Secret tears: Each year produces 113 liters, richer water cries more

Tears are an integral part of each person's body, and are a highlight in the emotional picture of humanity.

Although familiar, we certainly have many unknown things about these interesting drops.

113 liters per year

Tears play an important role in everyone's life - (Photo: Getty Images).

Crying is a secretion mechanism from the corner of the eye controlled by the brain or by natural external stimulation. Tears are also a solution used to wipe away the dirt from the pupils, because dust enters the eyes, dirty water comes into contact with the eyes, tear gas dries the eyes.

The lacrimal gland is the body's "tear factory" , located above and below each eye in the eye cavity. The small, pea-sized, flat-line lacrimal route has a system that conducts tears into the eye to keep the cornea and conjunctiva always wet.

Tears are generated a lot, about 300ml per day, averaging about 113 liters per year. When sleeping, the lacrimal gland is almost stopped working.

Many types of tears

The composition of the tear film created by the tears in the background - (Photo: hoopesvision.com).

Tears come in many forms, but can be divided into 3 main categories based on its use: background tears, reflex tears and tears to relieve emotions.

Specifically, the background tears create a 3-layer "tear film" : right next to your child is the mucus layer that helps the film attach to the cornea, followed by a layer of water that keeps the pupils always wet and removed The bacteria are harmful, protecting the cornea from injury, and the outer layer of lipids makes the surface always smooth, allowing people to see through and prevent the inner layers from evaporating.

"When the eyes are affected by wind, dust, or insects, reflective tears will be produced to protect the eyes," said Dr. Michael Roizen, USA.

Finally, tears to relieve emotions appear when people have intense emotions, especially when sad.

"Tears can stimulate the release of brain chemicals such as oxytocin hormones and endogenous opioids that help us feel relaxed and relieved after weeping," said Vingerhoets, a professor at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. tears research expert said.

 

Salt is present in every cell in the body. Specifically, the adult body has 250g of salt and plays an important role in maintaining the balance of liquid environment inside the body. This environment is responsible for transporting food and oxygen to all agencies.

Tears also have salt, in one liter of tears there is less than 6g of salt. This salt is obtained from the blood when there is 9 grams of salt in one liter of blood. Salty tears should also work to limit the growth of bacteria in the eyes, besides keeping the eyes wet without getting dry.

Why yawn, laugh again?

According to the American Institute of Ophthalmology, the human body is very special when the tears that have the production part have a consumer part. In the corner of each eye, there are small holes that collect tears, clear the nose, and then mix with the nose to flow out. This is also one reason why we cry when we cry.

In addition, when yawning, when laughing "overdone" , when sneezing, coughing, vomiting, we can all tear. The reason is that when doing these actions, a pressure generated in the mouth affects the nasal cavity, temporarily blocking the escape route of tears. Therefore, tears do not come down to the nose, so they flood into the eyes and are forced to escape.

Why do women cry more than men?

In the 1980s, biochemist William H. Frey found that women cried an average of 5.3 times a month, while men cried an average of 1.3 times a month.

More than 30 years later, these numbers are almost unchanged based on recent studies, the most famous of which is the work of Lauren Bylsma, from Pittsburgh University, USA in 2011.

Biologically, the reason why women cry more than men is because the testosterone hormone is more abundant in men may have the effect of limiting the feeling of wanting to cry, while the prolactin hormone in many women seems to promote current. this statue.

In countries with a culture of free expression, men cry more - (Photo: Maud Fernhout).

However, crying more or less is not a natural process. A study in 35 countries shows how often men and women cry among countries.

Specifically, according to the study of global culture in 2011, the degree of equilibrium crying between men and women in the countries of the people tends to be free to express emotions such as Chile, Sweden, or the US . In contrast, Ghana , Nigeria or Nepal . the level of crying among women is quite large compared to men.

At the same time, people in rich countries often cry more. This may sound a bit paradoxical, but the reason they live in a cultural environment allows them to cry naturally.

On the contrary, poor countries that should have cried more are not like that, because cultural norms in these countries are quite "strict" with crying, especially in men.