The Physiology of Grief: Benefits of Crying & Blowing Our Noses

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This week, one of my dearest friends passed away. And while I cried over missing him, and blew my nose, I wondered why our bodies produce so much mucus when we cry. In this article, The Physiology of Grief, we look at why we cry, blow our noses and produce mucus as parts of our grieving process.

From years of detoxing my liver, I know that the body uses mucus to release toxins. Our bodies purge toxins through our sweat, feces, urine, mucus, exhalation and bile. So why is mucus used by the body during grief?

I thought: It must purge the damage that sadness can cause when we hold it in and let it become trapped.

I’ve experienced trapped emotion before — and it really can make us sick. (I used this book to help release that emotion.)

Our bodies know how to heal. So when they call for crying, for the release of tears and mucus, it’s wise to let it happen. Grieving is good for us, even though it’s hard.

Rose for grief

This article also shares how ancient cultures used rose oil and rose tea to assist grief.

The Physiology of Grief: tears and mucus

When we grieve deeply, crying is one of the body’s natural ways of processing loss — and sometimes that also involves producing mucus.

From a biomedical standpoint, mucus is a normal secretion from our mucus membranes, and it has roles in protection, hydration and clearing irritants. 

In the context of intense emotion, the body seems to lean into a kind of purge. Tears themselves are more than just water: They also contain oil, electrolytes, proteins and a small mucus component.

Many healing traditions view the extra fluid flow — through tears, a runny nose or mucus clearing — as the body’s way of releasing what it has held tight inside.

The lungs hold grief

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), grief is closely connected to the Lung system. The idea is that overwhelming sadness can congest Lung Qi, leading to tightness in the chest, shallow breathing and even excess mucus production.

People expel mucus or clear the nose as part of “letting go” of stagnant emotion, helping the Lung system free itself from what’s stuck.

How tears helps us grieve and bring balance

Similarly, Ayurvedic traditions regard tears and bodily fluids as more than just waste products.

Strong emotions disturb the balance of the doshas, especially Kapha (which governs water and fluids), and the act of releasing tears or other secretions supports a return to balance.

In these systems, the physical release is woven into the emotional healing process.

Letting go

Folk and holistic traditions across cultures often speak of grief as something that can become lodged in our bodies — not just in the mind or the heart. Releasing fluids (mucus, tears, sweat) is then both symbolic and literal: a purification, a letting out, a way to prevent grief from settling into deeper patterns of illness or stagnation.

Of course, from a conventional medical perspective, scientists view crying and mucus release as reflexive, physiological responses to stress and emotional arousal. Emotions trigger the autonomic nervous system, which influences secretions, breathing and other bodily responses.

In this view, crying is one of several ways our body works through emotional overload — not mystical, but deeply natural.

The overall benefits of crying

In one study published on PubMed, researchers observed nearly 200 women who either cried or did not cry after watching emotional videos, then completed a stressful task. Those who cried showed lower cortisol levels and recovered more quickly from stress, suggesting that crying helps regulate the body’s stress response and supports emotional resilience.

A study done in 2025 compared emotional tears with standard, non-emotional tears and discovered measurable biochemical differences in their protein composition. This finding suggests that emotional tears may play a unique role in the body’s response to strong emotion, potentially serving a physiological purpose beyond simple lubrication.

Harvard Health also reports that crying releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids — natural chemicals that help relieve both emotional and physical pain. According to their review, this release helps calm the nervous system and supports mental well-being, reinforcing the idea that crying is a healthy and necessary part of emotional processing.

Rose for grief

If you’re drawn to gentle herbal supports for grief, an ancient one I’ve used is herbal rose tea. This is a favorite tea for everyone in my family. It’s absolutely delicious, hot or iced.

You can also make your own Rosebud Tea here, with this very special recipe.

In many traditional systems rose is seen as soothing for the heart and helpful for “softening” held emotion — a companion to the process of release.

Rose Absolute pure oil (find it here) has been used since the Middle Ages for heart healing, soothing emotions and promoting calm during times of loss. For millennia, people have used rose in burial ceremonies. Ancient cultures turned to it to balance the heart and mind, ease inflammation and support spiritual well-being.

Crying conclusion

Crying isn’t just an emotional release — it’s part of how our bodies protect and restore both mental and physical health.

Studies show that tears help calm the nervous system, lower stress hormones and support emotional balance.

Both science and traditional healing systems view crying (and even blowing our noses) as essential release steps — in moving through grief and returning to wholeness.

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