Many wonder if intense crying can cause a blood vessel to burst. For healthy individuals, the idea of “popping a major blood vessel” during crying is a misconception. Crying can lead to temporary, visible physical changes, but these are minor and do not involve the rupture of large blood vessels.
How Crying Affects Blood Vessels
Intense crying influences the body’s vascular system, particularly smaller vessels. During emotional outbursts, individuals may experience muscle contractions in the face and chest, sometimes with breath-holding or straining. This action temporarily increases pressure within the head and facial veins, affecting delicate capillaries.
While heart rate and blood pressure might initially rise, crying can also activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This helps induce relaxation and can lead to a subsequent decrease in heart rate and blood pressure, often resulting in a feeling of calm.
Visible Effects of Intense Crying
Temporary pressure changes during crying lead to noticeable, harmless effects on blood vessels. One common outcome is red, puffy eyes. This occurs because small blood vessels around the eyes dilate in response to increased blood flow and fluid retention.
Another visible effect is tiny red spots on the skin, often around the eyes or face, known as petechiae. These pinhead-sized spots are small capillaries that have ruptured due to increased pressure from crying, similar to those from forceful coughing or vomiting. Petechiae are benign, temporary, and resolve within a few days. In some instances, a subconjunctival hemorrhage, a bright red patch on the white of the eye, can occur due to a burst blood vessel under the conjunctiva. This condition, while alarming, is painless and resolves within one to two weeks as the blood is reabsorbed.
Understanding the Risks
While crying can cause minor, superficial blood vessels to break, it does not typically lead to the rupture of major blood vessels or serious internal bleeding in healthy individuals. The capillaries that break are very small, and their rupture is a localized, self-limiting event.
Serious vascular events, such as an aneurysm rupture, are generally linked to pre-existing medical conditions, not crying itself. Aneurysms are weak spots in blood vessel walls that bulge and can rupture due to factors like high blood pressure, certain genetic conditions, or drug use, but not typically from transient pressure changes associated with crying. Crying is a normal human emotional response and is not inherently dangerous to the body’s major circulatory system.
When to Seek Medical Attention
Although the physical effects of crying are usually benign, certain symptoms during or after crying warrant medical attention. These symptoms are not typically caused by crying but could indicate an underlying health issue.
Persistent or severe headaches, especially if described as the “worst headache of your life,” should be evaluated promptly. Changes in vision, such as blurred or double vision, or loss of consciousness, are also concerning signs. If you experience sudden numbness, weakness on one side of the body, or confusion alongside crying, seek professional medical advice immediately. These symptoms suggest a need for professional medical evaluation to rule out any unrelated, more serious conditions.