It almost feels like a good stretch. And it immediately makes you feel better. Happens once every time after a lot of crying.
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Crying, especially hard crying like sobbing, causes us to hyperventilate. Emotional responses put our body in fight or flight typically, which causes a release of adrenaline. You’re not getting enough oxygen during the sob session, so once the intensity of it dies down for a second, your body forces you to take a deep breath.
It’s also why you usually feel tired and exhausted after a hard cry. Your body got flooded with adrenaline and then it all subsides, leaving you drained.
This is called a “physiological sigh,” and it’s connected with major shifts in mood / activity / “reboots” of the nervous system (there are a lot of profound links between breath, mood and nervous system)! You can read a deep dive on it here: https://psychsolutions.ca/the-science-of-physiological-sigh-insights-from-huberman-lab/
The sharp double inhale you experience after crying is a reflex called a sob. It’s your body’s way of catching its breath and restoring oxygen after a period of intense emotion. When you cry, your breathing becomes shallow and irregular. The sob helps you take in a quick burst of air to replenish your lungs and bring your breathing back to normal.
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