Does Crying Help Diabetics?

crying diabeticsCrying is known as the shedding of tears in relation to an emotional state. The act of crying is defined as a complex secretomotor phenomenon as tears shed from the lacrimal apparatus, or tear duct. In many cultures, it is socially acceptable for women and children to cry, but not as acceptable for men to cry. According to the German Society of Ophthalmology, women cry on average between 30 to 64 times a year, while men cry only 6 to 17 times a year. Men usually cry between two to four minutes, while women cry about six minutes. Crying often turns into sobbing for women, however. Tears that are produced during crying have a chemical composition which differs from other types of tears. Yet, emotional responses vary from person to person. A diagnosis of diabetes may make one person cry and not another individual who is diagnosed with the same disease.

Crying has often been noted as good medicine as it washes the soul. Crying eases the burdens on one’s shoulders. There is a myriad of evidence to support that crying allows for people to feel better about themselves and the world around them. According to the British website, Emotional Processing, “psychotherapists and counselors from nearly every school or persuasion regard crying during a course of therapy as constructive.” Diabetics, then, are suggested to cry. People report an improvement in their feelings after they cry and this improvement in clarity can last for days, even weeks. Often in certain therapy sessions for diabetics, they are shown sad movies to affect their mood and initiate crying. Some psychologists have stated that crying is an evolutionary science and that it is a fascinating method of sharing that something sad has occurred or that a person has lost something. Others state that crying helps all of us get over or work through hurtful experiences. Crying can reduce the pain so that people can indeed face their demons, so to speak, and anything that has distressed them in the past or present.

Crying can be contagious, however. One person’s crying can make an entire room cry. This is why crying is especially recommended during diabetes self-management classes and sessions. All emotional experiences are contagious. All cultures and individuals cry every now and then. Children however are trained not to cry; but psychologists suggest that children who have diabetes should cry every now and then because diabetes affects them differently than diabetes in adults.

Psychologists and physicians have stated that one needs to help themselves cry. Excessive stress and worry can be eliminated potentially with a good cry. Finding the appropriate time to cry is important, however. The diabetic can do things like chopping onions, finding a gloomy atmosphere, or using other crying aids in order to elicit a sad response.

So why is it good for a diabetic to cry? It allows them to rid the emotional aspects associated with the ailment. By crying, the diabetic accepts the disease and can learn to cope with a lifestyle that will ultimately be changed. There is no better time to shed a tear for a diabetic.

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