One of the best keys to treating headaches is to understand the root cause behind the pain. As I mentioned above, tension headaches are different from migraine, sinus headaches, and others. It’s important to take a look at the cause.
If the headache is caused by a stress response or strong negative emotions, it can be helpful to treat it that way. Herein, you can also take the help of a physical health provider to understand the root cause.
If the headache is caused by stress response or negative emotions, you can try the following:
- Gently massage your head, neck, and facial areas to reduce the tension
- Place a cool or warm pack on the areas to relieve stress and pressure caused by hormones
- Try stress-relieving techniques such as aromatherapy, natural baths, and others to release tension from the body.
- Take a rest in a quiet room with normal temperature and dark surroundings
- Stay dehydrated to flush away the build-up of toxins developed by the stress response
If you’re struggling with constant, severe, or unbearable headaches, Calm Sage strongly recommends connecting with a physical health provider. If you think the causes of your headache might be related to a mental health issue, you can connect with a mental health provider as well.
You must connect with a mental health provider if you regularly feel down, overwhelmed, or cry regularly, this could be a sign of an underlying mental health condition. If the headache is accompanied by the following mental health signs, connect with a mental health provider:
- Hopelessness
- Worthlessness
- Lack of interest
- Loss of motivation
- Irritation
- Fatigue
- Lack of energy
- Lack of concentration or memorizing things
- Sleeping too much or too less
- Unexplainable loss or gain of appetite
- Suicidal thoughts or self-harm
If the headache is accompanied by the following physical health signs, connect with a physical health provider:
- High fever
- Vomiting
- Sudden and severe headache
- Balance, speech, or vision issues
- Numbness or weakness
- Confusion
I hope this blog helps you understand “why a headache occurs after crying?” Comment down and share your queries through the same or you can also write to us at Calm Sage.
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Thanks for reading!
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