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Because when we cry we produce more acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that increases the amount of nasal secretion. When the tears roll, it is released by the parasympathetic nervous system and causes the nasal mucosa, the inner wall of the nose, to produce more secretion, made up of mucus and a fluid called serous transudate. “The body produces, on average, 2 liters of this liquid per day. It leaves the air we breathe more humid and is reabsorbed without us noticing”, says Fabio Pinna, otorhinolaryngologist at the Hospital das Clínicas in São Paulo. Acetylcholine still decreases the heart rate, dilates the pupils, increases salivation and the diameter of blood vessels. Because of this, the nose region swells, leading to resistance to the passage of air. And, with the secretion, it really clogs! The consistency of the secretion varies, but it is more liquid than snot – thick because it carries remnants of inflammatory cells from colds and sinusitis.
From the beginning of the cry to the production of the secretion is just a few seconds.
1. You have experienced a situation of extreme sadness. At the same time that that uncontrollable emotion hits, your brain sends stimuli to the fibers of the parasympathetic nervous system spread throughout various parts and organs of the body.
2. When the nerve endings of the parasympathetic system stimulate the lacrimal glands, located above the eye sockets, weeping begins. Tears run down the surface of the eyes and some falls straight down the nasal duct.
3. Meanwhile, acetylcholine from the parasympathetic system causes an increase in secretion from the nose, produced by cells and glands of the nasal mucosa. The increased amount of secretion when crying has no specific function
4. Shortly afterwards, the sniffles start and a mixture of nasal discharge and tears drips from the nose. When you stop crying, this decreases because there are no more tears coming out of the nasal duct, but the acetylcholine produced still acts in the body for a while