Highlights
- While crying is a normal physiological response that can have cathartic benefits for people experiencing stress or grief, wanting to cry for no reason or being unable to stop crying can point to something deeper.
- Changes in hormones, attachment style, and changes in brain structure associated with certain mental health conditions can make a person more likely to cry easily.
- People with brain injuries and neurological conditions can experience something called pseudobulbar affect (PBA) that causes random crying.
- People who can’t stop crying can use calming techniques and therapy to address underlying emotions.
Do you find yourself frequently crying for no reason, out of the blue? Sometimes, it is normal: crying is a healthy human response to different emotions and situations; it can even be cathartic. However, randomly crying with no explicit triggers for a prolonged period can indicate a mental health crisis. In this article, we’ll explore some of the potential underlying reasons for such an experience and you can deal with it.
Is It Normal to Cry for No Reason?
Occasional crying can be perfectly normal. Some people simply have their emotions triggered more easily than others. However, what causes crying for no reason can vary based on a person’s age, the environment they live in, their health history, and mental health. Researchers think that factors ranging from cultural attitudes to individual attachment style may play into why some people cry more than others. For example, some studies show that people with insecure attachments
If you’ve been holding in emotions or powering through a rough patch in life, tears may eventually flow when you least expect it. However, there could be something bigger in play if you cry all the time for no reason or feel like you can’t control your tears. Here’s a look at some of the underlying causes behind that.
Emotional Overwhelm and Stress Response
Crying can be a normal response to stress, sadness, worry, grief, and other emotions. Any strong emotions, from sadness to pleasure, can trigger tears.
If crying gets uncontrollable, it can be a sign that your stress response has been running on overdrive. In this case, the sympathetic nervous system that is responsible for the body’s flight, fight, and freeze reactions can actually be behind those sudden tears.
Physical Conditions Leading to Crying
Crying spells can sometimes be caused by degenerative neurological conditions that affect brain processes. This is referred to as pseudobulbar affect (PBA). With PBA, there’s a disconnection between the brain’s frontal lobes that control emotion and the cerebellum and brain stem that control reflexes.
Unexplained crying can be associated with certain neurological conditions that include traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, dementia, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease.
Mental Health and Crying
Some mental health conditions can put you in a state where you feel like you can’t stop crying for no reason — although recognizing that reason is possible with professional help.
If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges, your body may be using crying as a natural self-soothing technique. Emotional tears actually
However, crying alone can’t help a person identify underlying symptoms of depression or other mental health conditions. Someone at the point of wondering how to stop crying for no reason may need to see a qualified healthcare professional to cope with strong feelings of sadness, fear, worry, or stress and get appropriate treatment.
What Causes Crying for No Reason?
As covered above, a wide range of emotional triggers and underlying health conditions can be responsible for crying out of nowhere. However, there are some core factors that are often at play when someone experiences unexpected crying in daily life. See if any of these reasons seem relevant to you:
- Depression: The persistent sadness of someone in a depressive episode can trigger crying.
- Anxiety: Prolonged or intense anxiety related to anxiety disorders can make you physically and mentally overwhelmed. In addition to providing a release, crying can be a way for your brain to communicate to others that you need support. Consider seeing a professional for anxiety disorder treatment to develop healthy coping mechanisms.
- Bipolar Disorder: People with bipolar disorder have a more active amygdala — a brain area that’s responsible for emotional response, among other functions. That is why they may cry more frequently or have a higher sensitivity to stress.
- Hormonal Changes: Crying episodes are sometimes caused by normal hormonal shifts. For example, when estrogen levels fall right before menstruation, the body has less serotonin available. This is why weepiness is linked with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). A condition called
premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) [3*] can also cause difficulty regulating emotions; and during pregnancy,increased levels of estrogen and progesterone [4*] can cause mood swings, irritability, and sadness that lead to crying for no reason. In other cases, hormonal imbalances that indicate an underlying issue could be responsible for crying out of nowhere. - Burnout and Stress: Mental and physical exhaustion that put the nervous system into overdrive can impact a person’s ability to regulate their emotions. This can lead to crying and emotional outbursts that are triggered by seemingly nothing. In some cases, uncontrollable crying for no clear reason in people who have endured intense stress can be a sign of acute stress disorder.
- Grief and Loss: Crying due to grief or loss is a normal physiological response to strong emotions. It allows the body to release stress hormones. However, it may be time to talk with a therapist if your symptoms remain strong while you are trying to move further along in the grieving process.
- Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA): Uncontrollable crying and inappropriate laughing can both be signs of pseudobulbar affect that happens when injury or degenerative illness mix up signals in the brain.
- Cultural and Social Factors: Individuals living in more affluent, democratic, extraverted, and individualistic countries tend to report
crying more frequently [5*] . It can seem like you cry a lot if you’re surrounded by people who either look down on crying or don’t feel comfortable crying.
How to Stop Crying for No Reason
Of course, it is important to investigate underlying causes; but sometimes, you just don’t have a chance to keep crying for no reason and want to know how to take a break before you are alone or in a more comfortable environment. There are some tools you can use to cope at the moment when tears happen:
- Seek Privacy: If crying in front of others increases anxiety, excuse yourself to have a moment in private.
- Breathe: Take deep breaths as a way to overcome the fight, flight, or freeze responses happening within your body. By taking around 10 deep breaths from your belly, you can engage the parasympathetic nervous system to override your panic state.
- Express Yourself: Use painting or creative writing to get in touch with the underlying feelings that are causing you to cry.
- Practice Grounding Techniques: Did you know that interrupting your thought pattern when you feel a crying fit coming on could potentially stop tears? Simple options include sucking on a mint candy, running an ice cube over your skin, or holding a warm mug in your hands. These sensations force the brain to redirect attention to different parts of your body and potentially distract you from intrusive thoughts.
However, these tips should not replace seeking professional help if you constantly feel overwhelmed by emotions. To get crying under control, it’s important to see a healthcare provider to identify the real causes of your current emotional state and receive appropriate treatment.
When to Seek Help
It’s important to recognize when uncontrollable crying is pointing to something serious. Losing interest in things you enjoy, isolating yourself, being self-destructive, or giving up on work or school can all be signs you’re at a crisis point that requires depression treatment.
If crying fits are accompanied by thoughts of self-harm or suicidality, contact a crisis hotline, your healthcare provider, or a support organization right away. The national mental health crisis and suicide prevention hotline is 988. You can call or text this number to access a free and confidential service 24 hours a day that connects you with emotional support.
Final Thoughts on Uncontrollable Crying for No Reason
There’s no reason to try to “shake off” uncontrollable crying. If you keep crying for no reason, this is truly the body’s way of setting off alarm bells to let you know that you’re potentially on your way to a severe depressive episode or nervous breakdown. Randomly crying and wanting to cry for no reason can indicate that something serious is happening. If you find it more and more challenging to cope, it’s important to seek help; you can see a licensed healthcare provider online at MEDvidi by booking a video visit in a few clicks.
